Page 42 of The Dreaming Beauty
Marcus opened his mouth to object, but he didn’t want Tansy for Simon, so perhaps this method would help him too. Instead he said, “I think this is acceptable, as long as no embarrassment is intended toward any of our guests, including our neighbor. What do you think, Simon?”
“And if I find her the greatest in our company?”
“You won’t,” Mama said. “Even if I have time to scrounge up only the locals to attend.”
“But if Iamstill of the same opinion? You know you cannot truly stop me from choosing her.”
Her leg bounced, which she had always claimed to be an obnoxious behavior. “I will have to pray you find some sense, then.”
Marcus quickly interjected. “I am grateful we could come up with a sensible compromise.”
His mother silenced him with a glare. “You are still to blame for all of this. Until the dinner party, neither of you is to see her. If she stops by, we are not home to her. If so, we call this whole thing off and I continue to flood Simon with suggestions for a bride and my uncensored opinion of his choices.”
Simon stood. “Done. But plan quickly. I am already eager to see Miss Tansy again.” He crossed the room and left Marcus alone with their mother.
“I am not worried about you agreeing, Marcus,” Mama said. “At least I have one son with a decent head on his shoulders. I am trusting you to get us through this. From what I heard from Mrs. Bellvue, this Miss Tansy and her family could be the ruin of us all.”
“They are harmless, I assure you. You will see soon enough.”
“I saw plenty this afternoon with Simon’s moonstruck eyes and his complete defiance where she is concerned. Never has he been this adamant about going against me.” Mother stood, rubbing her head. “Her name too. It has to be a coincidence.”
“Her name?” Marcus thought it beautiful.
“’Tis nothing, just my nerves talking me in a circle. You were right about me making myself sick. It’s been a terribly long day, and I must retire to my bed.”
“I will have a dinner tray sent up. Rest well.” Once he was left alone in the room, he knew he had a decision to make. He could follow his mother’s and Simon’s plan, orchestrated through his encouragement, or he could continue to visit Rose Cottage. After all,hehadn’t made any promises. He leaned forward and slowly rubbed his palms against each other as he weighed his choices. Would it be so bad if he avoided Tansy for a little while? Wouldn’t it serve as a test to see how much he cared for her?
His hands moved to his face. But what about Simon? For all Marcus knew, Tansy could prefer his brother. She had seemed disappointed when he’d agreed to her suggestion to put a pause on her painting lessons.
He massaged his tired eyes. He’d not slept again last night because of another haunting dream. The man he always dreamed about came to him in the nursery and sang to him, his tenor voice slow and soothing. But then he was gone, and the empty room seemed to press in on him. Strange voices came at him from every direction, and there was no one, not a single person, who came when he’d cried out for help.
His heart rate raised at the recollection. His fear had been consuming, and just the memory of it elicited a small measure of the same response. What was wrong with him? Being deprived of sleep never helped him think rationally. He brought his mind back to the present.
Tansy.
Thinking of her usually relaxed him, but tonight his thoughts were destined to remain troubled. At the back of his clouded mind, one thing was clear. Simon could not be a part of Marcus’s motivation to be with her. And if she chose his brother, so be it.
His heavy eyes drifted shut. For now, his goal shouldn’t be research or Tansy but a decent night’s sleep.
Chapter 18
It had been two dayssince Tansy had been to Ashbury Court, and both nights she had dreamed of standing outside of Rose Cottage, calling for her mother. It was doubtful there was a connection between her not being able to go to Ashbury Court and her aunts’ refusal to confide in her the details of her mother’s past. But Tansy did not know how dreams worked, and she could only guess that they were provoked by events happening in the present day.
She’d had this particular dream more than any other over the years. It was different from the one with the dowager. It wasn’t a frightening dream, either, since, in her dream, she had every reason to believe her mother was inside the cottage and would come out at any moment. Though, something about it did make her sad and anxious when her mother delayed.
Reflecting on it again as her mind came more awake, the most peculiar part was that she had dreamed about Rose Cottage several times before she had ever traveled there herself. Perhaps there was a hidden message she was supposed to glean. If her mother was in the house in her dream, it was reasonable to believe a piece of her was still there for Tansy to find. The simple connection made perfect sense to her.
With that objective in mind, Tansy was determined once more to search for the answers to her past. Once she was dressed, she spent the entire day combing through every closet, corner, and crack of the house. When thoughts of Marcus crept into her mind, she pushed herself harder so as not to miss him.
The next morning, she continued her fervent hunt. With all the searching and cleaning she had accomplished, she had discovered nothing, though it would help exceedingly if she knew exactly what she was seeking. The last room to comb was the kitchen.
Aster entered an hour later and set her hands on her hips. “You sorted the linen closet yesterday as well as dusted beneath the beds and every shelf in the bedrooms. Now you are taking apart the kitchen? Cook came to fetch me and said you were underfoot. You are far too old for such a complaint to be made about you.”
“I did not realize I was bothering her.” Tansy set a stack of soup bowls back on the shelf. “Tell her I am almost finished.”
Coming around the butcher block, Aster faced her. “You are almost finished with what?”
“I am searching for something.” She began aligning the glasses one by one back into their proper position.
