Page 48 of A Winter By the Sea
“I am. Though I hope you will tell me I am being silly.”
“Let’s sit by the fire.”
Viola closed the door. They sat in armchairs near the fireplace, but Emily felt chilled despite the flames.
“What’s happened?” her sister asked.
“I met Prince Edward in the lane just now. As we were talking, that frightening old woman approached us.”
“What woman?”
“The fortune-teller. Remember we saw her once before?”
Viola nodded. “Mrs. Denby warned us to stay away from her.”
“I know. And I certainly did not seek her out. She came up the lane as though specifically to speak to His Royal Highness. After she had said her piece to him, then to me, she turned and left.”
“What did she say?” Viola asked, eyes wide.
“I hate to think of it, let alone repeat it. She said, ‘This year two members of the royal family will die.’”
“Oh no! How awful. What a terrible thing to say.”
“I agree. Thankfully, he seemed to brush it off as claptrap. For the most part.”
“And what did she say to you?”
Emily swallowed. “She said that I would utterly break my heart.”
“Oh, Em!” Viola reached over and took her hand. “I amsorry. But remember, she knows nothing. She is a stranger to you. And we don’t go in for that sort of thing. Mrs. Denby was right. We ought to have nothing to do with her.”
“I agree. Even so, it gave me gooseflesh.” Emily shuddered, then added, “Of course I thought immediately of Charles—that she was telling me I had lost him for good.”
“You still hold out hope for a reconciliation?”
“You know I do. You would tell me, would you not, if you’d had news from home—learned he was engaged to someone else?” She heard the plaintive note in her voice but made no effort to conceal her fear. Not with this sister.
“I would. And I have not heard any such news. But, Em, after all this time ... you must prepare yourself for that possibility.”
“I know,” Emily said bravely, and then realized she was shaking her head. She stopped and added, “In the meantime, I will probably have nightmares about that woman.”
Viola squeezed her fingers. “I shall pray that you don’t.”
Her sister insisted she stay until the shock had passed and Emily was warmed through. She asked Chown to bring them tea for the purpose.
As they sat near the fire, sipping their hot drinks, Emily considered telling her about Mr. Marsh’s request to see a sample of her writing.
In the end, she decided against it, in case it all came to nothing. And after the day’s unhappy predictions for the future, Emily feared that was exactly what would happen.
11
I have been learning to fence. It is quite the proper thing nowadays for women to learn how to handle the foils.
—Nellie Bly,The New York World
Early the next morning, the duke sent a footman to tell Mr. Thomson not to bother coming over that day as he wouldn’t be dealing with any official correspondence nor need him to take dictation. Instead he planned to rest his sore throat. The prospect of a day of leisure did not seem to cheer the private secretary, who clearly chafed under the confinement.
After breakfast, Emily sat with her writing slant in the parlour, rewriting a clean copy of the first few chapters of her novel for Mr. Marsh, wondering all the while if she would actually find the courage to allow the man to read them.
