Page 2 of How to Charm an Earl
“Did you enjoy your debut?” Maeve asked.
Isla glanced away. “Society isn’t for everyone.” Her tone was quiet, but the pain in her voice was unmistakable. “That doesn’t mean it won’t be special for the two of you.” She had pasted a smile on her face, but Athena saw through it. She wouldn’t push, though. If Isla wished to talk about it, she would.
Instead, she lifted her hand. “I will take the diary first.” She wanted to know more about her mother, and this was her only chance to do so. “And then I’ll give it to Maeve when I’m finished.”
Maeve grinned. “I hope she had more than advice about love. Do you think it’s true?”
“What is true?” Isla asked.
“That she was a witch.” She glanced at Isla as if she’d grown another head, and that was a silly question to ask.
Isla frowned. “Of course not. Don’t be ridiculous. Witchcraft isn’t real.”
This was an old argument. One that would never be resolved…or would it? Athena glanced down at the diary. There was only one way to find out, and she’d start reading about it later that night. “Let’s go back to the sitting room. Someone will notice we’re missing soon and father told us not to come up here.”
“She’s correct,” Isla said, then stood. “Time to be respectable young ladies again.” They all scurried out of the attic and headed back to the sitting room. They were all seated when the door opened and the housekeeper pushed in the tea cart. All three of them blew out a sigh of relief. They’d returned just in time.
Athena stared at the diary sitting on the table next to her and then ran her fingers over the black pendant. What did this all mean? Would she find the answers within its pages, and would she be content with what she discovered?
One
One month later…
Restlessness rolled over Athena in waves… She’d had her mother’s journal for weeks now and she still hadn’t read one page. She was surprised that neither of her sisters had asked for it yet. Were they not eager to read it too? More importantly why hadn’t she devoured every word her mother had written already? Why was she so terrified to start reading?
Because once she finished it, she’d no longer have something to look forward to from her mother… She hadn’t wanted to admit that to herself. Perhaps it was time to let that go and open the journal. Not here though… She couldn’t stay inside another moment longer.
“Why are you pacing, sister dear?” Maeve asked as she entered the sitting room. “The last time you fretted, you were so afraid father wouldn’t let you buy that horse you favored.”
She did love that horse… “True,” Athena answered. “But I had good reason. Hades has a terrible temperament with the grooms. I feared father wouldn’t allow me to ride him. Even though he’s a complete sweetheart.”
Maeve rolled her eyes. “That horse is a nuisance.”
“Don’t be a grump,” Athena told her sister. “He has excellent taste and loves me.”
“And he hates me,” Maeve said. “We’re identical twins. How can he even tell us apart?”
“Perhaps he’s noticed your dimple is on the other cheek.” Athena shrugged and barely held back a grin. “Or that you’re horrid with horses. Looks aren’t everything.”
“I don’t even want to know what you are implying.” Her sister sat down on the settee and leaned back against it. “Tell me what troubles you now. We both know it is not about that wretched horse.”
Should she tell her sister why she’d been pacing? Would Maeve even understand? She probably would. Neither of them had even had a chance to know their mother, and while Isla had two years with her, she couldn’t remember anything. They all had a hole in their lives that would never be filled. That journal might give them something, but it couldn’t replace their mother. “I am considering going for a ride.”
“You’re deflecting,” Maeve said. “That’s all right. You don’t have to tell me.” She tapped her head. “I bet I already know what is going on inside that head of yours.”
“You can certainly try.” Athena sighed. “But you’ve never been very good at reading my mind.” They had always been, and always would be, outsiders. They had a bond that went beyond being just sisters. They had always been able to read each other’s emotions, but telepathy was not in their wheelhouse.
“You’re correct, of course,” Maeve agreed. “But in this I think I am right.” She leaned over and tapped the journal Athena had set on a nearby table. “This is what’s troubling you. Did you read something disturbing that mother wrote?” She sat back up and met Athena’s gaze. “Is that why you’re pacing?”
Athena shook her head. “I haven’t read anything yet.”
Her sister gasped. “You’ve had it a month,” her sister exclaimed. “Why the blazes not?’
Perhaps her sister didn’t understand as she thought she might… “Because…” How the hell did she explain it? “Once I finish it…”
“There won’t be anything else left,” Maeve supplied, then nodded. “I do understand. I just hadn’t considered it because it isn’t my time with the journal. Perhaps when I do have it, I will take my time as well.”
She should never have doubted her sister. Maeve had always understood her, even when others didn’t. They had gone to finishing school for a year, but only one. Not because they wouldn’t have benefitted from extra learning, but because the other students were horrid. They had begged their father to let them return home and have tutors instead. With their ancestry, many looked at them as less than they were. It didn’t matter that their father was an earl. Society only considered that their mother was an American, and not even one they deemed acceptable. Money had nothing to do with it either. Her mother’s family had made their fortune in shipping and other merchant endeavors. They were far wealthier than their father’s family had ever been. They had, and always would be, outsiders. Which was why Isla had given up on the idea of marriage and resigned herself to spinsterhood. That may very well be Athena's and Maeve’s paths as well. But they wanted to at least try before giving in.
