Page 45 of A Sense of Paradise
‘Anything that criticises religion is blasphemous, you should be aware of that much, but at the risk of eternal damnation, I stand by my assertion. I understand that the vicar has a duty to care for our spiritual wellbeing, but he would be more successful if he spoke of matters likely to hold our interest rather than sending his congregation to sleep with his droning voice. I dare say you found it all terribly dull, Eloise.’
‘Actually, it was interesting. Far less grandiose than the Catholic ritual, and shorter too,’ she added, grinning.
Eloise’s smile highlighted her natural beauty, reigniting Flora’s anxieties about her ability to hold her damaged, highly intelligent and persistently alluring marquess’s interest beyond their first few weeks of marriage. She chased such gloomy thoughts away. Archie had assured her of his devotion and she believed he was sincere.
For now, at least.
It would be her duty to ensure that situation endured for the next forty years.
Her rational mind sought to explain the inexplicable. She thought of Remus, wondering why she never felt the need to justify his influence over her, and why she would have refused Luke’s proposal because he felt unequal to opening his mind to the possibility of parallel universes. Remus was simply there, and she had absolute faith in his admittedly sporadic guidance, but if she were to make that admission to a rational person, they would have her carted off to the nearest asylum. Either that or cast her out as a heretic. Not so long ago she would have been burned as a witch.
She accepted everything about Remus without question. And yet she struggled to believe Archie, a living, breathing entity, when he insisted that he adored her and that she would always be enough for him.
She blamed her father for her lack of self-confidence. He had never been one to encourage his daughters to think for themselves, much less express their opinions upon anything other than established religious doctrine, and woe betide anyone who dared to question that doctrine. Flora still recalled the vicious beatings she had incurred on the rare occasions when she dared to do so. Beatings that in retrospect she was convinced had aroused her father as he flayed her bare buttocks with a leather strap.
Flora smiled at Eloise’s reaction to their Christian service. ‘Well, there is that,’ she conceded. ‘Brevity in worship is never to be underestimated.’
‘Archie worships in Felsham, one assumes. I had thought that we might see him here today.’
‘Is that why you decided to come with us?’ Flora asked, a slight edge to her voice.
Eloise blinked, clearly taken aback by Flora’s willingness to challenge her. ‘Not at all. As I say, I was interested. Besides, we all worship the same God, albeit in different ways, do we not?’
Flora allowed herself a brief smile, more discomposed by Eloise’s fascination with Archie than she would ever admit. ‘Well, there’s a question.’
The three ladies meandered down the street, enjoying the warm day with no particular reason to hurry. Flora felt a breeze rush past her ear. Remus! She glanced at Melanie, who didn’t seem to have noticed his arrival. Flora concentrated hard and caught a brief glimpse of her spirit guide’s outline set against the cerulean sky. Today he wore a bright yellow toga but looked dishevelled, as though he had been in a hurry. She wondered if it was possible for spirits to rush but knew she would never get a straight answer from Remus on the point.
What is it?
Be careful.Remus’s image hovered above Eloise as he spoke, an iridescent shade of yellow.She isn’t what she appears to be.
I had already decided as much for myself. She wants Archie.
Don’t we all, darling.Remus fluttered his translucent lashes.
Be serious!
I was.
‘Are you all right, Flora?’ Eloise glanced at her in a concerned fashion. ‘You were miles away for a moment there. What distracted you?’
‘Oh, sorry, take no notice of me. My mind is constantly drifting off on tangents. It’s one of my worst faults. Being inattentive is the height of bad manners.’
Melanie sent Flora a sapient look. She knew why Flora had been preoccupied, even if she herself hadn’t picked up on Remus’s presence. She also knew that Remus seldom manifested himself without good reason and looked suitably concerned. Flora sent her a reassuring smile.
‘Oh, if that is true then you have little to worry about,’ Eloise said, either taking Flora’s remark seriously or being deliberately patronising. Flora gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided that her meaning had been lost in translation. ‘There are far worse transgressions, I am sure.’
The street was crowded with worshipers standing about in small groups in their best clothes, enjoying the fine weather and the fact that it was Sunday—their well-earned day of rest. The ladies attracted a fair share of attention, brought about no doubt by the presence of a beautiful foreigner in their midst. Even so, Flora sensed attention focused on them from a source that she couldn’t identify. She glanced around but no strangers stood out. Had Remus not shown up she wouldn’t have let it concern her. But Remus had torn himself away from whatever had preoccupied him and she knew better than to ignore his warning.
‘Come along, ladies.’ Flora linked her arm through Melanie’s and increased her pace, curious to see if anyone fell into step behind them. ‘We have earned the right to enjoy a relaxing afternoon in the garden in this glorious weather.’
‘Can we expect to hear anything from Archie today?’ Eloise asked. ‘I am naturally anxious for news of my brother.’
‘Of course you are, which is why I admire the fact that you seldom mention his name,’ Flora replied, aware of Remus manifesting himself again and shaking his head at her. She reached out with her mind, exasperated by his odd behaviour, but received no clarification before his image dissipated. ‘I am not sure that I could be so restrained if the situation was reversed,’ she added.
Flora had begun to harbour doubts about Eloise even before Remus put in an appearance. She had been living beneath Flora’s roof for just one day, but seemed incapable of talking about anything for long other than Archie. She was obsessed with him and constantly pressed Flora for particulars of his life and acquaintances here in England. Flora was now convinced that her presence was a complex ruse to force him into marrying her. How she intended to achieve that ambition was less clear, as was what Flora ought to do about it since she had nothing but her instincts to back up her assumptions.
Perhaps jealousy was causing Flora to be overly suspicious. It was she who owned Archie’s heart, she reminded herself. He had told her so often enough for her to believe it…at least most of the time. She would be wearing his mother’s beautiful emerald and diamond ring now for the entire world to see if she’d been willing to make the announcement.
