The Langley Sisters Trilogy Boxed Set (70 page)

“No, it does not, and yes, I am now a much nicer person because of it.”

“You were always a nice person, Bella. You just lost a bit of yourself to that pain.”

Bella took her friend’s hand and swung it a couple of times. “The thing was, Thea, I was not very nice to be around during those years and the pain, coupled with other reasons, was why I kept away from you.”
 

“Had you told me I would have helped you, Bella. We all would have. Had you needed a shoulder to lean on while you were in pain I would have offered you mine.”

Bella heard the hurt behind her friend’s words. She was upset that Bella and her sisters had suffered alone.

“Thea, I know you are angry that I did not tell you what was happening, but it was not my story alone to tell. Livvy did not want anyone pitying us, nor word to get out about our situation. And I know you would have been there for me, but in truth I could not bear to speak of my injury.”

“Then we won’t,” Thea said, squeezing Bella’s hand. “Instead, tell me everything that happened to you in Scotland.”

Thea asked lots of questions about the clinic as they walked over the bridge, and they took precious moments to look down at the water below.
 

“It’s still frozen; I have seen the children skating on it a few times.”

“I want to skate on it,” Bella said, meaning every word. Surely her leg was strong enough now?

“Well, you can’t as neither of us have our skates, thankfully.”

Bella let Thea tug her away and they walked down into the town, which was, as usual, bustling with activity. She smiled and waved at the surprised looks on the faces of the people who knew her. There was no longer a limp, nor a cane, and she saw no pitying glances or hushed comments.

“I missed this. The shops, the people, and the feeling of belonging,” Bella said as she waved to a gentleman who smiled and doffed his hat.
 

Twoaks was a village that its inhabitants were proud of. The paint never looked chipped, nor the windows dirty.
 

“Yes, it’s nice to know there is always a special place in the world that is where we belong.”

“Shall we buy a length of ribbon from Mr. Todd, to go on the shawl that Phoebe is making for our niece or nephew, Thea?” Bella veered towards the shop that had many trims and buttons displayed in the window, plus a bonnet that Phoebe would have pulled all the ribbon off and replaced with something prettier.

“That’s a lovely idea,” Thea said. “I wonder why Mrs. Todd lets her husband dress the bonnets sometimes?” she added, pointing to the window where a hideous creation of pea green and orange sat. “She has a better eye, don’t you think?”

“Undoubtedly,” Bella whispered as they entered.

“Miss Langley, how wonderful that you have returned to us.”

“Thank you, Mr. Todd.” Bella smiled as she looked around the brightly colored displays. She’d loved this shop as a child, loved everything about it, but most of all she loved that Mr. Todd let her touch things. “We are here to buy Phoebe some ribbon, Mr. Todd.”

The proprietor flushed with color at the mention of her sister. He had always done so, and was worse when Phoebe was present. She had that effect on men.

“I would like yellow, white or cream, Mr. Todd, if you please.”

They spent the next ten minutes studying various lengths of ribbon until they both finally agreed on one. With the purchase tucked into her reticule, Bella and Thea were soon back out on the street to continue their walk.

“Good day to you, Mrs. Fletcher.”

Bella smiled as Luke’s mother approached. She did not look overly happy to see them, which surprised Bella, as they had always been on good terms, or so she thought.

“Lady Althea, Miss Langley.” Her curtsy was swift and then she was gone with no more words spoken.

“Well! That has to be the first time that Esmay Fletcher has not spent time talking with us.” Thea watched the rigid back of Luke’s mother as she spoke.

Bella urged her friend on, and as they continued to walk through the village, she wondered what was behind Esmay’s reaction to them. Did it have something to do with Luke, or more importantly her?

“One hopes her son is in a better mood today.”

Bella stopped as Luke walked out of the bakery before them with a large package in his hands.

“I hope you have a bun in there for us, Luke Fletcher. As I’m sure I have brought you your fair share in the past.” Thea was all smiles but Bella struggled to find one. She felt off balance around him now; their relationship had changed after that kiss and she knew it would never again be the same.
 

“Lady Althea, Miss Langley.” She watched him bow elegantly. “You may of course take a bun. My siblings will not mind sharing, I’m sure.”

“Now I am stricken with guilt and shall not take one. No sibling likes to share.”

“That’s true. I can’t imagine Will sharing with anyone.”

He’d never really been one to converse openly, yet Luke seemed comfortable doing so with Thea. This was another thing that had changed about him.

“Is your mother all right, Luke? We just greeted her, but she did not stop for her usual chat. In fact, she seemed in a hurry to leave,” Thea said.

His eyes flicked from Bella and back to Thea again, and she knew then that the reason for Esmay Fletcher’s reaction was indeed because of her. But why?

“She has a few things on her mind at the moment,” was all he said. “My family is moving to a new home shortly, and my mother is busy organizing that.”

“How wonderful.”

Bella listened as Luke and Thea conversed. He’d kissed her yesterday and now she wanted to feel those wonderful sensations again. The hot pressure of his lips on hers, his chest pressed against hers.
 

Oh, bloody bothering hell.

“Come, Thea, Luke is probably busy helping his family, too. We shall procure some buns of our own. Good day to you.” Bella urged Thea past Luke and into the bakery. Once inside, she brought buns for them both, and then extras for her family which she would pick up later. Livvy loved these currant buns.

“Care to tell me what is going on with the Fletcher family? And why you greeted the man, who has been your friend since you were born, as if he were a stranger, Bella?”

“I have been away, Thea. Things change.” Bella bit into the bun. Hopefully Thea would not expect her to answer if her mouth was full.

“You’ve been away for a few months.” Her friend’s response was wry. “Not a year or two, Bella.”
 

“Things change,” Bella said, and took a larger bite this time. Thea simply waited for her to swallow before starting her next question.

“I have never broached the subject of Luke Fletcher with you but I do know that you have loved that man since you were old enough to know what the emotion was, Isabella Langley. And whilst your differences once kept you apart, I thought that when he returned, and with the change in his circumstance, that perhaps—”

“How do you know I love him?”
Thea stopped in the middle of the street and simply stared at Bella.

“It’s rude to stare,” Bella muttered, but Thea simply raised an eyebrow, looking like Will, and remained silent. “All right,” Bella yielded when she could not stand the silence a second longer. “Yes, I do love him. But there is much more between us than that, and it is conflicting and confusing as we are both changing. Therefore, I’m having a season and if he still cares for me we will discuss our futures after that.”

“Of course he will still loves you,” Thea said softly. “The man is never more than a few feet from you at all times, and he cannot keep his eyes off you.”

Bella felt a surge of joy at her friend’s words.

“He was given a letter from my father that asked him to care for me,” Bella said, dropping her eyes as she began to pick out the currants from her bun. “I wonder if he hadn’t been given that, if he would have stayed in Twoaks.”

“He never told you that?” Thea looked horrified.

“He did, and Jenny confirmed that she was the one to give it to him.”

“He would have stayed anyway, Bella. There is more to this than a letter. But I will leave it for now, as I see by the look on your face that you have no wish to talk on the matter further. However, there will be plenty of time in London for me to interrogate you more.”

“There is nothing to discuss, Thea, honestly. It is best for us both to have this time. He still sees me as I once was, a pathetic woman in need of his continual support, and I fear that may never change.”

Thea said nothing further and continued to eat her bun as they began to make their way back towards Willow Hall, but Bella knew she was thinking about what had been said.

“My dear Miss Langley, look at you!”

“Lord have mercy,” Thea muttered as Mrs. Popplehinge hurried towards them. Tall and stick thin, the woman was dressed in a black flowing cloak that would have been suitable for evening wear, but hardly appropriate for a stroll through the village, and a hat made entirely of fur that stood off her head in the shape of a cone.
 

“Mrs. Popplehinge. My, you are looking quite lovely today,” Bella said when she could find her voice.

“Oh, you are a dear,” the lady said loudly enough for anyone silly enough to be standing outside in the cold to hear.

“I have noticed something about you, Miss Langley. You are not lame any longer,” she cooed. “No longer the little lame Langley.”

Bella felt Thea stiffen, but she held her smile. Mrs. Popplehinge was not a mean person; in fact, the Langley’s and she had become quite comfortable with each other over the last few years. She was, however, totally without discretion.

“Thank you, Mrs. Popplehinge. I am most grateful for your kind words.
 

Bella looked over one of the woman’s shoulders as a movement caught her eye, and met Luke Fletchers gaze. He was leaning on the gate of Mrs. Elliot’s house, eating his bun with one of his siblings. Bella remembered the little boy as being the youngest Fletcher, Graham. He was perched beside Luke, his little body leaning into his big brother while he, too, ate a bun. They looked comfortable sitting there in the cold, and Bella closed her eyes briefly, remembering how it felt to be pressed against Luke.
 

“I never liked that particular description,” Bella said, pulling her eyes from Luke’s. “I would be most grateful if you did not use it again, Mrs. Popplehinge, as it no longer applies to me, as you can see.”

“Oh, well, of course I never meant to offend you—”

“I know that you did not, Mrs. Popplehinge. You, of all people, have been kindness itself to my family. But there are others…” Bella let the words hang in the air between them. “And I know I can count on you to change the views of those who do not know better,” she said gently.

Mrs. Popplehinge straightened, her thin shoulders now forming a line.
 

“Indeed, my dear Miss Langley, say no more. You leave it to me. I shall not allow another person to speak in such an insulting way about you again.”

They watched as she hurried away, no doubt ready to slay anyone who said little lame Langley again.

“You’ve changed,” Thea said when they started walking again.
 

“How so?” Bella ignored Luke, but waved to Graham, who returned her gesture.
 

“The old Bella would never have taken her to task over that horrid name; you would simply have shouldered it and walked away.”

“I think the new Bella is here to stay now, Thea.”

“Well, well, well. Did you grow a backbone in that clinic, too?”

“Perhaps I did.”

They walked out of the village towards the bridge, and Bella stopped before they made their way over. Looking down, she saw that the rest of Luke’s siblings skating on the ice.

“Come on, let’s go down and watch for a while. Perhaps one of them will lend me their skates. We used to do this, Thea, before I hurt my leg.”

“We’re not children anymore, Bella.” Thea laughed as Bella urged her along the grass and down the steps that had worn into the bank over the years. They were slippery, but with careful navigation, they made it down.
 

“It has been cold enough to freeze everything and the water down there is not overly deep, but still I should hate for it to crack and one of us fall in.”

“Lady Althea, I do believe you are scared,” Bella taunted Thea.

“I shall stop on this ledge for a moment, and watch you to see if it is safe.”

Rolling her eyes, Bella continued the last few feet to the bottom alone. When she arrived, the Fletcher siblings all stopped skating and drew near in a line to watch her.

“Hello,” Bella said. “You’re Luke’s siblings, aren’t you? Do you remember me?”

“Miss Bella,” one of them mumbled.

“That’s right,” she said closing the distance between them. “Now, let me see if I remember who you all are.”

“Hello!”

“Lady Althea is waving down to you all.” Bella laughed as they looked up to where Thea stood, calling out a greeting. They all waved dutifully back.