Page 60 of The Duchess' Replacement

Sarah raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean? Other than this slight mishap,” she nodded to the small hill now behind them, “I feel as though we’re getting along well. Is there something amiss with our conversation?”

Nora shook her head. “No, not at all.” The young girl dipped her eyes in avoidance. “I just sometimes feel as though I’m a burden, that’s all.”

Sarah’s heart sank. The poor girl hunched her shoulders, trying to appear as small as she possibly could.

“Has your brother made you feel this way?”

Nora quickly looked up in horror. “Oh no! My brothers have made it their life mission to make sure I’m well taken care of and tolerated.”

Sarah wrinkled her nose at the girl’s choice of words. “Tolerated? A young woman is not to be tolerated. She should be worshipped and appreciated for all of her wonderful attributes.” Sarah leaned into Nora. “Which I hear you have many. Who just ‘tolerates’ you?” Sarah stuck her nose in the air and puffed out her chest. “I must speak with them at once and put them to rights.” Sarah said with candor. There is no one who should be making this girl feel small.

Nora lifted a slender shoulder. “No one in particular. I guess it’s just due to my circumstances.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. This was it. She could sense the girl was willing to give some of the sought out details Sarah needed to piece together the anomaly that was her husband and his family.

“Circumstances?” Sarah tried to keep her tone conversational while inside her mind was screaming for the details to come fast so she could finally put this mystery to bed.

Nora stepped over a rock and pointed to it so Sarah wouldn’t trip.

“My mother’s death.” Nora said nonchalantly as she stopped to look at the waning light reflecting in the pond’s water.

Sarah’s heart began to beat faster. Finally! Someone was going to give her some information. She made sure to tread lightly, not only when walking around the rocky ground, but with the girl. She didn’t want to scare Nora out of giving the details of Charles’s family.

“How did she pass?” Sarah prodded gently.

Nora didn’t raise her eyes, but kept her eyes trained on the ripples in the water caused by the jumping frogs. “There’s not much to say. She died shortly after I was born. Charles rarely talks of her or her passing so I don’t know much.”

“Does Eli not speak of her?” Sarah took a chance mentioning Eli. She knew Charles and Eli had a tempestuous relationship, she was hoping the same could not be said of Nora’s relationship with him.

Nora once again shrugged. “I seldom see Charles. I see Eli even less.”

Disappointment settled in Sarah’s bones. She was hoping for some light to be shed on that corner of the family tree as well.

“I see. Was Eli not around when you were younger?” Something was poking Sarah in the back. She reached around and found another stick lodged in the waist of her skirt. She yanked it out before Nora noticed.

Nora shook her head. “It was more like I was not around.”

Sarah cocked her head to the side. “How do you mean?”

“As long as I could remember I lived with relatives outside of London. I visit here every so often, but never for long.” Nora’s eyes drifted off towards the horizon.

Sarah’s eyes followed Nora’s to see what she was looking at but all she saw was the small village on the distance.

“Do you like living outside of London?” Sarah brought Nora’s focus back to her.

“I do,” Nora admitted. “I just wish I had siblings, or more people my age. I’m constantly surrounded by adults.”

Sarah looked back towards the house. Or, at least, where she thought the house was. Now that Sarah was looking, she wasn’t sure from which direction they came.

“Well, it’s not like you’d be around many children your age here. Although, I suppose there is the town you could visit to be around peers your age.”

Nora’s shoulders tightened. “I’m not sure that is better.”

“How so?” Sarah asked.

Nora was quiet for a moment. “It doesn’t matter.”

They stood in compatible silence for a few minutes. Sarah wracked her brain to come up with a way to get back to the conversation about Charles’s family without it sounding like she was prying.

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