Page 17 of Winning the Wallflower's Heart
“Oh,The Lovers, eh? Seems like the cards are telling you it’s time to stop dancing around each other. You know, love can be a stubborn thing—like trying to convince my Hester here that she’s wrong about anything!”
Hester smirked. “Which I never am.”
“But in all seriousness,” Esther continued, “sometimes love needs a little nudge. You’re not going to get anywhere standing against the ballroom walls, Georgiana. If he’s being a fool, give him a reason to stop ignoring you—something that reminds him why he can’t bear to lose you.”
“Or just whack him with a broom and see if that helps. Worked for my Henry, God bless his soul,” Hester quipped.
Esther reached for Georgiana’s hand again and softly rubbed her thumb back and forth over the top of her hand. For something that was supposed to be just fun, it felt awfully accurate.
“Love is a game, darling, but you’ve got to be willing to play your part.”
“My part?” she replied, confused. “He married me to protect me. It was never about love.” She shrugged.
Hester drummed her fingers over the lace tablecloth. “Does he know that?”
“Know what?”
“That you’re in love with him, darling.”
Georgiana whipped her head around to stare at Esther, everything suddenly burning from embarrassment inside her.
“We won’t tell,” Hester playfully whispered. “But we certainly wouldn’t mind helping push things along. Ellis has spent too much of his life living up in that mind of his. Time for him to find some happiness. Same for you. Nothing to be ashamed of—wanting a comfortable, happy life.”
Esther sat up and gathered her cards. “No matter, darling. This was all for fun. Carry on. I must be off on my grand adventure to get some potatoes.”
“Oh yes,” Hester said, standing up to join her friend. “We’re heading to the market, then stopping over at the orphanage. We always go on Thursdays. Would ye like to come along for a walk and some fresh air?”
The two continued bickering and quipping, leaving Georgiana there with her tea in the kitchen as the day’s sun filtered in through the small street level windows. She traced her fingers over The Lovers card, a little giddy about what it signified, whether for fun or not.
Everything within Georgiana tensed. It would be easier to remain behind, but a strange pressure was building in her chest, and before she could think better of it, she jumped out of her chair and pulled on a smile. “I would love to come along.”
She had remained silent for much of her life, but she couldn’t any longer. Georgiana could crave a peaceful life without forcing herself to be small for the comfort of others.
And if he allowed it, she would love Ellis. Not the quiet, pining love she’d held for him for years. No, she would confront him tonight about their marriage. And she would ask only that he be open to the idea of one day loving her.
Contrary to theopinion of those men who gambled and lost at his club, Ellis was not entirely heartless. Selfish, perhaps, but not heartless.
The charity work he spearheaded across London hospitals and orphanages had started out from the need to remember Dinah, a cause dear to her heart when she was alive. With each passing year, he felt as if he lost a little more of her, the memory becoming harder to hold on to, even while caring for her grandmother, Hester.
It was her absence from the Phoenix Club this afternoon that spurred him to visit the orphanage before he dove into business for the evening. It was generally wise to seek the older woman out when she went missing. She had a knack for stirring up trouble wherever she went. She was a menace with knitting needles.
Ellis entered the sitting room of the orphanage to find Hester and Esther hotly debating the merits of goose versus turkeyfor Christmastide while knitting. They glanced up, feigning innocence as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.
“I’ll pay for both the goose and turkey. There’s no need to haggle, Hester. Or are you planning to charm the butcher into a feast for a shilling again?” he asked dryly, though a hint of a smile tugged at the edge of his mouth.
Esther chuckled. “You haven’t paid a visit here in months, Ellis. Don’t tell me you’re worried? She’s with children, not wild animals.”
“Who?”
“Ack, come on now. Ye’re too handsome to play coy.” Hester leveled him with a playful glare.
He was used to their teasing, but when it came to the whereabouts of his wife, he didn’t find much humor in their antics. “Where’s Georgiana, then?”
Esther stood, adjusting her shawl, clearly enjoying herself. “Upstairs with the children. Why don’t you go see?”
“Is that so?” He cocked his head, curiosity piqued now.
He glanced between the two elderly women, swearing one day they’d be the reason he ended up in an early grave. Always meddlesome, always…
