The Lady's Guide to Death and Deception by Katherine Cowley

Author:Katherine Cowley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance
ISBN: 9781956387933
Publisher: Tule Publishing Group, LLC
Published: 2022-04-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

“A third proclamation orders all aliens who…have arrived in England since April the 1st, to register themselves…. Every alien not having obtained such license…[is] liable to six months imprisonment.”

—The Antigallican Monitor, London, June 11, 1815

Mary did not believe that Lydia would have further information beyond what Mrs. Graham and all the other gossips in Brussels had provided, for Lydia had not even attended the ball, but because she was worried about her sister, she had sent a note and then been invited to visit.

“Mary, it is so good to see you,” said Lydia. “I am afraid I was not very good company at the parade. I was feeling unwell, and very much not myself.”

“I am glad that you feel better now,” said Mary, and indeed, Lydia’s transformation was extraordinary.

“You must see my new bracelet. Let me go put it on—you wait here.”

She dashed to her bedroom before Mary had the chance to say a word. Soon she was back, prancing like a pony and holding out her arm as if it held the queen’s jewels.

“My dear Wickham gave it to me. It was made by a local craftsman, and it is to commemorate our time here in Brussels. Isn’t it lovely?”

“Yes, it—”

“It is actual gold, with an actual amethyst, symbolising the vibrancy of our love and our ability to overcome any obstacle that we face.”

“That is a very generous gift.”

And indeed it was quite lovely, though it appeared, to Mary’s eye, to be a low-carat gold, and the amethyst was quite small. However, it was, as Lydia had said, vibrant.

“Wickham is so skilled at choosing gifts,” said Lydia. “Why, I do not even need to visit a store for him to know what I would like.”

“I thought you enjoyed choosing things and looking at the items in the windows.”

“Well, I do, but—but it is nice to have a husband who will buy things for me even when I am not there to choose them for myself. And then I am prevented from buying things which are too expensive and which I do not actually need.”

“When we were younger, you did buy many a bonnet which you did not even like.”

“Yes, and it was such fun to do them up in a new style.” She gave a little sigh, and then smiled. “I hope you will stay for dinner, Mary,” said Lydia. “My dear Wickham would like to see you. It has been years since we have seen anyone in the family, after all. No one ever visited me, and I was only able to visit anyone else a few times, and only within a few months of my marriage.”

She seemed sad, suddenly. But it was not as if Lydia had not had opportunities—she could have visited if she had chosen to.

“If you wanted to see everyone, you should have come to Father’s funeral.”

Lydia looked down at the floor. “I wanted to come. I really did.” She tugged at her new bracelet. “I have regretted that I was unable to attend, every single day since then.

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