“But they do see each other again. The other letter tells of when he sees her at a London party with the man she is to marry. He speaks of his jealousy and asks her to leave her window open to let him visit her at night,” Sophia said.
Susanna pouted. “I can’t believe you ruined the letter before I could read it.”
“We wanted to find out the name on the address. It was the only way,” Charlotte said.
Susanna reached across and slid the charcoaled letter toward her. “It was very clever of Mr. Drake,” she conceded. “I’m still the only one who hasn’t met him.”
“He is very handsome and strong.” Charlotte’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “He was holding Olivia in his arms when Daniel and I came into the store.”
“What?” Ellie sat forward, her mouth agape.
Olivia sent Charlotte a glare. “He caught me when I tripped on the stairs. Simply that.”
Charlotte let out a long hum. “There was nothing simple about the smoldering look you two were sharing.”
“Can we focus back on the letters, please?” Olivia said. The last thing she wanted to talk about was Max.
Ellie cleared her throat. She glanced around the circle. “I have been keeping something from you all.” Reaching into the top of her bodice, she pulled out a folded piece of parchment. “There was another letter from the batch Lucius and I found in London.” A collective gasp came from around the table. “I didn’t want to show you this one because I believe it marks the end of their relationship. And now that we’ve discovered it is Daniel and Miles’s aunt, we know the lovers do not have a happy ending.” She sighed and unfolded the parchment. “Truly, I held it back in order to not dash your hopes for the couple.”
Olivia’s heart sank. “Read it. We must know even if it’s not as we hoped.”
Ellie nodded.
“Dearest Diana,
We have been found out. Your father came to see me. His anger was understandable. I have stolen your affection and have not a way to make an honest woman out of you. Your loving words and the memories of our stolen moments together have sustained me through some very hard times this past year. But I am beholden to my patroness, and as your father reminded me, you are far above my station. I must end our affair here and now. This is not easy to write, but I believe this is the right path. Please know how much I have loved you. Never doubt that. But the world is more complicated than you and me alone.
Love, J”
“No-ooo,” Susanna wailed.
Ellie reached over a squeezed her hand. “That’s just how I felt. But I so hoped that there would be more, that in the end, they would find a way to be together.”
Olivia slumped back against her chair. Her friends mirrored her pose. The silence stretched as they each came to terms with the sad ending to the mysterious love letters. But that was life, wasn’t it? Life didn’t always work out the way you envisioned. People disappointed you. People you loved left. They died.
“Diana married the man her parents chose, I assume?” Sophia asked.
Charlotte nodded. “Yes, Diana was married to Viscount Wells. She was widowed young and has not chosen to remarry. Daniel said he does not remember much about her husband; he and Miles were still young when he died.”
“Perhaps she never stopped loving her secret lover,” Susanna said.
“Perhaps she simply didn’t want another husband.” Sophia smirked.
Sophia was a widow as well. Although she never spoke of her husband. Even her closest friends knew very little about her life in Italy. The book club members never pried, hoping that one day Sophia would trust them enough to speak about her past. Olivia had the sense that her marriage had been unhappy and Sophia had come to England for a new beginning. Sophia was wealthy, but she lived simply in her own house in the village.
Charlotte bit her lip. “Do you think we should speak with Diana? I feel guilty about having her letters. They should be returned to her, don’t you agree?”
Olivia nodded. “Yes. The letters are hers.”
Everyone around the table nodded their agreement. “Aunt Diana and Miles are arriving in two days to spend Christmastide with us,” Charlotte said.
“Do you think she would tell us about him?” Susanna asked.
“It may be too painful for her to talk about. After all, it obviously ended badly,” Olivia said.
“But it was so long ago,” Susanna replied.
“The past can still be painful. Despite the saying, time does not heal all wounds,” Olivia said. She still felt the pain of Max’s abandonment.