Saving Percival (The Cousins Book 3)

Chapter Twenty

Stretching her arms above her head, Christianna yawned. It had been a long time since she'd slept so late, nor felt so satisfied after an evening's entertainment. Her smile faded away as she remembered the shocking disclosure Sir Percival had made during their late night conversation.

Perhaps satisfied was the wrong word to use. Or was it possible to have enjoyed the evening and still feel concern about what she'd learned? Should one overshadow the other?

She let out a sigh and relaxed her arms, gazing up at the ceiling. She didn't know how she was going to handle facing her great-aunt. Maybe Aunt Steit would simply ignore her, giving her more time to figure out what steps to take next.

Sixty years was a long time to hold onto hurt. How many years had she put on a façade, acting as the perfect hostess for dinners and social gatherings? Long enough that as soon as she had the chance, she'd locked everyone else out of her home.

With the truth finally revealed, Christianna wondered if there was any possible course of action she could take. If there had been some friends of her great-aunt left alive, she might have been able to bring them here and draw her aunt out. However, so much time had passed that Christianna wasn't sure there were many left alive who had known her aunt.

Was it even her place to say anything? From the moment she had arrived, she'd become aware that Eliza Steit was content with her life. She especially did not appreciate anyone commenting on how she did things.

The effort to unravel her jumbled thoughts was causing a pounding ache in her head.

With conflicting emotions swirling inside her, the young woman reluctantly got out of bed and completed her morning routine. She changed into a comfortable gown and descended the stairs.

As she made her way down the hallway, she noticed that the library door was closed. She hesitated, debating whether to knock or not. But then her rumbling stomach made the decision for her and she continued on towards the kitchen in search of food.

She greeted Fanny with a warm "Good morning" as she walked into the kitchen. "I am absolutely famished," she exclaimed, ready to satisfy her hunger.

"Morning?" the cook repeated. "It's more like afternoon, Miss."

A loaf of bread was on the table and Christianna picked up a slice. "I suppose it is," she said before taking a bite of the food. She savored the taste before swallowing and asking her next question, "Have you seen my aunt this morning?"

"Porter took up her breakfast earlier," Fanny said with a shake of her head. "I understand the mistress did not have a very good night. It would not surprise me if she napped this afternoon."

"I will go see her," Christiana decided. "And I'll let you know if we are going to have tea together. Sir Percival will be coming this afternoon, and I don't want to miss him."

Fanny raised an eyebrow at that. "After staying out all hours of the night? You're not taking time to rest today?"

"It wasn't that late," Christianna objected. There had been some occasions in London when she hadn't reached her bed until the sun was just peeking over the horizon. Just thinking about it made her exhausted.

"Late enough, and later than a body has any business being out and about," Fanny declared. "Miss Steit doesn't need such late hours at her age."

Surprised, Christianna shook her head. A stab of guilt hit her. Fanny had stayed up to see her safely inside and then locked the door behind her. But it was clear that Fanny had been awake for hours, going about her normal routine as usual.

"There was no reason for you or Aunt Steit to wait up for me," she protested. "If I'd known she would even consider doing such a thing, I would have told her that it wasn't necessary!"