Page 30 of The Fearless Miss Dinah

It very well could be her imagination. This wouldn’t be the first she’d dreamed up a rat—the most vial and hideous creatures on earth—when in truth she was very likely just upset, and the corridor was dark. That’s all it was now, right?

Dinah forced her eyes shut, and then immediately opened them again.

Nothing. There was nothing about.

Dinah sighed in relief. It must have only been her nerves playing tricks on her, her frustration with Henry’s aunt conjuring in her mind the single thing she was most afraid of. Dinah placed a hand against the wall and breathed in deeply.

Soft voices floated down the corridor. Low, but not so low Dinah couldn’t hear.

“I know you want to believe she will be good for him,” a woman said.

The second voice was too deep to belong to anyone but a grown man. “Idobelieve being married will be good for Henry.”

That sounded like David. The woman was probably his wife, Emily, who’d missed dinner because of a headache.

And they were clearly talking about Dinah.

Did she make her presence known and pretend she hadn’t heard a word they’d said? Or simply retrace her steps and return downstairs? Dinah placed a hand over her stomach. She was still reeling from the imagined rat, and neither option sounded appealing.

“Then,” the woman continued, “if you are correct, I would assume Henry to have been quite affable at dinner tonight.”

David didn’t respond.

“Well? Was he?” Emily pressed.

“Actually,” David said slowly, “I’ve not seen Henry that angry in ages.”

Dinah slumped a bit against the wall. She didn’t know Henry well enough to tell for certain what was a normal amount of scowling for him, but that his own brother could not deny the many dark looks could not be a good thing.

Instead of turning haughty as Dinah half-expected, Emily’s voice when she next spoke was soft, even sad. “And you think he was angry at her? Whatever for?”

Dinah wondered the same thing. She peeked around the corner. Emily and David stood close to one another, no more than a few paces away.

“How should I know?” David replied, his head bent down. “You know how he gets. All silent and broody.”

“If he was in that state, then I’m glad I missed dinner.” Emily shook her head. “I must confess to feeling a bit sorry for his new wife. She will not be able to escape his moods so easily as you or I.”

“Do not be too quick to judge, my dear,” David said, his head coming up once more and his voice sounding hopeful. “It may be they both need some time adjusting, is all.”

Time—it’s what Charlotte had said as well.

Though Dinah was quickly losing hope that time alone would be enough to bridge the chasm between her and Henry.

David leaned in and gave his wife a kiss on the top of her head. “Come, my sweet, you don’t dislike it here all that much, surely.” His voice was soft, that special kind of soft which denoted a deep, abiding love. “Why, you tell me yourself quite frequently how much you enjoy my family. And I know you love being in Town, with all its many distractions and social functions.”

“I have come to adore the opera.”

“And we’re right in the middle of planning the ball for when your parents come to visit in a couple of months.”

“The dress I have ordered is divine.”

“You’ll look breathtaking, I’m sure.” David said something else, but his voice dropped so low, Dinah couldn’t make it out.

Emily’s response was a giggle.

Dinah pressed her lips firmly together to stop the smile that threatened to break free. It seemed Henry’s brother was in a very happy marriage. Stepping carefully, Dinah walked backward and toward the stairs yet again. She couldn’t make it to her bedchamber without walking directly past David and Emily, and right now, she wouldn’t disturb them for the world. Just because her own marriage was wholly platonic did not mean she was eager to go and ruin another’s. Indeed, seeing and hearing David and Emily and their obvious love for one another warmed Dinah’s heart.

But it also brought on a deep ache.Thatwas the kind of marriage, the kind of life, she’d always envisioned for herself. While it was true she’d never thought she would be married to a man of thetonand she’d never envisioned she’d call such a grand house her home, shehadbelieved that wherever she ended up, it would be a place of joy and love.

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