To Mrs. Vivian Miller
My dearest Sister,
I pray this letter finds you and yours well. I confess that this missive will seem a little garbled, for it is the circuity of my thoughts that I wish to express to you.
I wrote to you of my dearest Erik's desire for courtship. And in entering in such a union, he has been the most generous and warmest of gentlemen. Since the news of his interest has taken wing throughout Rouen, I am deluged with invitations to many an evening. People here are quite intrigued (as you can imagine) with the mystery of a man whose face is never seen.
Deferring to him, as a good wife should, I took my modest stack of invitations to present to him. He rebuffs these attempts to draw him out into the public eye. I cannot help but wonder, dearest Vivian, if it is once again the question of the mask, or something else.
You know me, my sweet sister. I have never been a girl whose head was easily turned by members of the sterner sex. You also know of the tragedy of my marriage to William. Ah! That I could take back those years of my life. No doubt my heart would not have suffered so. With Erik I am remade. I have the chance at being the wife and companion of the heart of a man who will love me for the person he knows me to be. As such, I must say, that I am falling quite desperately in love with him.
Although I am the happiest of women when I am in his arms, I still see that he is struggling with something that he has not shared with me. I wrote to you of our evening when he made me promise never to look below the mask. Since then, I have seen the traces of something haunting in his eyes. I do not believe now, that it is only the question of the mask.
My trepidation is that I find myself succumbing to the romance of his advances. When I am alone, I wonder at what it is that he is loathe to reveal to me. I am not the kind of woman that stoops to being a curious creature. Do you remember Christmas when you all tried to peek at your gifts and were scolded by Father? I was the innocent in that tale, and as such it should reassure you that I am still not a woman to pry.
Soon, though, I will have to press my desires. I find myself growing sad at the fact that my Erik will not put his trust in me to this extent. Although I believe our union would be blessed by heaven, I feel such a longing for this trust that I am afraid I will not be able to consent to our marriage.
Remember me in your thought and prayers as I remember you and your family. Give the children a kiss from their Aunt Emily.
Your Loving Sister,
Emily
