Will and Testament // Sequel to the Rosie Grey series

Chapter Fifteen

"How was your day out?" Mrs Davidson asked at supper.

"Good," Evelyn said.

Nancy nodded. "We had an interesting conversation at lunch and I think Isabel has a better idea of her future prospects now."

"Definitely. I got to see my cousin today, albeit only briefly."

"Nancy seemed rather smitten by him," Evelyn teased. In response, Nancy knocked her in the shoulder but even she couldn't fight the blush rising up her cheeks.

After lunch, Sebastian had been able to step out of the kitchen when the lunch rush had died down to see us. How he found out I had been there, I didn't know, but I was happy to see him nonetheless. Uncle Matthew worked so much and in various places all over the city that we rarely got to see him or my cousins unless there had been a pre-arranged family meeting or a coincidence.

The moment he had appeared, Nancy appeared a little smitten by him and couldn't even get her words out in a cohesive fashion. She stuttered and stumbled over everything with Evelyn and me giggling away in the corner. We spent the rest of the afternoon teasing her about it and I couldn't wait until I next saw Sebastian so I could tease him too. He wasn't exactly the smooth gentleman he always thought himself to be.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon walking through the city and peering in various shop windows. I had had the smart idea to bring a small amount of money which I kept in my dress pocket and allowed me to purchase a small notebook. Usually, I never purchased something like that unless it was for school, but I thought a notebook might serve me well in the long run, especially when it came to my anger. Perhaps I could manage it better if I wrote it out.

"Nancy's got a sweetheart, Nancy's got a sweetheart!" Martha teased in a sing-song voice.

"Don't tease your sister, Martha. Your time will come soon enough," Mrs Davidson said, resulting in a glare from Nancy, who looked fed up with the constant teasing.

"It was my first meeting with him, there is nothing going on between us."

"A first meeting? That implies the possibility of a second one!" Evelyn exclaimed.

"Don't you start, Evelyn."

"Alright, that's enough. All of you."

Evelyn leaned over to me. "Please tell me you're going to tease your cousin."

"Most definitely."

I laughed and turned back to the supper in front of me, tucking into the chicken and trying to ignore Frances who had started to flick her peas across the table. The Davidson's were a perfectly normal family. They teased each other, flicked peas at each other and got on with each other rather well. It didn't seem dull in their house at all, or quiet. Something was always going on and it was a stark contrast to my life at home.

Other than that earlier sensation of anger, the feeling hadn't reappeared for the rest of the day and I had this calm sensation running through my body. Being away from home, away from my parents allowed this feeling of calm to consume and it didn't feel like I was being stretched until I snapped in two. I needed this break, far more than I realised when Evelyn had offered it to me. It gave me the chance to clear my head.

Although I had this calming sensation, I knew that the anger was only lying dormant, hiding beneath the surface until the next opportunity arose. It would never be gone permanently, not until I learned to control it and I couldn't spend all my time at the Davidson's. I would have to return home, I would have to see Grandmother and Aunt again in the future. They were all unavoidable and with the anger hiding just below the surface, I didn't know when it would next erupt.