Page 138 of Play On

It’s from Amelia.

I tap it open to read:

Violet. Can you meet me in the garden? Outside the aviary? We’re more alike than you could ever know—and we need to talk. You helped me find myself when I came to you in the gift shop with nothing but plans on my laptop. I have an idea—I’m not ready to share everything yet, but I might be able to help you. X

I stare at the message, puzzled. How are we alike? Other than Amelia coming here with an idea in her head to start a bridal business but then finding her true passion was estate management?

She’s nothing like me in that sense,I think, my heart sinking.My parents obviously can provide a list of how much of a mess they consider me to be.

Then I reread the last part of her sentence.

I might be able to help you.

With those words in my head, I hurry out of my room, down the stairs, and make my way to the aviary to see what Amelia has to say.

And pray that somehow, she might be right.

Chapter Thirty-Three

A Similar Path

“HA-KAW!”

The peacock cry shrills through the garden, and I have no doubts Amelia is there entertaining Carl and Roy. As I quickly move across the lush green grass, past all the summer flowers in beautiful bloom, I see she is indeed inside the aviary space that is dedicated to the peacocks, sitting on a bench and feeding them grapes.

She turns as she hears my footsteps on the path. Amelia immediately rises, and I feel my heart in my throat as I see the look of worry in her eyes. She gets up and opens the door to the aviary for me, and as soon as I step through, she takes a moment to shut it and lock it behind me.

“I think the last thing we need tonight is for Carl and Roy to escape and somehow get inside the house again,” she says with a gentle smile.

I allow myself to smile at that. “It’s the best-kept secret at Wintersmith Hall, their redecorating of our den.”

She moves to sit back down on the bench, and I take the spot beside her.

“Do you know what my first thought was when that happened?” she asks.

I shake my head.

“I was worried about how much I disappointed Nicholas,” she confesses. “That one of my plans went awry and he’d be so furious, he’d break up with me over it.”

I stare at her, genuinely taken aback. “What? Oh, Amelia, I hate that you even thought that for a second.”

“In my head—and my heart—I had just shown him I was incapable of producing a good idea. I had—with my brilliant idea of peacocks—showed him what little business sense I had. That I wasn’t cut out for estate work. I was afraid Nicholas would get sick of me sooner or later.”

I suck in a breath of air. Parts of this story sound exactly like some of the things I’ve felt in trying to figure out my own career path.

“But as you can see,” Amelia continues, “Nicholas didn’t feel that way. I will make mistakes, of course, but look at Carl and Roy now. They were the stars of the plant sale. They are getting their pictures tagged all over social media. When the new birds that Luke is getting have arrived and are acclimatised—and ready to be put on public display—we can really hammer home the idea that Wintersmith Hall’s aviary alone is something worth buying a garden ticket for.”

I remain silent, waiting to see where she is going with this.

“I stayed in London after graduating from uni not because I wanted to, but because I was expected to,” Amelia says quietly. She picks up a grape from the bag and throws it to Carl. “Sorry, he was giving me a scary side-eye for falling down on the snacks. Anyway, my mum saw a different future for me. Being in London, doing charity work, being a patron, going to galas, and continuing the legacy of being a Westbrook woman. She is the Duchess of Bridgewall and loves living in that way. But I never wanted that life. I just wasn’t bold enough to go against her wishes and try to pursue my dream.”

I furrow my brow. “But you came to me with your bridal ideas. What made you change your mind?”

“I saw what Liz and Bella have done,” she says. “And it hit me. If they could be bold, why couldn’t I? At that time, I thought my future was in bridal fashion. I’ve always had a knack for clothes, and I love bridal wear, so why not pursue that? My dad shot down every idea of things I wanted to do at Swallowhedge, and that’s when I came to you. But something happened when Nicholas asked me to learn estate management first. I completely fell in love with it. So much so that I no longer want to run a bridal boutique. And when my parents heard about that? They called me aflake. And I was sure your brother would think I was just that, too.”

I gasp. I feel her words straight to my core, and I can’t believe how similar our paths are right now. “You understand,” I say, my voice thick.

“I do. You’re not a flake, Violet,” she says, squeezing my hand. “You were trying to figure out your life, and sometimes we take a bit to do that. Not everyone is like Nicholas and Noah and know exactly what they want to do and go after it. Liz is like that, too. But Bella had to find herself. Just like we did.”

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