“Nobody thinks that. Has anyone said that to you?”
He shook his head.
“Nobody is blaming anyone for starting the fire. These things happen, and we’re all happy that no one was hurt. It was an old barn that Father was planning to replace anyway.”
He looked relieved—almost—before he resumed playing with the bottle, making circles this time. “You know what you said about making mistakes? How everyone makes mistakes?”
“Yes, everyone does.” Goodness, did she know. She may have made the worst mistake of her life promising Rose.
“Well, I made one,” Rowan said. “A really bad one. I thought something would be funny, but it wasn’t. It went wrong, and it wasn’t funny at all.”
Her promise had gone wrong, too. Horribly wrong.
But knowing her brother, she was sure his mistake had been nothing like hers. Lucky for him, he wasn’t old enough to make such a monumental mistake. A mistake serious enough to ruin his whole life.
She put her hand over his, stopping the motion. “Was it a practical joke?”
Not looking at her, he nodded.
“Sometimes,” she said, “we don’t think things through before we do them.” She hadn’t thought at all before making that promise. Not for one moment. If she’d stopped to think, maybe she would have said no.
“But I feel terrible, Lily.”
She raised a hand to turn his face gently toward her, meeting his regretful green gaze. “If it was truly an honest mistake, you cannot let it make you feel so terrible. Just learn from it and act differently in the future. This mistake—did anyone get hurt?”
He shook his head violently.
“Then don’t be too hard on yourself. You shouldn’t suffer for the rest of your life because of one simple mistake.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure.”
“Don’t you even want to know what happened?”
“No. It’s between you and your conscience,” she told him, glad to find he had one. Her brother was growing up. Besides, it had only been a misfired prank. “Do you want to tell me?”
“No.” He smiled, a true smile. “You’re right. I shouldn’t suffer for the rest of my life. I think I’ll ride over to Benjamin’s house and see if he wants to go fishing.”
“You do that,” she said. And with one more grin, he was off, knocking over the pretty bottle in his mad rush to leave.
She righted the blown-glass container, wishing she could right her own wrong so easily. Hers had been a simple mistake, too, an honest mistake. A promise she’d made impulsively, never dreaming it would come back to haunt her.
Rand would be here this afternoon, and she hadn’t the faintest idea what she’d say to him. But he wouldn’t arrive for hours yet. Feeling restless but not up to anything strenuous, she decided to closet herself in the drawing room and pass the time with some soothing music.
As the chiming of the gilt mantel clock struck noon, Parkinson ushered her friend Judith inside.
“Keep playing,” Judith said with a wave of one plump hand. She walked closer and brushed her fingers over a bright new flower arrangement that Rose had set on a small table beside the harpsichord. “What’s this song?”
“I’m not sure.” Her fingers flying over the keys, Lily smiled. “Rand hums this sometimes.”
“It’s cheerful.”
“I thought if I could work out the notes, he might enjoy hearing it, whatever it is. He told me he would visit this afternoon, so—”
“Visit you in specific?” Judith looked delighted. “I knew there was something between you. Has he asked your father for your hand?”
“No!” Lily’s fingers stilled, the abrupt silence a statement all its own. “You know I’ve been told I can make my own decision,” she said quietly. “And Rose wants him.”
She couldn’t tell Judith about the promise, because suddenly she was embarrassed she’d even made it. But how could Rose have asked it of her? Like earlier in the week, anger burst forth, and she tried her best to push it back down inside.
Judith sat beside her on the bench. “You look sad,” she observed. “What do you want, Lily?”
“Does it matter? Rose is older.” Lily coughed. “She should wed first, don’t you think?”
“Nonsense. Not if you’re in love.” Judith paused while Lily coughed some more. Her tone turned melancholy. “I would give anything to be in love with Lord Grenville.”
Maybe Judith was right. If Lily truly loved Rand, should she suffer all her life because she’d made a simple mistake? What had she told Rowan?
But unlike Rowan’s mistake where no one had been hurt, breaking her promise would hurt someone. Someone she loved dearly, even though she was angry with her now.
Lily gazed at her friend, tears welling in her eyes for them both. Then she gave an enormous sneeze—a sneeze that made the flowers beside the harpsichord quiver.
They both laughed as she pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and noisily blew her nose.
“Lily,” Judith said. “I’m so sorry I made you ill.”
“It was worth it to see your wedding gown.” Wiping her eyes, Lily smiled. “You’re better now?”
“Much. I was really very ill for only a single day. The next day I was a little better, and the day following that, I was almost good as new.”
“Well, I was very ill yesterday, and I feel better today, so tomorrow I shall be good as new, too.”
“You’re so nice.” Judith’s golden curls swished as she shook her head, her voice laced with admiration. “How do you do it?”
Lily shrugged. “I’m not all that nice.” She didn’t feel
