Dearest William,
My week had been fine. Better, as a matter of fact.
I had the sweetest dream last night.
I was wearing a beautiful wedding gown and I was surrounded by the most beautiful flowers you could find in the Town. My family was there and they were happy as I walked down the aisle to meet the man of my dreams.
The best part was that I saw his face. He was smiling. And he was seeing me.
Do you also wish for such dreams to come true?
Your friend,
Lady Weis
*****
"I-I did-I did not mean to-" Ysabella stammered but could not find any more words to say. What was she to say? How could she say it when he was looking at her as though he was ready to make her his prey in his hunting game?
"I knew you are childish, Ysabella," he ground out, "but I did not realize the extent until now!" He pointed over at the gasping Aurora. "Do you realize what could have happened to you? To her?"
"I did not mean to do it! I did not cause it! Surely you must know that!" she desperately said.
"It was not her fault, my lord!" Aurora shouted at him and coughed some more.
"Of course, it is not her fault!" Wakefield shouted, giving Ysabella a mocking laugh. "She is Ysabella Everard. She can get away with anything! Everything she does is merely for entertainment. She can commit no wrong!"
Ysabella flinched. So he thought the same as everyone else.
Suddenly her feet started to move and she did move. Quite strongly, in fact, that she brushed Wakefield aside to assist Aurora to her feet.
"I am sorry, Ysa," Aurora whispered brokenly.
"It is all right," she muttered under her breath. She could not speak any way higher than that for she was afraid smoke would come out of her nose. Never had she felt this intense desire to strangle Wakefield, or even to cause him harm. It was a revelation, really, that she could feel any sort of anger toward him.
Wakefield had followed her and grabbed her gown from the ground. He threw it at her and said, "Get dressed and do it quick. For God's sake, Ysabella, cover yourself!" His eyes went to Aurora next and he snapped, "Can you walk?"
Aurora's lips were shaking but she nodded her head, stepping away from Wakefield and nearer to Ysabella. "I am fine. Thank you."
His eyes returned to her. "Your brothers will not like this."
"I know," she snapped, pulling her gown over her head. "Which is why we shall return alone. You do not have to come with us-"
"I would dare not," he interjected strongly. "I would not want to suffer one of their blows."
Her shoulders stiffened and with stiff fingers tried to button her gown. Wakefield walked over to her, face looking irritated and impatient. He brushed her hands aside and roughly buttoned her gown. He might not have felt anything by then, but Ysabella could have sworn that her breath had ceased to exist. It was odd to feel both anger and the same tingling sensation he caused her whenever he was so near. She held her breath until he stepped away to study her.
"Go," he ground out. "And no more games, little one. You've proven yourself well enough today."
Love was not enough to block any deleterious feelings, of course, and such thing happened that afternoon. Ysabella's jaw tightened with distaste. Her head snapped high in a haughty mien. "Of course. But I am in need of your coat."
He blinked in surprise and confusion. "What?"
She glared at him. "Your coat, my lord."
He must have been itching to get rid of her and Aurora that he immediately took off his heavy coat. Ysabella snatched it away from him with a fake smile. "Thank you. I shall return it once able." She walked over to Aurora and wrapped the coat over her friend's shoulders. "Come, Aurora, before Lord Wakefield decides to hunt children instead of bears."
*****
Although no one knew of the drowning incident, no one was also happy to find out that they swam in the lake. They were drenched, particularly Aurora, when they returned to the picnic and there could have been no other reason for it other than a happy dip into the waters.
Maxwell was amongst those who made a violent reaction when he learned of his sister's activity while they were out hunting. He threw the three birds he managed to shoot from the hunt aside to look over Aurora and turn back to Ysabella to say, "You do know that her being here means that she is also a responsibility of ours, yes? So why in the bloody hell did you allow her to swim in the lake, putting her in a potentially dangerous accident?"
The accident did actually happen, she wanted to say, but decided to shut her mouth. She was not in the mood to utter more lies. Emma was looking at her doubtfully. She eyed Ysabella and Aurora in turn, her eyes lingering longer on the unfamiliar and manly coat around their friend's shoulders. But like the two dripping ladies, Emma chose to be silent.
Although Aurora did her best to insist that it was she who did not listen to Ysabella's warning, none of their brothers listened.
"You ought to have insisted more that the idea of a swim is dangerous," Nicholas said.
"Instead, you joined her," Maxwell added.
"I told you not to venture away from the picnic," Levi seriously reminded her.
"You told us not to venture to the hunting grounds," she could not help but correct.
"What did you say?" Levi snapped.
"Nothing," she muttered. She knew they were drawing attention from the other picnic-goers. And she knew Wakefield was somewhere about, witnessing the entire exchange.
She had done it again. She had proven to him what he already thought of her. She was once more in the midst of everyone's attention. Ysabella Everard, making herself the apple of everyone's eyes all over again.
Great. Pathetically great!
"I wish to go home," she said to Ralph.
Her brother, knowing she had gotten enough from the three older ones, simply nodded. Ralph could be a pain in the arse, but he also knew his place.
"Leave those. We'll take them later," Maxwell ordered when Ralph made a move to gather their things.
Ysabella met Emma's eyes before they turned to walk away from the picnic. Her sister did not give anything away, but she knew what she was thinking. I told you so.
*****
Wakefield could still feel the fury he felt from earlier even as he rode his horse back to his Wilburn estate.
Of course, he had seen the two women walking toward the lake earlier. He was on his way there with the hope of spotting a prey that might have found its way to water.
The lake may not have been part of the hunting ground, but it was near the edge of the specified area for hunting.
And they were bloody stupid to have thought it would be a famous idea to go out and swim. And one was even stupid enough to go in her gown!
The moment he heard Ysabella's cry for help, his body reacted instantly. When he thought it was her drowning with her arms flailing over the waters, he felt fear and panic surge inside him. Only now did the reaction surprise him.
He brushed it aside in anger.
Anyone would have felt the same thing he did. Anyone human enough would feel fear and panic for a fellow human, especially for someone he knew; someone who was a sister to a dear friend.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, pulling at the reigns of his horse to stop it, a great excuse to vent out his anger. His footman ran up to him as he jumped back on the ground. He stormed through the door, surprising Morris.
"My lord," his butler called after him.
"Not now, Morris," he shouted over his shoulder. "I am not in the mood."
"But, my lord-"
"Go to the Everards on the morrow and demand for a certain coat," he ordered as he raced up the stairs. "Do not accept any excuses should Ysabella Everard demand that it is not yet available."
"My lord, a missive has arrived for you!" Morris said anyway, rushing after him.
Wakefield halted and whirled to face the man. "Why did you not say so?"
"I was meaning to but you opted to talk about coats!"
"Then get the bloody letter-"
"It is in your study, my lord. And about the coat-"
"Forget about the bloody coat!"
"But you-"
He did not wait to hear the rest of his butler's words for he had turned around to briskly make his way to his study.
His heart was hammering against his chest by then, the anger ebbing away as excitement seeped in.
Without taking a seat, he reached for the familiar paper, opened it and started to read.
And then his breath was snatched out of his throat. No, it might have been stuck. Or mayhap he forgot to breathe entirely.
The content of the letter was not what he had expected.
This was not a very good day.
Bloody not good at all.
*****
Emma had been quiet since they had dropped Aurora outside her new apartment and let Ralph deposit them back in the Everard estate without so much as a 'goodbye' which settled finely for the two ladies, making them appreciate Ralph during such rare occasion.
Ysabella was staring blankly in the air as she dried her hair, sitting in the middle of her bed, while Emma patiently watched.
"You must stop this nonsense with Wakefield, Ysa. I hate to see you being looked at by the ton as though you are a painted entertainer juggling five bottles."
Ysabella turned to face her sister and sighed. What could she say, really?
"You drowned in the lake, did you not? And Wakefield was there to save you?"
She shook her head. "Aurora drowned. I was trying to save her when he came."
"Oh, Ysa," Emma's tone sounded helpless. "You nearly got yourselves killed because of your desire to spend time with the man."
"I was not hoping to see him there. I thought he was hunting."
"You ventured to the lake because you were hoping he'd be there, Ysa. I know you. Please, stop this." Emma's voice was hushed. Tori and Lindsay were still in residence. They would not want anyone else to know of their dilemma.
"How certain are you that I did not decide to go to the lake to get away from you?"
Emma frowned, looking hurt. "You were?"
"You were not talking to me-directly, that is. You were ignoring me," Ysabella admitted, her eyes filling with tears.
"Because I am hurt!" Emma hissed, leaning over her bed toward her. "You purposely chose to hide your correspondence with Wakefield from me. Me!"
"And I am sorry for it," Ysabella muttered, head bent.
"We never hide secrets from each other."
"Mayhap we should," Ysabella could not help but snap, a tear falling on her hand. "How you look at me now may be the reason why I did what I did. You look at me as though I committed the gravest of sins!"
She heard her sister draw a long breath and slowly let it out. She reached up with one hand to brush away another tear threatening to escape.
After almost an eternity of silence, Emma asked, "How do you do it? Is Samuel helping you still?"
Ysabella nodded.
"I thought that one foolish letter was the last, Ysa!"
Ysabella raised her head and met her sister's eyes. "It was followed by more. I burnt the first two letters, truly I did, Em." She raised her palms in helplessness. "But he sent another one and I could not help but reply. I felt I needed to. He sounded lonely and in need of someone to talk to."
"He could have gone to one of his friends-or lovers-if he truly wanted to have a chat."
"You do not know him as I do, Em. He is a lonely man despite what you may think. He is very much like how Levi was before he married Tori."
Emma stared at her for a long time before shaking her head. "I cannot believe why you cannot tell your sister, but you can keep this big a secret with Samuel!"
Ysabella winced.
"Samuel, Ysa, Samuel! You chose to guard your secrets with him!"
"You know he can be trusted."
"But still! I am your sister!"
"I am sorry. I wanted to tell you so many times."
"But you did not."
"Because I know how you feel about my feelings for Wakefield!"
"Regardless of what I think, Ysa, you very well know what you are doing is wrong. You must stop this. No more letters."
Ysabella stayed quiet, sobbing as the tears finally started to flow.
"You are fooling yourself and you are fooling the man, Ysa!"
"I know! I know!" she cried, sobbing harder. She raised her eyes to stare at her sister, her vision blurred by her tears. "Which is why I sent him my last missive. He must have received it by now." Emma continued to look at her doubtfully. "Lady Weis is no more, Em, I swear."