Snippets of his parents’ heated arguments echoed in his mind, and he closed his eyes in an effort to shut them out. He couldn’t bear it if he subjected Millicent to that. Fear took hold as he opened his eyes.
No. He couldn’t—
“Do you love her?” Trentworth demanded as if once again able to read his mind.
Winston shifted in his chair, panic digging in its sharp talons. “I don’t know. It’s impossible to say. What is love anyway?” Admitting it to his friends meant he could no longer ignore it.
“When you see yourself a decade from now, can you imagine life without her?” Garland asked.
“How do you feel at the idea of her marrying another?” Roth added.
“Or her in someone else’s arms?”
“What if you were never able to see her again?”
The questions continued until Winston’s thoughts spun. He held up a hand to halt them. “I see your point.”
“And?” Trentworth narrowed his eyes. “What do you intend todoabout it?”
“Action at this stage is vital,” Sinclair added. “Even if you don’t feel ready.” He glanced around the table. “I don’t think any of us did.”
Again, his friends nodded.
Winston cleared his throat, barely able to resist pressing a hand to his thundering heart. How could he deny the way he felt? It seemed he did love her, but how did he proceed? “You have given me much to think about.”
Trentworth’s lips twisted in obvious frustration. “That’s not enough. You must act or risk losing lose her forever.”
The quiet declaration shoved Winston off the precarious ledge on which he’d been balancing for far too long. Only now did he realize that taking no action was a decision in itself.
Was doing nothing any better than doing the wrong thing?
He was weary of waiting to see what fate had in store. The time had come to wield his will and make a choice. Perhaps several. He didn’t want to continue drifting through life. If he was going to be worthy of Millicent, he couldn’t allow the past to run roughshod over his future. She deserved more and so did he.
Though his mouth was dry, and nerves gripped his stomach, he met the gaze of each of the men. “Very well. I welcome suggestions as to how to convince Millicent she can’t live without me.”
Everyone began talking at once.
Millie’s steps slowed as she and Alice walked into the lending library to meet Frances. The sight of the literary league members, including Prue, gathered at a table gave her pause. She left Alice near the door and joined them, her gaze landing on Frances.
“Surprise,” her friend said with a cautious smile.
“What is this?” Millie asked as she sank into the single open chair in the middle of the long table.
Phoebe, who sat beside her, tapped Millie’s arm. “I called an emergency league meeting.”
“Why?” Her face heated as they all watched her.
“To lend our aid.” Tibby, who sat on her other side, briefly placed a hand on Millie’s shoulder.
She glanced around the library, unsurprised to find several other patrons watching them. Luckily, the place wasn’t overly crowded, allowing them a small measure of privacy. The hum of quiet conversations throughout the space helped.
“Oh?” Millie could hazard a guess as to what they wanted to assist her with. But she didn’t see how anything she did could make a difference in the situation with Winston. She’d done all she could.
“I realize the evening of the musicale didn’t end the way you’d hoped.” The sympathy in Prue’s expression had Millie drawing a deep breath. “We wonder if perhaps that needn’t be the end of it.”
“I think it must.” Millie lifted her chin. “I have gone over and over the events of the past few weeks, including my actions. I made it clear how much I...care for him.” She couldn’t bring herself to say his name or the word love aloud.
The thought of Winston had her stealing a glance at Eliza, braced to see disapproval on her friend’s face. Instead, she saw only hope and support.