awakened…
No! He'd take her away, ship her to France, and she wasn't ready to go. Aunt Elizabeth was kind, but she'd smothered Amy with concern following her mother's death. She couldn't face that yet; she needed a few days to think about things, to come to some kind of peace within herself.
Better to pretend she still slept.
"It won't be a simple matter to find a chaperone in London right now," Amy heard Kendra pointing out. "And you cannot just plop her on a ship by herself."
"That's true," he admitted grudgingly.
"You'd better go," Kendra advised. "The wagon is packed, and the children are waiting. She's not going to magically wake up, and even if she did, it would take her too long to get ready. She hasn't eaten in two days."
"More like four days," Colin grumbled. The voices receded, accompanied by footsteps. "I suppose you're right."
"We'll have her ready and waiting when you return," Amy strained to hear Kendra say before the voices faded away entirely.
Amazingly, Amethyst Goldsmith woke up the minute Colin's wagon rattled over the drawbridge.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"I RETURNED TO TAKE her to Dover and put her on a ship, and damn it, that's what I'm going to do!"
After three days spent weeping, thinking and healing, Amy had approached Kendra that very afternoon and shyly asked about joining the family for the evening meal. She'd been certain she felt ready for some human interaction.
Now that Colin was home, and she wasn't so sure.
In the corridor outside the drawing room, she stood frozen in place, listening. The Chases made an incredible racket. Amy and her parents had rarely shouted at one another, but this family seemed to use shouting as their main mode of communication. Even when they'd discussed her at her bedside, she reflected, they'd shouted in whispers.
Tonight, they were none so circumspect.
"I promised her, Colin!" she heard Kendra wail. "I promised she could stay here until she's ready."
"Ready? What the hell is that supposed to mean? She's awake, she's ready."
"I'm not quite certain she's awake," another male voice put in, with more than a little amusement. "She's been wandering around like a ghost."
Amy winced. Was that what they thought of her?
"She has not!" Kendra leapt to Amy's defense. "Her father just died, for God's sake. I promised her."
"A pox on your promises! I need to get back to Greystone. I needed to be there a week ago."
"Jason?" By the tone of Kendra's voice, Amy imagined her looking toward her brother beseechingly.
"A Chase promise is not given lightly." Jason, the voice of reason.
"A pox on you, too!"
"I agree with them, Colin. Promises aside, she's in no state for travel." So Ford was on her side as well.
"A pox on all three of you! I don't care who agrees with whom. I brought her here, and I'll take her away when I damn well please."
"I promised her!"
"You sound like one of those newfangled cuckoo clocks, Kendra. 'I promised her, I promised her, I promised her.' Well, cuckoo all you want; I'm not changing my mind. We're leaving come morning. Where is she? You said she was coming to supper."
Amy took a step back down the corridor.
"Your arrival probably scared her into the next county!" Kendra yelled.
"You're both acting like children!" Amy heard Jason shout while she steadily backed away from the room. "Colin, this is out of your hands. Go to Greystone in the morning. Ford or I will arrange for Mrs. Goldsmith's travel when she's ready. Kendra, go fetch her. We'll meet you in the dining room in half an hour."
Amy fled up the stairs to her chamber and was sitting primly on the edge of her bed when Kendra arrived.
Her friend stood in the doorway, frowning. "It's almost time for supper. You're…not planning to wear that gown, are you?"
Amy looked down to her skirts. The lavender dress had been laundered and pressed while she slept, but there were a few tiny holes where embers had landed, and little gray spots where the soot had stained it permanently. She'd
No! He'd take her away, ship her to France, and she wasn't ready to go. Aunt Elizabeth was kind, but she'd smothered Amy with concern following her mother's death. She couldn't face that yet; she needed a few days to think about things, to come to some kind of peace within herself.
Better to pretend she still slept.
"It won't be a simple matter to find a chaperone in London right now," Amy heard Kendra pointing out. "And you cannot just plop her on a ship by herself."
"That's true," he admitted grudgingly.
"You'd better go," Kendra advised. "The wagon is packed, and the children are waiting. She's not going to magically wake up, and even if she did, it would take her too long to get ready. She hasn't eaten in two days."
"More like four days," Colin grumbled. The voices receded, accompanied by footsteps. "I suppose you're right."
"We'll have her ready and waiting when you return," Amy strained to hear Kendra say before the voices faded away entirely.
Amazingly, Amethyst Goldsmith woke up the minute Colin's wagon rattled over the drawbridge.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
"I RETURNED TO TAKE her to Dover and put her on a ship, and damn it, that's what I'm going to do!"
After three days spent weeping, thinking and healing, Amy had approached Kendra that very afternoon and shyly asked about joining the family for the evening meal. She'd been certain she felt ready for some human interaction.
Now that Colin was home, and she wasn't so sure.
In the corridor outside the drawing room, she stood frozen in place, listening. The Chases made an incredible racket. Amy and her parents had rarely shouted at one another, but this family seemed to use shouting as their main mode of communication. Even when they'd discussed her at her bedside, she reflected, they'd shouted in whispers.
Tonight, they were none so circumspect.
"I promised her, Colin!" she heard Kendra wail. "I promised she could stay here until she's ready."
"Ready? What the hell is that supposed to mean? She's awake, she's ready."
"I'm not quite certain she's awake," another male voice put in, with more than a little amusement. "She's been wandering around like a ghost."
Amy winced. Was that what they thought of her?
"She has not!" Kendra leapt to Amy's defense. "Her father just died, for God's sake. I promised her."
"A pox on your promises! I need to get back to Greystone. I needed to be there a week ago."
"Jason?" By the tone of Kendra's voice, Amy imagined her looking toward her brother beseechingly.
"A Chase promise is not given lightly." Jason, the voice of reason.
"A pox on you, too!"
"I agree with them, Colin. Promises aside, she's in no state for travel." So Ford was on her side as well.
"A pox on all three of you! I don't care who agrees with whom. I brought her here, and I'll take her away when I damn well please."
"I promised her!"
"You sound like one of those newfangled cuckoo clocks, Kendra. 'I promised her, I promised her, I promised her.' Well, cuckoo all you want; I'm not changing my mind. We're leaving come morning. Where is she? You said she was coming to supper."
Amy took a step back down the corridor.
"Your arrival probably scared her into the next county!" Kendra yelled.
"You're both acting like children!" Amy heard Jason shout while she steadily backed away from the room. "Colin, this is out of your hands. Go to Greystone in the morning. Ford or I will arrange for Mrs. Goldsmith's travel when she's ready. Kendra, go fetch her. We'll meet you in the dining room in half an hour."
Amy fled up the stairs to her chamber and was sitting primly on the edge of her bed when Kendra arrived.
Her friend stood in the doorway, frowning. "It's almost time for supper. You're…not planning to wear that gown, are you?"
Amy looked down to her skirts. The lavender dress had been laundered and pressed while she slept, but there were a few tiny holes where embers had landed, and little gray spots where the soot had stained it permanently. She'd
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