Note: It's been so long! I'm so sorry, people. As penance for my neglect, I'll be updating with another chapter right after this one. You deserve it for sticking with me this far. And I hope you'll like both of them! Things are getting exciting.
Winter and Selene returned to the drawing room, where Lady Blackburn sat drinking a cup of tea. The stern way her lips were pursed made Winter immediately nervous.
"Sit down, girls," Lady Blackburn said, gesturing to the divan next to her.
Winter and her cousin obeyed silently.
"I've been wanting to talk to you, and now is as good a time as any." Lady Blackburn set the teacup down and set her piercing gaze on her stepdaughter. "I'm concerned about your futures. As you know, a young lady's number one prerogative at your age is to find a good match."
Selene looked like she might say something at that point, but Winter nudged her with her elbow. Lady Blackburn continued.
"A good husband will provide for you for the rest of your life. He will provide the house you live in, the clothes you wear, the society that you keep. The man who proposes to you must uphold the proud standards of this family and give you children who will do the same."
"Yes, stepmother," Winter said, head bowed. She thought about Mr. Clay. She was positive that he was not the type of man that Lady Blackburn would call a 'good husband.'
But for all his qualities that her stepmother would abhor, he had so many more that Winter admired. He was loyal to his family and friends, and always patient with her when her nerves got the better of her. When he let his guard down, he was sweet and gentle and honest with her. If only people could see that side of him instead of just the fact that he wasn't wealthy like the men that Lady Blackburn tried to convince her to consider.
Her stepmother seemed satisfied by Winter's compliance, and she turned to Selene. "You too, my dear girl. Your mother would want what's best for you, but I feel that you are not taking your responsibility to marry soon seriously. You rarely dance at the balls, and I've hardly seen you talking to gentlemen when they call either. I'd like both of you to make a conscious effort to do better. Is that clear?"
Selene sighed ever so slightly and Lady Blackburn shot her a sharp glance. Outside, the rain picked up, beating against the windows and sending trails of water down the glass.
"Yes, my lady," Selene said. Winter murmured her agreement as well.
She felt frustrated with herself for letting her stepmother control her so easily. She felt as if she led two lives: as the young heiress Lady Blackburn thought she was, and as the girl who was in love with Jacin Clay, the handsome and loyal—but not exactly wealthy—lieutenant.
And yet, would she ever find the courage to let her true self be seen? She feared her stepmother, but she also feared the rejection from society that would no doubt come should her true feelings be made known. She shivered, ashamed at the realization.
Just then, the front door banged open.
"Mariah?" Lady Blackburn called.
But it wasn't the maid who came swept into the room, soaked to the bone and looking desperate. Winter's heart leapt into her throat, and warmth spread through her at the sight.
Mr. Clay stood before them, and he was looking straight at her.
He paused for a moment, looking more disheveled and uncertain than she'd ever seen him. Then he turned abruptly and bowed to Lady Blackburn.
"My lady," he said, his voice sounding almost strangled. "I request an audience with Lady Winter."
Lady Blackburn had a hand to her chest. She looked at Mr. Clay, realization dawning in her eyes as she lifted her fingers to her chin.
"Mr. Clay, isn't it?" she said slowly, narrowing her eyes.
He cleared his throat and tried to straighten his sopping wet jacket. "Yes, madam."
"You say you'd like to speak to my daughter," she said, walking over to where Winter and Selene stood, both dumbfounded. "Well, unfortunately, I'm afraid that won't be possible. You see, our dear friend Miss Darnel has fallen ill, and Winter is busy attending to her. She simply has no time to be entertaining callers."
"I—" Winter began, but Lady Blackburn interrupted her.
"You wouldn't want to be a bad hostess, would you?" She looked pointedly toward the room where Cress rested.
Anger flared up in Winter's chest. How could she? Mr. Clay obviously had something important to say to her, or he wouldn't have ridden all this way in the pouring rain. She'd never seen him in such a state. And yet her stepmother saw fit yet again to use guilt to keep them apart, to prevent Winter from talking with him.
"I—" she began again. "I'm sorry, Mr. Clay. She's right. I need to see to Miss Darnel."
She rushed from the room, trying to keep control of her feelings. She heard Lady Blackburn say some things, then there were the sounds of footsteps and the front door shutting. Winter slumped back against the wall outside Cress's room, breathing quickly.
"Winter? Are you okay?" Selene said tentatively. She must have followed her into the hallway.
Winter put her hands to her face. They were cold.
"Yes," she said. "I—I think so. Thank you. I just…need to calm down."
"She had no right to do that," Selene said.
Winter nodded. "I know. But what can I do? She's my stepmother."
Distraught, she leaned toward the door of Cress's room, which was cracked. She started as she realized that Captain Thorne was still there, sitting in the chair next to Cress's bed. They weren't touching, but they seemed deep in conversation, their eyes only for each other. Winter stepped back.
Selene put a hand on her arm. "What are you going to do?"
Winter thought of all the conversations she'd had with Mr. Clay, all the moments they'd shared. He must love her, too. There could be no other explanation for the fact that he kept coming back to her, even though she could tell he knew it wasn't prudent. And then there was the way he'd leaned toward her in the drawing room, during the ball. She'd relived that moment over and over again since then—the way his hair had fallen into his eyes as he looked through his eyelashes at her, so solid and certain and hopeful.
"I'm going out to him."
"What?!" Selene said.
Winter had already started walking, and she heard Selene scurry to catch up with her.
"What are you doing?" her cousin protested. "It's raining! Even I'm not that crazy. You'll slip in the mud—you'll catch cold."
Winter walked back through the parlor and straight past Lady Blackburn, who seemed too stunned to even say anything. She pulled open the door and turned back toward Selene.
"Some things are more important than a ruined dress or a week of sneezing," she said.
Then she pulled open the door and ran outside. Mr. Clay had already mounted his horse, and he faced away from her. She ran toward him, not caring that her slippers quickly became soaked through with mud.
"Mr. Clay!" she called. "Wait!"