The moment passed, or appeared to, but whatever had begun did not end there.
CHAPTER 13
The drawing room was quieter than it had been the day before, though it was not empty.
Anne sat opposite Eleanor, her attention fixed more on her newly married friend than on the tea between them. Eleanor had missed her friends, there was no question about that, but even she had underestimated just how much she had needed to see Anne.
Anne was her most reasonable friend, someone that understood her far more deeply than anyone else did. Her presence softened the room, making it feel less like part of the house and more like something set apart from it.
"How was your journey?" she asked. "I do hope that my brother was a reasonable travel companion."
"He certainly was," Anne replied, blushing slightly. "My maid was captivated by him throughout the journey, which I must say passed far more quickly than I expected."
Eleanor raised an eyebrow, wondering just how true it was that it had been the maid captivated by Henry. As his sister, she did not understand the appeal of him, but he always seemed to have several ladies interested in him. He was intelligent, she supposed, and kind, but she failed to see how that was a good foundation for an entire marriage.
Then she thought of her own match, and decided it would be best to not pass judgment.
"Where is her, by the way?" Anne asked. "He disappeared shortly after my arrival."
"I believe he wishes to speak with my husband. As far as I am aware, there had not been time for the typical warning that an older brother gives before the wedding, so I suppose he has chosen now."
"That is most thoughtful of him! You are most fortunate to have someone that cares for you that way."
"I know that I should feel that way, Anne, but it is suffocating. He practically threatened my husband when he heard of our engagement."
"And he should have! El, you know as well as I do that this marriage is not something you would have agreed to mere months ago, and you changed your mind so suddenly. He might even have thought that something happened to force your hand."
Eleanor’s eyes widened at that. Nothing of the sort had occurred, but of course she had no control over what was said of her. She had borne witness to that at the dinner party, after all.
"You have been here long enough now," Anne said, setting her cup aside. "I think I am entitled to an honest answer."
"That sounds ominous."
"It is not," Anne replied. "But it is necessary."
"Then I shall prepare myself."
Anne did not return the smile that Eleanor was giving her.
"Are you happy?"
The question settled plainly between them. Eleanor did not answer at once. She looked down at her cup, her fingers resting lightly against the porcelain, as though she did not know what to say.
She did, of course, and when she spoke, her tone was calm.
"Yes."
Anne watched her closely.
"Yes?"
"Yes," Eleanor repeated, more firmly. "He makes me very happy."
"That is not what I expected you to say," Anne said, clearly surprised.
"Nor I," Eleanor admitted. "I shall not tell you some romantic version of events and expect you to believe me, because you know me far too well for that. However, I am indeed very happy. I am taken care of here, and I am anything but lonely. What more could I want?"
Love.