“You know, I am very glad that you two decided to put all this friendship nonsense behind you and finally admit to each other how you feel,” she continued.
“Lydia and I?” he wondered, but the moment he said it, he realized how silly his question sounded. Of course, she was referring to Lydia.
“Why, who else, darling?” his mother chuckled. To be honest, he could not remember the last time he saw her laugh so freely.
“Well… I took your advice,” he said a little awkwardly, feeling bad that he was lying to her. In fact, they were lying to everyone, but it was all for a good cause. They had to continue to solve this mystery together. He knew that without Lydia, he would not get anywhere. He needed her by his side.
“I am very happy you did,” she beamed. Then, she looked in the direction of Lydia and the other girls. “The love you feel for each other is simply… inexplicable.” She looked at him once more. “I simply could not understand why you would deny this obvious connection that exists between you two?”
“I don’t know,” he said even more awkwardly this time, feeling as if he was dragged into this conversation that would end up with him entangling himself deeper and deeper.
“Ah, you men,” she waved her hand dismissively, bringing the teacup to her lips once more and partaking in another sip. “You would lose your head if it wasn’t attached to your neck.”
He chuckled at his mother endeavoring to oversimplify things, but he knew what she meant. Men were not good at expressing emotions. At least, he knew that his father was a man who kept to himself, who rarely, if ever, had outbursts of emotions. However, that did not mean that he didn’t love his family. As for his wife, he adored her. That much was obvious from the way he spoke about her ever so highly regardless of whether or not she was present. It was also obvious in the way he looked at her.
Suddenly, Edwin wondered if he was looking at Lydia in the same manner. Did that give him away? Was that how his mother instantly recognized that he had feelings for Lydia? However, he was not willing to dive more deeply into these thoughts.
“I think both you and I needed this,” he said, hoping to change the subject. She could tell his intention immediately, but she allowed it. “We needed to be surrounded by loving people again whom we trusted.”
They both looked around at the same time. Laughter filled the air around them. It was obvious that everyone was enjoying themselves immensely. Joy was etched on every single face. Cheer blossomed in every voice. There was no doubt about it.
“I just wish Rachel could be here…” his mother said, her voice down to a whisper.
He took her by the hand and brought it to his lips. “I will bring her back,” he said, meaning every word for it. “I promise.”
She smiled at him, caressing his cheek. “I know you will. I never stopped believing that, not even for a single moment.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. Her words gave him strength. They gave him courage at a moment when he felt that he needed it. Only now did he realize how fortunate he had been to have all these women in his life. His mother was the first and primary guiding force. His sister was a loving companion to show him the error of his ways. Finally, Lydia… he still could not say what her exact role in his life would be. He knew what he wanted her to be, but he dared not say this out loud. He feared he could not be what she needed him to be.
At that moment, he noticed the girls returning. They were all blushing from running. Lydia slumped into the chair next to him. He was once again, overpowered by the need to pull her close to him, to inhale the fragrant scent of her hair, to taste her lips. He would have every reason for it. They were courting, were they not? Now, whether it was appropriate or not, that was a different story.
“Lemonade shall be served now,” he leaned over to say, but he couldn’t care what he would tell her. He simply wanted to be even closer to her, to be in her personal space embraced by the aura that was solely hers.
“Oh, I would love some,” she gushed at him, her lips widening into a smile.
She was mesmerizing. Every single day, she seemed to grow even more beautiful. He could not stand it.
He swallowed heavily then, reluctantly, straightened himself in the chair and tried to start a conversation with one of his best friends, who was seated across from him. It was difficult to focus on business related topics, but he did his best. As long as Lydia was by his side, he knew that everything would be all right.
As for what would happen when she was no longer there… well, he would cross that bridge when he got to it.
CHAPTER25
That night, Lydia could not sleep. Not even when she kept her eyes closed for what seemed to be a small eternity did sleep come to her. Finally, she had to admit defeat. Checking in the darkness to hear the steady breathing of her sisters, she was assured that she was the only one with this predicament. Slowly, assuring that she would not make a single sound, she wrapped her robe around her willowy frame and tiptoed out of the chamber.
Carrying a small candle in her trembling hand, there was only one place where she could go. Edwin had shown her where the library was. On a night like this, only a book would be an adequate companion. She found her way to the library easily, her mind having memorized the map of the house upon first arriving here. She expected the entire house to be dark and silent. What she didn’t expect was to see light flickering underneath the library door.
For a moment, she hesitated to come in. Obviously, there was someone there, someone who, just like her, could not sleep. Was it Edwin? Her heart immediately leaped at the possibility. Before her mind could tell her feet to turn around and walk back to her chamber, her hand was already on the doorknob, gently pushing the door open.
As she hoped, her eyes befell on Edwin. He seemed surprised to see her as he stood by the bookshelf with his arm stretched out.
“Sorry, I…” she started, standing in the doorway.
“Come in,” he said with a smile. “Trouble sleeping?” He pinpointed her problem immediately. All she could do was nod as she walked in and closed the door behind her. That was her second mistake of the night. “I’ve got just the thing,” he said, spreading his arms around himself and showing her all the books that were there. Lydia was flabbergasted. The shelves were brimming with books from top to bottom, all the way to the ceiling. There wasn’t a single corner of the room that was not filled.
“This is amazing,” she said in awe, looking around.
“I doubt you won’t be able to find something to keep you company on a sleepless night,” he assured her.