Wanting is not. She looked at Nora directly. He has not looked at a room that way in 11 years. Not since before his father died and the weight of all this fell on him. I do not know what he saw when he looked at that corner.
But I know what he looked like when he saw it. And I know what I want for him. She paused. I am telling you this not to pressure you. I am telling you because you deserve to know the full picture.
Nora looked at the older woman. There was no performance in the dowager's face. No campaign. Just a grandmother who had been watching her grandson manage and manage and manage for eight years and wanted something different for him. Lady Mirabelle wrote two letters this morning before breakfast.
The dowager said in a different tone entirely. Nora blinked. How do you know that? Because I have lived in this house for 50 years and the staff tell me things. The dowager's eyes held something sharp and unamused.
One went to her mother. One went to Lord Harwick Fenn. If that name means nothing to you, it should. He is her cousin and he is not a kind man when he is given a task. Nora felt something cold settle in her chest.
I am not telling you this to frighten you, the dowager said. I am telling you because what is coming will be designed to make you look small and unworthy. And I want you to know in advance that it is coming so that when it arrives, you do not mistake it for truth. She stood, smoothed her skirts, and walked toward the door. At the threshold, she paused.
My grandson chose a corner over a line up, she said. That tells you something about what he values. Make sure you know what you value, too, before this week is finished. She left. The library was very quiet.
Nora put down the book she had never actually been reading and looked out the window at the East Garden below. The frost from the morning had gone entirely. The bare rose stems caught the winter light and held it. She thought about Lord Harwick Fenn and two letters sent before 8:00 in the morning. And she thought about the duke standing by the stone wall with an empty cup saying he was more interested in the question than he had been before.