Elizabeth Blackwell - The House Of Secrets

“No, he didn’t,” Evelyn said, flustered. “Thank you, that sounds lovely. Oh—before you go, there was one other thing I wanted to ask. About Beatrice. Since she is now without a governess, and I’m not very busy at the moment, I thought we might continue our lessons.”

Alma stared at her in horror.

“Only until you can find her a new governess,” Evelyn offered.

“Absolutely not!” Alma exclaimed. “What a preposterous idea!”

“Seems rather convenient to me,” Will said.

“It would never do,” Alma said sternly. “Perhaps you do not understand your new position, Evelyn. You are Mrs. Brewster now. Soon enough, God willing, you’ll have your own children to tend to.”

“Of course,” Evelyn said, trying to hide her disappointment. “It’s only—I miss her. We used to spend so much time together.”

“You may call on Lavinia whenever you please,” Alma said. “She is your sister now, not your employer.” She stood up and walked toward the front door. Without looking back, she called for Will to join her.

Will remained in the foyer next to Evelyn. “Mother, I’d rather walk back to the house. I have no reason to go into town.”

“Very well,” Alma said. “But I won’t have you moping around much longer. It’s time you were out, being seen.”

“Yes, Mother,” Will said. “A Brewster must always be seen. Otherwise, he might as well not exist.”

Evelyn and Will watched from the front doorway as Alma’s carriage took off down the drive.

“Thank goodness she’s gone.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Now we can have a real talk!”

Evelyn smiled in relief.

“No doubt you’ve heard I’m a terribly bad influence,” Will said in a mock-serious tone.

Evelyn shrugged, unsure how to respond, and Will leaned toward her.

“It’s all true, I’m afraid,” he confided. “Come—I want to show you something.” He took her by the hand and led her back through the parlor. Although she barely knew him, Evelyn felt immediately at ease with Will—just as she had at her wedding reception. With him, she could be simply Evelyn, not Mrs. Brewster.

They walked through the conservatory, a glass-walled room lined with potted palm trees and ferns. Opening a door at the far end, Will led Evelyn outside. They emerged onto a patio, facing a marble fountain. Beyond them, a wide lawn extended down a hill, framed by flower beds along either side. Gravel walkways led off to the right and left, disappearing behind evergreen hedges as tall as Evelyn.

“This way.” Will pulled her along behind him, following the walkway to the right as it curved along the hedges. They passed a stone bench shaded by trees, then stepped into a field of wildflowers.

“Look over there.” Will pointed across the field, toward a grove of trees in the distance.

“Oh!” Evelyn exclaimed as she spotted the gray stone walls of Alma’s house in the distance.

“It only takes about five minutes to walk from here,” Will said. “Not that I’d suggest traipsing through the fields before dinner. Mother would not approve.”

“She most definitely would not,” Evelyn agreed.

They stood together quietly for a few moments, listening to the wind rustle through the tall grass. Evelyn felt cut off from the rest of the world. From everything that made her life so complicated.

“I was wondering…” Will began, then paused.

Ask me anything, Evelyn wanted to say. Instead, she waited in silence.

“How are you settling in?” Will asked finally.

“Very well,” Evelyn said. “Or—I should say, as well as could be hoped.”

“Mother’s a terrible snob. But you know that already. Don’t let her lectures discourage you.”

“There’s a lot to live up to,” Evelyn said. “The Brewster name and all it entails.”

“The Brewsters,” Will snorted. “We’re lucky to have you. Charles should be grateful.”

Charles. The name hovered between them like a warning sign.

“He’s my brother, and I probably shouldn’t be saying this,” Will continued, “but he can’t be an easy man to live with.”

Evelyn thought back to her wedding night. Charles pinning her to the bed as she lay silently.

“Charles plans on spending much of his time in Baltimore,” she said slowly. “Perhaps that will make things easier.” She smiled to show she was joking, but Will looked at her seriously.

“There you have it,” he said. “Charles, with a lovely young wife, is never at home. And I, a hopeless bachelor, am at home too much.”

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