Chapter 10

Juliana adjusted the veil, pinning it into Thomasina’s hair gently as she watched her work in the mirror. Thomasina shifted as she looked at the image of a woman she hardly recognized. Herself, after all.

And yet different.

She had been different since Jasper touched her a few days before. He hadn’t made any effort to repeat that touching during the whirlwind that had at last taken her to this day, her wedding day. But she had certainly touched herself since, exploring the places where he had made her shake with pleasure.

It was an education to say the least, and now she looked forward to their wedding night all the more.

“At least we did not have to alter Anne’s gown,” Juliana mused.

“Yes, I have inherited a great deal from our wayward sister,” Thomasina whispered as she pushed away the more sensual thoughts and replaced them with worries. She caught Juliana’s eye in the mirror image and shrugged. “I thought she would have come back by now, dragging a husband behind her.”

Juliana nodded. “I admit, so did I. Gretna Green is not so far. At least she could have written us.”

They sat in silence for a moment, their shared fears hanging between them like a guillotine poised to slash their hopes and dreams.

“I miss her more than anything. Like a limb was cut from my body. I dream of her nightly,” Juliana whispered.

Thomasina’s lips parted. “I have dreamed of her too. I see her rowing away on a boat in the fog and I can’t—”

“You can’t reach her,” Juliana breathed. “I have had the same dream.”

“If we are dreaming the same worrisome thing, do you think she is well?” Thomasina asked.

Juliana let out a shuddering sigh. “I have no idea. I pray she is, but I fear the worst. What kind of man would—”

She cut herself off and walked away from Thomasina, but the unspoken words rang in her head. Poisoning everything else.

“There is nothing we can do,” Juliana said softly, perhaps more for herself than for Thomasina.

“Isn’t there?” Thomasina said.

“No. It’s up to Father and perhaps Lord Harcourt to pursue her now.” Juliana clenched her fists at her sides. “Not that either of them seems interested in doing so.”

Thomasina bent her head. Juliana wasn’t wrong. Their father was laissez-faire about the entire situation regarding Anne. Jasper also cut off the subject any time it came up.

“Then perhaps we should,” Thomasina said. “We are limited in our resources, of course, but we don’t have to sit around waiting to hear the worst, do we? We could interview the servants, we could search more closely in Anne’s room.”

Juliana lifted her gaze. “We could,” she conceded. “Though I admit I fear what we might find. It’s why I haven’t brought up that exact suggestion myself.”

Thomasina felt tears sting her eyes and blinked them away. “But we have to be brave, don’t we? For Anne?”