Page 62 of Trouble

‘At least they let us join in for the last few dances,’ said Akia. ‘Well.Theydon’t. The captain does. Everybody else looks horrified every time.’

‘I seem to recall that last time, you almost danced away with a proposal of marriage from a very handsome gentleman who would not stop talking about pineapples,’ said Oliver. ‘He didn’t lookhorrified.’

Akia looked a little coy. ‘Thatis my private business.’

‘Aha,’ said Oliver. ‘So youhaveseen him again.’

‘I could not possibly comment,’ said Akia, but she was smiling into her tea. ‘All I will say on the matter is that I cannot be wooed with just one or two pineapples.’

‘I can,’ said Oliver. ‘Next time, send him my way.’

‘Amy,’ said Meera. ‘I know it’s your day off, but when you’re back this evening .?.?. I’m sorry to ask, but they really did get sand and seawater all over everything.’

Emily almost wanted to tell her that she would stay and help all day, just to remove the option of the Rose and Crown from her mind altogether, but she could not. She was exceedingly anxious about her meeting with Charles; she had still not been able to decide what she should and should not say, and could not imagine that the decision would become easier in the moment, knowing that he might have enough money in his pocket to change her and Amy’s lives.

She went to her bedroom and readied herself, pulling on the cloak that was too warm for September but too new to replace, fixing the pins in her disappointing hair and then pulling them out again.

On her way back downstairs, she heard an odd, muffled gasp coming from Aster’s bedroom. Reluctant to interfere where she knew she wasn’t wanted, she hovered, thinking that if there was nothing more, she could carry on her way and pretend she hadn’t heard anything at all.

Instead, she heard the sound of something hitting the floor, and Aster’s extensive swearing in response.

She would just go in to make sure Aster wasn’t doing anything unforgivably stupid, be condescended to or shouted at (or both) for a minute or so, and then she would leave.

‘Good God,’ Emily said, when she had opened the door. ‘Aster, put those down atonce.’

Aster lowered the sewing scissors a fraction, but in every meaningful way, it was already too late.

She had taken them to her hair and cut off an enormous chunk of it, leaving her with a stubby crop by her temple and a foot and a half of it on the floor beneath her stool.

‘I did it,’ she said, sounding both horrified and in awe of herself.

As Emily watched, tears escaped from under her lashes and slid down her cheeks. She lifted the scissors again, and Emily took a step forward with her hand raised, as if Aster were brandishing a gun.

‘Aster! If you stop now you might be able to hide it.’

‘I don’t want to hide it,’ said Aster.

She cut again, and more long brown hair fluttered to the floor. This seemed to inspire her, and she started hacking indiscriminately, not seeming to mind what length she lost and what she left behind.

There was nothing Emily could do but watch.

Some of the urgency seemed to leave Aster, and she turned to look in the mirror that she had propped up on the dressing table behind her. Her face was an odd war of emotions: she looked defiant and terrified, amazed and utterly spooked.

‘Oh,’ she said. ‘It looks .?.?. It’s not quite what I .?.?.’

To Emily’s horror, Aster started crying properly, her shoulders shaking as she looked down at the scissors and then back up at her reflection.

‘What did you .?.?.wantit to look like?’ said Emily.

Aster put down the scissors, dropped her head into her hands and didn’t answer.

Emily approached very carefully. She had no idea what to do with Aster in this sort of mood. She had no idea Aster wascapableof such a mood.

‘Go away,’ Aster said, when Emily was at her shoulder, which was more familiar territory.

‘Give me the scissors and I’ll try to fix it,’ Emily said. ‘You look ridiculous.’

Aster squinted up at her, red-eyed and waterlogged, and then wordlessly handed her the scissors.