Page 87 of When Bones Whisper
“That must be why you’re not yet married,” she teased, dragging them back to a recent conversation.
Charlotte scowled in her direction until her smile cracked the tension, and they both laughed. “I don’t want to marry.”
“Liar,” Alice said and continued embroidering her tulips onto a small, square pillow. “That’s what Father says. I’ve seen all your poetry books. You’re a romantic.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes and sat in the armchair below the window. Beyond it, ribbons of navy-blue blended together, alight with pinpricks of a thousand stars. It really was a beautiful night. “I haven’t found anyone I like yet. Besides, no one calls on me. They think I am odd.”
“Youareodd,” Alice teased and placed her needle and thread down. “It is not a bad thing. They are simply envious, for they are far too normal. You will find a wonderful man to marry soon. You must, if you have any hope of leaving here.”
“I don’t want to leave.”
Alice’s light brows knitted together. In the lightest of whispers, she said, “Of course you do! I won’t be here to protect you anymore and Mama is, well, she can’t help you either.”
“Father isn’t himself. He will be okay soon. It is the stress from business.”
“You make excuses for him,” Alice said, lowering her voice to a whisper, her green gaze flitting to the door before she stared at Charlotte, who felt two inches tall under her sister’s hardened stare.
Charlotte leaned forward, her fingers crowning her knees. “After the wedding, things will go back to normal. Of that, I am certain.”
Her lips parted, eyes turning cold. “So you are saying I am the problem? That it is my being here why he can’t control his damned temper?”
“No!” Charlotte spluttered quickly. “It’s just, well, your marriage will bring us more wealth and opportunity.”
She shook her head. “Why do you defend him?”
Goosebumps traveled over Charlotte’s arms and legs. Her sister was right. He’d grown more aggressive as of late, but after she confronted him he promised her things were going to be different now. No matter how dysfunctional things could get, they were a family. They only had each other, and Charlottedesperately wanted them to be close again, like they used to be when they were children.
“He’s our father.”
A defeated smile passed through her pouted lips. “You know I love him, Lottie. I do. No matter what he’s done, but I can’t—” Her voice broke. “I can’t leave you here with him. I’m scared for you. Something has changed inside him. He can turn on a penny and if he hurts you or worse.”
“He would never go that far, Alice,” she said pointedly, her brows raised. “You know he wouldn’t! He loves us.”
“You’re just like Mother. You both try to rationalize his behavior. Just promise me one thing: that if you’re ever in danger, you will leave. You will always have a home with me, no matter who I am married to.”
Charlotte smiled the toothiest grin. “Is this your way of saying you will miss me?”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Alice replied, and put the pillow on her bedside table. “Now, I am weary. You should get some rest too. Tomorrow is the Pennyworth ball.”
“Okay. I will try.” She stood and walked to the door. “Goodnight, Alice.”
Alice called out to her before she could leave. “And keep that cat away from your new dress too. The last thing we need is for you to be covered in fur.”
Charlotte tsked. “Hisnameis Duke.”
She could hear her exasperated sigh from inside. “Why you keep him is beyond me. He is a wild animal and is likely plagued with disease.”
“Well, so is Charles Eringhorn and you still want him,” Charlotte quipped, and stepped out the way just as a pillow came hurtling in her direction.
“Close the door behind you!” she shouted, but Charlotte purposely left it an inch open. If only to aggravate her for saying that about Duke.
“Love you, Sister,” Charlotte sing-songed and walked back to her room.
Her breath halted in her lungs as she hurtled back to the present. Sitting up, she spluttered and coughed, regret drowning her.
Nathaniel’s stormy gray eyes became the anchor in her sea of grief. “Katherine is bringing a potion,” he stated when she managed to fix her stare on him without toppling to one side from the dizziness. “It won’t be long now.”
With a sniffle, she tried to hold it back, but tears flooded again. “I said so many stupid things to my sister. If I had known what would happen, I wouldn’t have said them because she was right about what our father would do, but only because he was possessed.”
