“They most certainly are not!” Lydia joined in. “I would have thrown you out of the house if you brought me a frog!”
“Rachel actually did,” he confessed.
He proceeded to share a few more humorous stories regarding his childhood, and every time Lydia laughed, it sounded more and more melodious. Then, they realized that it was getting late. They had spent much more time at the park than they intended to, and there was no more time for visiting more jewelers. At least, not today.
He took her back home and welcomed the fact that he would spend some time in his study, reading. He could not remember the last time he felt this relaxed and able to focus. He had Lydia to thank for this peace of mind.
He had her to thank for so many things, even this turmoil in his heart.
CHAPTER16
Only one single day had passed since the last time Edwin saw Lydia, yet it felt like an entire lifetime. Minutes felt like entire hours, and his mind refused to cooperate with him on any endeavor he had undertaken today. So, he decided that he would sit at his writing table and hopefully, manage to get some correspondence done.
However, as soon as he picked up his quill pen and started a letter to a dear friend who had not received a response in over a fortnight, a knock on the door interrupted him.
“Yes?” he called out.
The door opened, and his mother allowed herself in. She didn’t say anything at first. She merely walked over to his writing table, placing the tips of her fingers onto it, almost as if she were trying to feel the soft, polished surface of the mahogany table. He could tell that something lingered on her mind, something that bade her come here and hesitate to start speaking.
That was unlike his mother. She always spoke her mind freely. That was why Edwin was so intrigued to hear what she had to say.
“Is everything all right, Mother?” he inquired gently, lifting his gaze to her. She did not return it. Hers was lowered to her fingers as they glided against the surface of the table. After a few moments, she sighed then she looked at him.
“It has come to my attention that you and Miss. Lydia have been spending an inappropriate amount of time together,” she finally revealed the cause of her concern.
Edwin thought about it for a moment then had to admit that she was right. In fact, that had started to be his concern as well. He was not worried about his own reputation. His would have been untainted either way. But Lydia’s would not be.
“We are just… friends, Mother,” he said without much confidence in his own words.
“Whatever it is that you are,” she commented, “you must see that you two spending so much time together is highly inappropriate.”
“We are not doing anything inappropriate,” he continued. “She is just helping me find Rachel. That is all.”
She sighed once more. It was evident that she did not completely believe what he was telling her, but she chose not to argue. Sometimes, he forgot how insightful his mother truly was.
“If that is what you wish to believe, that is fine by me,” she told him. “But you cannot take her everywhere with you, especially without a third person. You know better than that.” She paused for a moment then added, “If you were to announce that you are courting, then it would make more sense to be spending so much time together. But… you said you are simply friends and nothing else…” she shrugged which was also something she rarely did. It was evident that she doubted this was true.
Edwin pondered on her words. Perhaps that would solve his problem. Well, their problem. He wanted to take Lydia everywhere with him. He was certain that she wanted to join him as well — probably not because she craved his presence, but rather because she was as eager to solve the mystery of his sister’s disappearance as he was. He needed her help. He felt now that he could not do it without her. So, if he needed to announce that the two of them were courting so he would be able to spend more time with her and not make it inappropriate, so be it.
“I shall sort it out,” he told his mother.
For some reason, she smiled. She could not know what he was thinking… or could she?
He didn’t know. All he knew was that his mother had better intuition than anyone else he knew. She was aware of things before others could even sense them. Was it possible that she noticed something between him and Lydia?
After all, what was there to notice? Occasionally, he thought that Lydia was looking at him somehow… inexplicably. He could not say she had that look of a lover, but it was a look of awe. Then, he quickly banished the thought from his mind, thinking he was probably merely seeing something that he wanted to see. His mind created these thoughts because he desired them so much.
Even that kiss was something he initiated.But… she reciprocated,his memory reminded him. She reciprocated with such passion that he could barely recognize her in it. Not that he didn’t like it. Quite the contrary, he relished every moment of that kiss, and something assured him that he would not experience such a kiss ever again. But she agreed that it was a mistake. It wasn’t supposed to happen, and they would never mention it again.
They could never mention it again, but that didn’t mean that he would forget it. Ever.
“If you do go to see Miss. Lydia today, do send her my regards,” his mother said, interrupting the flow of his tumultuous thoughts. Before he could say anything to that, she walked over the door and let herself out, leaving him with his own wavering mind.
Yes. That was exactly what he would do. He would go to see her and tell her that the only way they would be able to continue searching for his sister together was to pretend to be courting.
* * *
“Courting?” she echoed Edwin suggestion. He had only been in her drawing room for a short two minutes when he told her exactly the opposite of what she was expecting to hear. She believed he had some news to share regarding his sister, but in fact, he came to tell her that they had to pretend to be courting.