Page 31 of A Mismatch Made in London

“It’s not so bad,” Juliet said, looking up at the sky, until the rain made her blink and sputter. “It may stop soon.”

But the sky was quite dark.

“Perhaps we should wait for it to let up,” I said.

“Very well, if you think so, Amelia.” She cut her gaze toward her brother.

We went back inside and played games. No one called on us, and we spent a rather gloomy day indoors.

Juliet and I had both caught colds.

Mr. Beaumont was still very insistent on us staying out of sightfor a while, and we were both so sick and our noses so red and runny that we had no desire to go anywhere or be seen.

During those long days of feverish headaches and stuffed noses, my mind often wandered to my family. Were the boys behaving for Mother? Were the girls applying themselves to their reading, as Mother was always trying to get them to do? And the boys to their studies? The tutor should be back by now. Did poor little Diana feel abandoned by me, her favorite person to put her down for her nap? She was too young to understand where I’d gone or when I might return. My heart ached to see her, to be home and to talk with Mother and Father and take a walk with my brothers. It was when I was too ill to do anything that I was attacked by the sharp ache of homesickness.

But by the time we were getting better, even I was restless to be doing something, and Juliet was bouncing like a rubber ball.

“We’ve been invited to a party!”

As we sat at the breakfast table, Juliet waved the invitation in the air directly after taking it from the silver tray.

Jeremy, who had stayed near, often playing cards with us or reading in the sitting room with us, checking in on us several times a day and engaging us in conversation, raised his brows at her.

“Who is it from?”

Juliet handed the invitation to him. “Lady Snowden.”

He looked at it, saying, “It’s in four days. Will you ladies be ready?”

“Four days? I’m ready today!” Juliet stood up. “I think Amelia is feeling as well as I am, and it’s not raining. Today we will certainly walk to the park and even go shopping. I need a new dress.”

He sighed and put aside his newspaper. “Which will it be? Shopping or walking to the park?”

“Both!”

“Which one first?”

Juliet looked at her brother with her lips slightly parted. Thenshe turned to me. “Amelia? Would you rather walk to the park or go shopping? I think for myself, I’d like to go shopping.”

“Shopping sounds lovely.” I didn’t have any money for buying another dress, but I enjoyed shopping with Juliet.

“Go and ready yourselves, then.”

In our room, Juliet said quietly, “It is very strange how accommodating Jeremy is being. He would normally complain and make a fuss about always having to escort me around like a nursemaid.”

I nearly said something about him being concerned about her reputation after what happened with Mr. Fairweather. But it was true that he had been extremely attentive the last two weeks. In fact, I was beginning to think he was a good person—at least as far as his sister was concerned. I refused to like him or let myself be friendly with him, as I knew how much he detested me.

Instead of mentioning the unfortunate incident with Fairweather, I said, “He cares about you and wants to watch over you.”

“He is a good brother. Better than I deserve.”

Perhaps what happened with Mr. Fairweather had changed her. I hadn’t thought so in the beginning, but in the time that we were sick, she’d seemed a bit ... different. Quieter and more thoughtful. But she was right about Jeremy. Even I could see that he cared about her.

We hurried to get ready and go on our excursion. After a long time of looking at fabrics and Juliet ordering a new dress at the dressmaker’s, we went to take tea at a nearby shop.

I was watching for people staring or whispering about us, or acquaintances of Juliet’s snubbing her, but nothing of the kind seemed to be happening. Perhaps Juliet had been fortunate enough to escape the gossipmongers, which would be quite miraculous.

Two gentlemen were staring at us from several feet away. Jeremy went to speak to them, and a minute later they approached us. Jeremy made the introductions.