It even made Clemmie wonder that is some way, she’d thwarted their plans. She had escaped, and she’d found where they’d hidden Oliver and Mr. Carter. That had been her doing, and it must have impacted their plans, because she was supposed to disappear, then she, Oliver and Mr. Carter weren’t meant to found until long after everyone was gone, and the countess was dead.
“Then perhaps Miss Marnier is still a threat to the countess.”
“She must realize it, I think,” Clemmie said.
It made Clemmie wonder what she would do for vengeance if her family was destroyed by someone. It was hard to bear thinking about. Maybe she’d be driven by hatred to such extremes too. She wouldn’t like to think so. In fact, she didn’t want to think about any of this. It was a period in her life she wanted to put behind her.
“They say Italian food is delicious,” Clemmie said and leaned her head on Oliver’s shoulder. His attention returned to her. It seemed he’d been lost in thought too. “We won’t let this affect us too much, will we?”
“No, we shall put this behind us.”
In a way, she was now glad they were continuing on their journey instead of returning to England. Hopefully, the memories to come would counterbalance the bad memories they had both been left with.
“The Italians are utterly marvelous with ice confectionaries,” Oliver stated.
“We will try them all.” Another thought occurred to her. “I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to the Schonbergs.”
“They left while you were dressing this morning. They gave me their address, and wished I pass on my regards.”
“I wish I’d had a chance to thank them. They were very kind. I shall write them a letter, I think.” And to be honest, Clemmie wished to continue her friendship with Mrs. Schonberg. She was so utterly different from the friends Clemmie had back in London, and she wanted to know how Mrs. Schonberg fared with her plans. “They are a very interesting couple.”
“Agreed,” Oliver said, and reached for the hamper sitting on the other bench. “Wine,” he said with delight as he opened it.
“Perhaps a little later.”
“Cheese, ham, bread and jam. Oh, and some pâté. Would you like some?”
“Yes, please.”
Oliver created little sandwiches for them, and they were delicious. “No sandwiches in Italy,” he said.
“Really?”
“Ooh, there’s a flask of coffee. It’s still warm.”
“Marvelous,” Clemmie said with a smile. How could such a simple thing make her so happy? It wasn’t perhaps simple. She had Oliver back, they were on their way with the intention of having a wonderful time. Maybe she’d even enjoy this journey much more, knowing how very close they’d been to a different fate. They were lucky. They both still had bumps on their heads, but the bumps would heal, and they were together. How could they not be grateful for everything now?
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Other books by Camille Oster
The Cursed Bride
Arriving at her marital home in the depths of the Black Forest, Aldine settles into life with her new husband and his family. But the peaceful facade of the Graven family mansion hides secrets. Primary is that she is not the first new bride her husband has brought home.
The Séance
A séance is certainly not Victoria Tremaine’s idea of entertainment. In fact, the whole evening left nothing but unease behind, not to mention the strange woman who came to conduct it and her warnings them of unsettled pasts. No, Victoria could happily go without experiencing anything like it again, but as a guest in the house, she cannot argue about preferences, especially as the house belongs to Fredrick Oldham’s aunt, the man Victoria has been corresponding with for months after initially meeting in London.
Fredrick was so lovely that it was worth traveling all the way to Toronto to discover if there could be more than friendship between them. A budding relationship to explore, along with a new city and a new country, where the weather can be as ominous as a curse in the darker months.
An Absent Wife
The desertion of his wife came as a complete surprise to Lord Lysander Warburton, even as he readily admits he never excelled as a husband. Running off with a lowly lieutenant was in line with her consistent talent for being disagreeable. Never more so when he learns her supposed demise from cholera turns out not to be true. Unfortunately there is no choice but to retrieve his troublesome and wayward wife.
