“But—”
“I was going to tell my sisters—about you—about us.” Her expression softened just enough to hold off his worry. “But Holly is not at all happy after what happened with Lord Tidemore. What with Noelle in raptures over the duke, I didn’t have the heart…”
“What did that codpiece do?” Nick growled.
Eve’s eyes widened but before Nick could apologize for his language, she dropped her gaze again. “It’s what he hasn’t done, really. The codpiece, Lord Tidemore—that is—is being rather obtuse. Words are important to my sister, and he is unwilling to give them to her.”
Nick couldn’t keep himself from touching her chin. “And what is important to you?”
She blinked at first, as though surprised by his question but then tilted her head thoughtfully. “Words matter, but not as much as everything else.” She stared at the top button of his shirt and seemed to lose herself for a moment. “My mother promised us she was going to get better and then she died. My father told us he loved us and then sent us away.” She shook her head. “It’s not as though we can control all that happens, though, is it?”
Fear swept through him. Eve loved him, He loved Eve. But she was still afraid. Words would never be enough. Could he possibly alter her view of love? Perhaps if his plan succeeded.
“I brought you these.” Eve stepped back to extend the cloth-covered dish. “A pie.” She smiled. “And Noelle sent ginger crisps for the duke. Holly said that if Lord Tidemore was expecting vanilla cakes, he would be sorely disappointed.” And then she shrugged. “I think this ought to be enough, don’t you?”
Nick wanted to show her love in a manner that would leave no doubt. “Come upstairs with me?”
But she was shaking her head. “I promised my aunt I’d return shortly. My sisters and I haven’t been as close to one another this past year… we’ve drifted apart… so we’ve promised one another that we will spend what remains of the day together. Aunt Tannenbaum has suggested we locate the Christmas decorations in her attic and go through them to decide what is still usable. She said many of them were made by my mother.”
Nick was happy that she could find such mementos, but he was disappointed that he couldn’t be alone with her—that he couldn’t spend the day proving to her that they were going to be happy together.
“I love you, Eve.” He had to say it again, despite what she’d just told him.
“I love you, Nicholas.”
“I was about to send Mr. Clark over to the inn to collect you.” Aunt Winifred held the door wide as Eve returned from delivering the baked goods. Of course, now her aunt would realize such duties.
Nicholas loved her. Not only had she seen it in his eyes, she’d heard it in his voice. She’d felt it in his kiss.
With regret from having to leave him weighing her down, Eve hooked her cloak on a nearby peg and then climbed two flights of stairs to join her sisters in the attic. How was he going to entertain himself that evening? Would he miss her as she was surely going to miss him?
“We’ve found miles of ribbons.” Noelle stood beside an opened trunk. “And look at this silk.”
“A book of recipes.” Holly moved toward the small window. “Oh! Vanilla cakes. And apple pies and ginger crisps and rum punch. These are grandmother’s recipes.”
Eve moved close and read the inscription aloud. “Because in the darkest of times, baking feeds my soul. And when my soul is full, I can share the fruits of my labor with those I love.” She looked over at Holly. “Mama used to say this. I’d forgotten…”
“Dash wants to marry by Christmas,” Noelle said. “I wanted you to marry first, Eve. You aren’t mad, are you?”
“Of course not.”
“Jack loves me. I’m sure of it.” Holly drew some more books out of another trunk. “At least I think he does.”
Eve inhaled. “I met Lord Merriweather in London.”
Noelle glanced up with narrowed eyes. “He is quite handsome. Not as handsome as Dash, of course—”
“Or Jack,” Holly murmured. “But in his own way...”
Eve opened a third trunk and feigned indifference. She wanted to tell them about her feelings, about everything that had happened, but feared that if she did, she’d be tempting fate.
“He is very kind.” She pulled out a pale green gown sewn in a fashion at least two decades past. Footsteps sounded on the wooden steps, and Aunt Winifred appeared. She caught sight of the gown and smiled.
“Your mother wore that gown the day she married your father.”
Noelle stepped forward with some of the ribbons. “It’s in excellent condition! We could alter the sleeves just so; I could wear it when I marry Dash.”
Warmth blossomed in Eve’s chest, and she blinked her eyes. “It would almost be like having Mother there.”
“Father should be here!” Holly announced.
A moment later, all of them were in one another’s arms. They were overcome with a myriad of emotions. They mourned their mother’s death. They were disappointed at their father’s abandonment. And they were comforted in the knowledge that they would always have one another—Aunt Winifred included.
But most of all, they had hope.
Chapter 12
Eve had located some jars of berries, raspberries by the look of them, in the pantry and decided to bake something different for Nick that morning. She only made a few changes to the recipe she’d discovered in her grandmother’s journal, and she liked the idea that she could show him her love in this way.
With the pie cooling, along with a few loaves of bread, Eve took her time washing up and then dressing in one of her favorite gowns. Aunt Winifred and Noelle were making alterations to their mother’s wedding gown, Holly had disappeared hours ago, and so Eve was quite determined to slip away to see Nick.
Would he ask for her hand today? Her blood
