Where There's Room for Us by Hayley Kiyoko

Author:Hayley Kiyoko
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

21

Freya

“You look troubled, dearest,” Marigold says, coming to sit next to Freya on the edge of the fountain in the garden. “Are you sad Mother and Father are gone?”

“A little,” Freya says. They saw their parents and Angelica off that morning with much fanfare, since that is what Angelica expected and she is hopefully carrying the future of the Tallon family and title.

Freya straightens like she’s been shocked. That hasn’t occurred to her until this moment. If she doesn’t marry Lord Montgomery like Papa wants, then Angelica might be the only daughter of his to marry a man.

That is certainly not in Papa’s plans. He has made his disapproval of Ivy and her career evident. It makes the coils around her heart tighten horribly.

“Freya,” Marigold says gently. “I have tried to give you time and space, but I am worried about you.”

“I’m—”

“You are not fine,” Marigold says. “Ever since you spoke with Father, you’ve looked like you’re about to retch at any minute. So I have a feeling you did not get a lecture from him about the proper installation of the maypole at the May Day festival like I did,” Marigold says.

“No, I did not,” Freya says, swishing her hand in the cool water of the fountain. There are several flowers floating just out of reach. Like Ivy is. “Lord Montgomery has asked Father for permission to formally court me.”

Marigold says nothing for a long moment and then, finally, she says, “And how do you feel about that?”

“I told him I needed more time before such a big step,” Freya blurts out, because if she doesn’t say it in a rush, she might not say it at all. And she needs advice.

She needs her sisters.

“There you two are!” Dani comes popping out of the hedgerow like a badger out of his hole. She has an apple in her hand and, from the bulging weight of her reticule, several more in her bag. She plops down between them on the fountain’s edge, taking a large bite out of the apple. “What are we talking about?”

“I’m not quite sure yet,” Marigold says, still watching Freya with intense scrutiny over Dani’s head.

“Is this about Lord Monty’s love letters?” Dani asks.

“The letters are from Ivy,” Freya says in a rush. And then, once those words are out, it’s like it comes spilling out of her. “We kissed. Ivy and me. At The Gilded Bloom Ball. It was … I didn’t even know that I … we were spending so much time together and she’s just so … I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s so bold and unapologetic and I apologize for everything. Absolutely everything.”

She lets out a breath, her eyes widening as her sisters look at her, both with very different expressions. Dani looks shocked. Marigold looks like the cat that got the cream.

“Well,” Marigold says.

“When did all this happen?” Dani demands. “How did I miss it? I am so disappointed!”

“Oh no, are you upset?” Freya asks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you had any deep feeling for Ivy.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.