Pearls and Roses

14. Acquaintances, Lovers, Families

                                                                                                                          ⌠⌠ERIC👑⌡⌡

I flipped the page interested in what the author had to say about the political affairs of his country but suddenly, this read felt heavy as a mental image of Miss Somers interrupted me.

I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh before putting the book down. The rain had stopped but there was quite a chill in the air. I was seated on a garden bench. The smaller lamps on either side of the roof gave enough lightning.

Maybe I shouldn't have asked about the switch and then, I wouldn't have seen her in the nightdress. Or witnessed how long, how beautiful the curls of her hair were. Or how fair her skin was.

And if she hadn't fallen, I wouldn't have known her scent. Or the feeling of holding her in my arms.

I sighed and opened my eyes. It wasn't substantial anyway, my thoughts of her remained unchanged.

"Sir?"

I looked behind me. Lady Beddoe came closer, from behind a tree. Was she stalking me? Why was she even hiding?

"Do you need tea? To help you sleep? If you can't?" She sat close to me, closer than I would like.

"No, thank you. It's a habit." I shifted away from her but to my horror, she shifted also.

Dickens. This lady had no shame but she wasn't the first married woman to flirt with me. Or try to. Because whatever she was doing wasn't working.

One tried to seduce me and the other shunned me. It would be much easier if Miss Somers was the one doing the seduction. I could at least take advantage of that.

Her knee touched mine and I glanced at her. She peered at me, unabashedly. I could use her behavior to confirm some facts instead. "Is Miss Somers sickly?"

Lady Beddoe blinked at me, her mouth opened, "Miss Somers?"

I frowned, "Yes. Miss Somers." Why would she be surprised I was asking about her?

Lady Beddoe cleared her throat, "She... how do I put it....." she looked up as if in thought, "she isn't sickly, but she is quite ill.....disturbed if I may say?"

Disturbed? "How so?"

"Just very......mentally? I don't know... it is not my place to tell you but," of course she would tell me. Anything to reduce our chances of courting. Well, we shared the same goal but different reasons. ".....she has a series of failed suicide attempts."

Lady Beddoe cleared her throat and sat upright.

I blinked and tore my attention from her to the water fountain ahead. Suicide? Huh. That looked too extreme of a decision for her. I mean, she was unassertive from what I'd observed so far so for her to try to kill herself and more than once?

The memory of her confessing to Sir Marrow came to me. There was also her reaction earlier this evening.

So, there were bursts of moments when she was bold or snapped? Or was her mind just fragile? Both situations would warrant such reaction.

"I did not mean to scare you with this information."

Scare me? Did I look scared or was that her intention? I shook my head, "No, thank you for letting me know."

"I'd also like to apologize on her behalf for the way she spoke to you."

Always trying to draw Miss Somers' flaw or setback to my attention. I sighed, "You don't have to."