Page 100 of Duke of Diamonds
“Pardon my abrupt call,” Fiona said, brushing her skirts into place.
Elaine dismissed the apology with a wave of her hand as she rang for tea. “Nonsense. You are always welcome here.”
The maid arrived and set the tray between them, and once she had quietly withdrawn, Fiona reached for her teacup but found her fingers still faintly unsteady.
“I’m sorry, Elaine.”
Elaine glanced up, her own cup poised mid-air. “Whatever for?”
“About Mary.” Fiona kept her gaze low, her voice even. “I never knew you had a sister. And I apologize for my curiosity as well.”
Elaine set her cup down with care, her features softening.
“Do not apologize,” she said. “You are family, and have every right to know. And I am glad he has told you at last.”
“Oh, but it is only right I do,” Fiona said, placing her cup gently on the saucer. “I’ve opened up some old wounds with my curiosity.”
Elaine offered a wan smile, the kind born of truths lived long and hard. “Some wounds must reopen to heal, Fiona.”
She reached for her own cup, but her gaze lingered thoughtfully over the rim. “And I’m afraid Isaac bears those kinds of wounds. My brother needs to face his past, accept it as it was, so he can finally let go and move on.”
Fiona’s fingers tightened slightly around her cup. Something about Elaine’s tone stirred unease, a quiet implication threading beneath her words.What did she mean by that?It sounded less like general sorrow and more like knowledge—something more about Mary’s death. Something Isaac had not told her.
She glanced away, choosing her next words with care.If there’s more, and I’m meant to know it, I will.
Instead, she asked, “Do you think it could happen, though? That he could embrace it all and move on?”
Elaine looked at her for a long moment, and then a slow, certain smile curved her lips. “I never thought Isaac would ever marry. Yet here you are, Fiona.”
The words settled around her like a shawl pulled snug. Fiona blinked, but said nothing.
“So do I think another miracle could happen?” Elaine went on, her eyes clear with quiet conviction. “With the burden of his past that he’s refused to lay down? Yes. Now I do believe things could—no, would—change for the better for him.”
She reached out and lightly tapped Fiona’s hand, a simple gesture full of meaning. “You have also changed my brother in more ways than one, Fiona. And I should thank you.”
Fiona stared down at her lap, her hands smoothing the folds of her skirt.Changed him? In what way?She could see no suchthing. If anything, he remained as distant and unreadable as the day they’d wed.
“I cannot see how I’ve made any impact at all,” she said finally.
Elaine simply smiled. “Time will make you and Isaac both see what it is you’re denying right now.”
Fiona glanced up, but Elaine had already lifted her teacup again, her expression serene, as though she had not just spoken something bold and certain.
She knows how I feel,Fiona thought, heart fluttering once, quick and unsteady.She sees it. They all do.
And still, she could not name it aloud. Not yet.
Perhaps not even to herself.
Fiona was still contemplating Elaine’s cryptic words—about Mary, about Isaac—when a sudden commotion in the hall pulled her from her thoughts.
The door burst open a moment later and two small figures came bounding into the room, their voices tumbling over each other.
She recognized them at once—Rebecca and David. She had been introduced to the children briefly after her marriage, but it was pleasant to see them again in their natural, chaotic element.
“Mama!” Rebecca cried as she ran straight to Elaine’s chair.
“What is it now, Rebecca darling?” Elaine sighed, her posture shifting as if bracing for the report.
