A Tapestry of Light by Kimberly Duffy

Author:Kimberly Duffy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical Fiction;FIC042030;FIC042110;FIC014000
ISBN: 9781493429943
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2021-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

17

Ottilie pressed her hand to the cold glass and looked out over the sleeping fields. Behind her, Thaddeus sprawled beneath layers of quilts and blankets. He’d crept into her room before the moon reached its zenith, just as he had each of the five nights they’d lived at Hazelbrook Manor.

The sun, made watery and bleak by a veil of wispy gray clouds, promised another cold day. Ottilie rubbed her arms, feeling the prick of hair beneath her wrapper. She never could seem to get warm. Even wearing three wool petticoats and sitting near the fire wasn’t enough to dispel the chill that stiffened her fingers.

The sun was hardly bright enough to shed light on the letter she held. She lifted it to the window, eager for the encouragement on its pages to soften the frayed edges of her grief. With evidence of her friend’s love, Ottilie thought she might be able to handle England’s chill.

Dearest Ottilie,

I hope this letter sees you well settled. I waited two days before penning it. At first, I thought you might need more time to make sense of your new home before having your thoughts pulled back here, but then I realized you might be sorely in need of a comforting voice.

This won’t be easy, I know. You have had a taste of it in Calcutta. You will encounter a lot of outright hostility and even more patronizing arrogance. My prayer is that your family will be a buffer between you and society’s hatefulness. And maybe that handsome estate manager will be a buffer between you and loneliness. And you needn’t bother defending against this, for I saw the expression on your face when we met him in the market.

Write to me soon and tell me about everything. My world is so small here in Calcutta. I am desperate for distraction. I will say good-bye now, for I have nothing of interest to tell you and I hate, more than anything, being a bore.

Your friend,

Damaris

Ottilie pressed a kiss to the letter and set it on the desk before making her way back to the bed.

“It’s time to wake up, little glowworm.” She ran her hand over Thaddeus’s head, down his cheek, and tickled the sensitive area between his neck and collarbone. He giggled and rolled onto his side, then released a great snore. She laughed and pressed her cheek against his. “You can’t fool me.”

His snores grew louder and more dramatic.

Ottilie jumped up beside her brother and tickled his belly. “Time to wake up, you lazy boy.”

His laughter choked out his pretend snores, and he threw his arms around her midsection. His head found the softness of her belly. “Why can’t I just share a room with you like we did at home?”

“That’s not how it’s done here.” She stroked his back and pressed a kiss to his wild curls. The first morning after their arrival, Ottilie awoke to a fire crackling in the hearth and the servant Jessamine standing over her with a tea tray, her eyebrows disappearing beneath the frilled cap that covered her hair.

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