Once Beloved by Amara Royce Page B

harebrained idea. “Dear, it must be obvious that I cannot impose so much upon Mr. Lanfield. We’ve just met the man. Our long-ago acquaintance does not justify imposing upon him so greatly.”
    â€œBut, my dear stubborn Helena, if you insist upon returning to Marksby, you will need a knowledgeable guide. Mr. Clarke said only yesterday that Mr. Lanfield was highly regarded at the club, and, for goodness’s sake, we first met him coming to your aid. Moreover, he is going to your precise destination. It could not be more perfect.”
    â€œI cannot go with him. It would be unseemly.” When Marissa still appeared unmoved, she grasped for more reasons. “Just think, it would be wholly inappropriate for the two of us to travel together. We are not related and . . .” Her breath caught as she saw Mr. Lanfield recoil. She hadn’t intended to remind him that they were once intended to be related through marriage. She pressed forward, saying, “And, Mr. Lanfield’s wife would strongly object, I’m sure.”
    Marissa shot back, “His wife has passed on, God rest her soul. You are both widowed. You are both traveling to the same hometown.”
    â€œVanessa could go with you,” Elizabeth interjected.
    She shot her normally sane sister an Et tu, Brute? look and felt a brief sympathy with Mr. Lanfield over his loss. What a sad commonality they shared, one she wouldn’t wish upon anyone.
    â€œYou know, Lena, how concerned her father and I have been about how her eye strays,” her traitorous sister continued. It was true that they all worried about Vanessa’s wild streak. She suspected some boy or other had caught her niece’s fancy, and she hoped the girl would make wise decisions. So it made a kind of sense when Elizabeth continued, “This would be a brilliant way to free her from some . . . questionable influences and even show her a bit of life outside of London.”
    â€œShe would be a great help,” she admitted, “but she’ll hate you for sending her with me.”
    â€œShe’s a good girl at heart, and she’ll do what’s right in the name of family.” Elizabeth sounded like all had been decided.
    â€œBut she and I shall use public transport. We shall not be beholden to the Lanfields. It would be too much.”
    Marissa, damn her eyes, wouldn’t listen to reason. “Lena, dear, be sensible. Traveling with Mr. Lanfield would give you protection on the roads and would take you more directly. It would also likely be far less expensive than trains and cabs.”
    Mr. Lanfield hadn’t spoken in quite some time. She’d almost forgotten his presence, but now he responded sharply. “No man of dignity would accept money in such a situation. But—ah—I’m afraid that my humble cart would serve as poor, uncomfortable transport.”
    His forbidding demeanor spoke volumes. He’d been scathingly honest about the consequences of her elopement on the village, and she could only begin to imagine how everyone had fared in the intervening years. He didn’t want her company any more than she wanted his. A dual opposition could overcome Marissa’s stubbornness.
    â€œYou see?” she said to her friend. “Vanessa would be miserable, vocally so, riding in a cart all the way to Marksby. We can’t do that to the poor girl. You wouldn’t want to make such a trip with her under those conditions, and you know it.”
    â€œI certainly wouldn’t, and she’s my own child!” Elizabeth added. Helena felt the tide turning. She would go to Marksby. That decision was no longer in doubt. But she would go on her own terms.
    Marissa looked at her carefully and then said with uncharacteristic gentleness, “But, Helena, what if you have your spells?”
    She had no answer.
    â€œVanessa would know what to do,” Elizabeth said for her, but her sister’s tone was not