Read Online Divine by Nichole van - Free Book Online

supposed death in a carriage accident. Remember the parish entry we found? It has to be significant if the universe allowed us to see such a small detail about our own lives. Arthur can only hedge for so long about you too. Everyone back home thinks you have gone to Liverpool to be treated for consumption. At some point, Arthur needs to resolve that story. What if you return home only to barge in on your own funeral?”
    Georgiana paused, chewing on her cheek. She hadn’t considered that possibility.
    Unbidden, she pictured herself walking into the parish churchyard.
    A crowd of men surround a simple wooden coffin, each wearing a black band around their upper arm. Arthur stands next to the vicar, trying to look desperately sad despite knowing that the coffin is filled with rocks instead of her lifeless body. Arthur raises his head and they lock eyes. She sees that instant when jubilant recognition sweeps him, joy which suddenly turns to alarm as his eyes drift down to her supposed coffin. The vicar raises his head and sees Georgiana as well and then gasps in horror. At that, everyone turns around. Someone cries “Ghost!” and points a shaking finger at her . . .
    “Georgie. Georgiana! C’mon. Stay with me.”—James snapped his fingers—“Stop imagining your own funeral. It would be ghastly, trust me. Not romantic at all.”
    Really? Because the way it was playing in her head was actually quite delicious . . .
    But she had enough sense not to say that to James.
    “I promise not to go near the churchyard until I’ve talked with Arthur. How does that sound?”
    James heaved an enormous sigh. The sound he made when exasperated.
    “What about Shatner? Are you giving up on him?”
    “No! Of course not.”
    “Do you love him?”
    She paused.
    “I don’t not love him. I like the idea of our life together.”
    James let out a heavy gust of air, shaking his head. “Georgie, in my experience, if you have to think about whether or not you love someone, you don’t love them. When you are truly in love, you know without a single glimmer of doubt.”
    She mulled the idea through briefly.
    “Is that always the case, James? I think that sometimes love just grows, and it takes a while to realize it.”
    He made a skeptical noise, shrugging. “Love can take a while to blossom, perhaps. But once you’re in the middle of it, you just know .”
    “Well, maybe the universe wants me to return to 1813 so I can understand my own heart. I clearly am in love in this letter. This might be how I come to realize the depth of my attachment to Shatner—”
    “I suppose.” James made a dismissive gesture. “So visit 1813 and then you come back and decide to marry some guy who heads off to Namibia and then—”
    “Pardon, James? I haven’t mentioned that Shatner is going to Namibia.”
    A long, drawn out silence.
    She stared at him on her phone screen, noting the gentle breeze buffeting his hair.
    “In fact, he just barely informed me of the matter.” She fought to keep her voice calm. “I cannot believe that you are monitoring Shatner. Have you hired someone to track him?”
    Another pause.
    “Maybe.” James groaned and hung his head.
    “James, how could you trust my judgment so little? I feel so . . . so betrayed.”
    He lifted his head and ran a hand through his hair again.
    “Heavens, Georgie. You’re overreacting. This has nothing to do with not trusting your judgment. I just want to make sure that everything is on the up and up with the man I am entrusting with my sister and my money.”
    Georgiana sucked in a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. James just cared for her. He had always been the very best of brothers, her closest friend and confidant. Even if that closeness drifted into over-protectiveness from time to time.
    “I am not fourteen years old anymore, James. You need to let me live my life.”
    James sighed. “I think that it is normal to want to go home, to return to the life you had before this