Always (20 page)

I shuddered at the feeling of ice on my face. I nodded for Marcus when I didn’t hear his response.

“
Ah well,” Silango smiled wide, making my heart stop again. A stray thought filtered through my mind. Had Silango been the one outside my window? Was he Ryan?

“
Come, let me embrace you,” he ordered. His words weren’t unkind, but I felt ice creep along in my veins at his request.

With a single shaking step, I was leaning into his ice-cold embrace. He didn’t wrap his arms tight around me in a comforting way, but I felt his hands along my back. He leaned his face into my hair and inhaled deeply. “Mmm,” he let out a raspy sound.

I tried to step back, but his arms didn’t loosen. It was awkward standing there wishing he would let me go. Finally, he stepped away and gazed down at me. His eyes were shining with something more than admiration. Once again, I felt like bolting back out the door.

I peeked up at Marcus under my lowered lashes. He wasn’t looking at me. He wasn’t really looking at anyone. His jaw was clenched so tightly, the muscle twitched at a rapid rhythm. I couldn’t even tell where Sylvia was standing.

Suddenly, Silango’s expression changed. It was as if he was abruptly bored with me. He started to turn around as if to retreat back up the stairs without saying anything more. I took a step forward, but before I could say anything, Sylvia was at my side.

She grabbed my fingers and flashed me the briefest of smiles. Her eyes were dancing with excitement. Had I missed something? “Is he going to let me stay?”

“
Yes,” she looked at me as if I was crazy and shook her head.

“
But he didn’t say anything,” I reminded her.

“
You are still alive, aren’t you?” she widened her eyes and raised her eyebrows at me.

“
Oh,” I said weakly.

She giggled happily and took my hand. “Let’s go home,” she said happily. She was childishly excited as she pulled me along behind her.

Once we were outside of the house, Marcus pressed his hand onto my back. I looked up at him as he guided me into the carriage. He still wasn’t smiling, but he seemed less tense at least.

He took Sylvia’s place beside me on the seat and pressed his hand firmly into mine. “We’ll be able to return to Hamel soon,” he declared softly.

I couldn’t understand what had just happened. Why did it matter if Silango accepted me? What if he had said no? Would Marcus have made me leave?

I remembered before Marcus and I had married–when we were out in the woods. He had said then that he would never marry anyone. Was that because of Silango? How could he have so much control over someone like Marcus? Marcus seemed so strong and independent. It had seemed like he didn’t have to answer to anyone. Both his parents were gone and as far as I could tell, he had no aunts and uncles to take over their places. So, who was Silango?

I sighed and shifted in my seat. Why couldn’t Marcus be like he had been in Hamel? He was so happy then–so much in love. In Hamel, he had risked his own life just to save mine. Now that we were in London, he let strange men into my bedroom and even stranger men hug me.

I looked up at him, but his teeth were still clenched tight together. He wasn’t anything like the man I had met in Hamel.

I sighed deep. “Marcus,” I began cautiously.

“
Yes?” He half smiled down at me, causing my heart to flip-flop in my chest.

“
Who was that man?”

“
Silango,” he answered automatically.

“
Yeah, but…”

“
Claudia, just drop it, okay? Everything is fine now.”

I really wanted to believe that.

I sat back in my seat and watched as the busy street passed me by. As a little girl, I had secretly planned for the day I would come to London. I would wear expensive gowns that swept all the way down to the floor. Twenty servants would help me get ready for a ball. They would tug at my hair until it sat perfectly on top of my head. Tiny perfect curls would trail down my slender neck. Dainty white slippers would adorn my feet, slippers that didn’t pinch my toes.

I would stand at the top of an elegant staircase holding my breath from excitement. All the eyes in the hall would raise until they caught site of me. They would all smile or just stare because I was so beautiful.

And from the crowd, far in the back, would step forward a man. He would be so handsome that I blushed just from looking at him. Without a word, he would hold his hand out and without the slightest hesitation, I would place my hand in his. Then we’d practically float down the steps on our way to the dance floor. Everyone around us would clap as he twirled me around in the waltz. And I knew every step.

I sighed sadly in my seat beside Marcus. The prince in my daydreams never had dark hair and he was always smiling. He would never even think of scowling at me.

It startled me when Marcus leaned down to wipe a tear from my face. I hadn’t even realized I was crying.

Chapter
Twenty-Two

“
Claudia,” Sylvia grabbed my attention as soon as we got back to the house.

“
Yes?”

“
Come into the parlor with me,” she demanded kindly.

I looked back at Marcus, but he still hovered by the doorway, not yet sure if he was coming in or leaving. He met my eyes briefly, but looked away just as quickly, “You go on with Sylvia,” he ordered. “I have to go out for a while.”

Again? Where was he going this time? Of course, I didn’t have a chance to ask him. He was gone before I had even turned completely away. I sighed angrily and headed off in the direction of the parlor.

I huffed heavily as I sank into the seat opposite Sylvia. One of her pencil thin eyebrows shot up her forehead. “You okay, Claud?”

“
Just fantastic!” I crossed my arms and leaned against the back of my seat.

“
Good!” she beamed her smile over to where David sat.

“
Where is he going?”

David surprised me by answering instead of Sylvia. Now that Silango accepted me, it seemed David was able to as well. “He went with Rueben.”

“
You mean that man that was in my room? Who is he? Why did Marcus let him into my room?”

“
That’s his brother, and he was in your room to protect you.”

“
His brother?” My mouth fell open. I whipped my head around to Sylvia. “I thought you said they wouldn’t be here?”

She shrugged carelessly, unaffected by my accusation. “Something came up. Anyways,” she placed her hands flat on the small table in front of her and pushed a small card in my direction. “We have received our first invitation,” she whispered excitedly.

“
Invitation to what?” I eyed the card warily.

“
Claudia,” she whined. “We’re going to a ball.” She sucked in a deep breath and waited for my reaction.

“
Marcus would never go.”

“
Who needs him?” she waved away my excuse.

“
He’s my husband.” Did she really need to be reminded?

“
And?”

“
Sylvia.”

She sighed deeply and pulled the card back to look at it. “The annual Westryn Ball,” she announced. “Held in memory of their dead daughter.”

I pulled my eyebrows down disapprovingly. “I think it’s a nice gesture.”

“
Oh, please,” she rolled her beautiful eyes. “The girl has been dead now for eleven years. And,” she held her finger up before I could give voice to my opinion, “She wasn’t even old enough to be out.”

“
It doesn’t matter,” I grumbled.

She crinkled her dainty nose and rose gracefully from her seat. “It’s time to go.”

“
Where are we going? Is the ball now? I have nothing suitable to wear.”

“
We are going to remedy that situation,” her eyes traveled down my well–worn dress.

“
What?”

“
And of course the ball isn’t now, Claudia. I don’t know what Hamel is like, but we would never have a party in the middle of the day here!”

I followed close to her heels, still unsure where we were going. It wasn’t until we were both sitting across from each other in the carriage that she told me our destination. “We’re going shopping.”

“
Shopping?”

“
For a new dress,” she clapped her hands, pleased with herself.

I sat back with a huff. “Oh.”

“
You need to smile,” Sylvia ordered.

I obediently flashed my teeth. “There.”

“
Do better than that.”

“
I already told you I didn’t want to go.”

“
What woman doesn’t want to go shopping?”

“
Me.”

“
I thought you wanted a new dress.”

I sighed heavily. It was true that I wanted a new dress. More than anything, I wanted a long pale green dress to match my eyes. I had not owned a green dress since I was 13. I had borrowed one once from Ada Darby, but she was years older than me, so that style was painfully out of date.

“
Which color dress do you want?” Sylvia prompted.

“
We’ll have to see which colors they even have.”

“
This isn’t Hamel, Claudia; you can have any color you want.” She worked her face into a playful scowl.

“
I guess,” I shrugged, “if I had my choice, I’d want a green gown.”

“
Green is a perfect choice,” she exclaimed. “It will bring the color out in your eyes. And your hair wouldn’t look so…” She twisted her hands out in front of her.

“
What’s wrong with my hair?” I self-consciously reached up to pat down the wild array of curls.

“
Nothing,” she chuckled. “It’s just so…red.”

“
And you think a green dress would somehow make my hair less red?”

She shook her head, still laughing. “I love your hair, Claudia.” Her laughter took some of the truth out of her declaration.

The bell above the door made a happy jingling sound when Sylvia and I entered the small dress shop. As soon as we went in, it was like we had entered an entirely different world. It was a world of colorful fabric and shiny new buttons, a world that I had only ever dreamed about. Miss Mason’s shop in Hamel suddenly seemed too small for words.

I stood just inside the door with my mouth slightly open, trying to take in all I was seeing. “It’s so beautiful,” I half whispered to myself.

“
Claudia,” Sylvia took my elbow and guided me further into the shop. I looked up at her long enough to see her roll her eyes with a smile. “I had no idea you could be so easily pleased.”

“
Sylvia, have you ever seen so many wonderfully beautiful fabrics all in one place?”

“
This is actually not the first time I’ve been here.”

I blushed, suddenly embarrassed at my reaction. “Your gowns are always lovely.”

She laughed then and guided me to the back of the store where a woman with bright orange hair was measuring a dark blue fabric. “Karen, I’d like to introduce my new sister.” The woman turned to us with a grin. “This is Claudia, Marcus’s wife.”

“
Ah, hello Claudia,” Karen bowed slightly and squeezed my hand. “We’ve missed you in town, Sylvia,” she frowned.

“
We’ll be in town for only a few weeks this time,” Sylvia responded, “And Claudia needs some new dresses.”

“
What did you have in mind?” The question was directed to me, but I couldn’t get my tongue to work enough to give a proper answer.

“
She wants a green gown for sure,” Sylvia answered for me, “One suitable for a ball.”

My heart sped up in anticipation. Would I really be getting a new green gown? Mrs. Mason had never gotten any green fabric except once when I was thirteen. Aunt Dora had made me a gown out of the material and I wore it until it was too small for me.

“
What else will you need?” Karen asked kindly.

“
That will be…” I started, but was cut off by Sylvia.

“
We’re going to the theater tonight,” she rattled off, “and I’m sure we’ll attend the Snyder’s card party next week. I already have the invitation for that.”