Cardiff Siblings 01 - Seven Minutes in Devon Read Online Free Page B

group. Lord Trenowyth
stepped up to her, and she mumbled an incoherent greeting. Removing
her gaze from Lady Morgan was fast proving to be a sincerely
difficult task. Not because of the scars covering her. Not any
longer.
    As Lady Morgan spoke with
Vanessa, the path of the young woman’s eyes lay somewhere in the
vicinity of Vanessa’s hair. They held a faraway, clouded
expression, as though she wasn’t seeing Vanessa at all. Or,
perhaps, as though she didn’t see anything at all.
    Emma’s jaw dropped, but she quickly
snapped it closed. Mr. Cardiff’s eyes shot to her with newfound
fury.
    That couldn’t be. Could it? How could
she be blind? Emma’s chest tightened unbearably.
    Vanessa turned to her, guiding Lady
Morgan’s free hand to take the one Emma held extended. “I’m sure,
Mr. Cardiff and Lady Morgan, you’ll both remember my sister, Miss
Hathaway.”
    “ I can’t forget, no matter
how much I’ve tried.” Mr. Cardiff’s muttered words were filled with
acid and vitriol. His cold, blue eyes pierced through her, making
her feel as though she had no clothes on to protect her from his
raving gaze.
    “ Miss Hathaway.” A smile
lit Lady Morgan’s features, though it stretched her scarred skin.
The smile did, however, ease some of the opacity of her
eyes.
    She released Vanessa’s hand and
reached out for Emma. Her gloved fingers explored Emma’s hand, as
though memorizing the size and shape, learning the contours. Emma
had never experienced the like, and she trembled ever so slightly,
more unnerved than she would care to admit, beneath the lady’s
examination. Lady Morgan’s stare remained fixed at some point
seemingly behind Emma’s head.
    “ I must admit,” Lady Morgan
continued, her voice tinkling like chimes in a soft breeze, “I was
undecided about attending the Buringtons’ house party this summer
until Lady Burington wrote and assured me you would also be in
attendance. Once I learned that, I couldn’t possibly refuse.” Her
voice was haunting in its familiarity, particularly since little of
her appearance remained as before.
    Her brother grunted at her side,
though his expression remained unchanged. Irate. Loathsome.
Jeering. Just as he’d always been in Emma’s presence, only
intensified ten-fold because of his proximity—usually, she only
felt his rage from across a crowded room.
    She wondered briefly what he must be
thinking. The corner of his lip jerked when she stared at him a bit
too long, and his eyes narrowed upon her before flashing over to
his sister in agitation.
    “ I’m pleased to see you
again as well, Lady Morgan,” Emma stammered. “It has been a very
long time.”
    “ Too long.” The gentle,
blonde-haired lady squeezed Emma’s hand before dropping her hold on
Mr. Cardiff’s arm. She took up the same grip on Emma and, with
slight pressure, urged her to turn. “Might you and I go for a
promenade? I should like to take some exercise after a day spent in
the carriage, and it is quite pleasant out today.”
    “ Morgan,” Mr. Cardiff
interrupted, his voice low and steely, “I think it would be best
for you to settle in your room, first. Your maid can take you for a walk through
the park later. Don’t you agree, Niall?”
    Without waiting for Lord Trenowyth’s
response, Mr. Cardiff took hold of Lady Morgan’s arm and guided her
into the house. The earl followed close behind, as a contingent of
servants unloaded trunks from the carriages and carted them inside.
The waiting housekeeper directed the Cardiff family to their
respective chambers, leaving Emma staring after the lot of them,
dumbfounded, mouth agape, and shaken to her core.
    Emma felt Vanessa move up behind
her.
    “ You didn’t warn me. About
any of it. You never said a word. Not even when I got here, when I
was making a fool of myself, comparing my problems to those of a
leper.”
    “ No.”
    Emma’s eyes filled with hot, ashamed
tears. She spun to face her sister. “Why?”
    Vanessa pursed her