Read Online The Art of Love: Origins of Sinner's Grove by A.B. Michaels - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: A.B. Michaels
Ads: Link
father, was short in stature and a brunette.
“Ah, Mrs. Sizemore,” Madame LeFever trilled. “Will your sister not make, if not a statuesque bride, at least a most radiant one?” She made a show of presenting Lia to Emma.
The look on Emma’s face made Lia want to howl at the injustice of it all. She could see the sadness, the longing, and the envy in her sister’s eyes. And she could see the tension as Emma fought to not dissolve in tears for something she could never have.
“Yes, she is certainly beautiful,” Emma replied in a soft voice. Her eyes brimming with tears, she gave Lia her best smile, one Lia knew was hiding a broken heart.
“Madame, your matron of honor ensemble is almost complete. It only awaits your final fitting for the hemline. Will you be so kind?”
Emma nodded and changed into the royal blue, Grecian-style gown.
Lia’s breath caught at her older sister’s loveliness. “Oh, Em, you are magnificent.”
“It is a lovely dress,” Emma agreed.
The two sisters waited patiently while the assistants finished marking the hems of the bridal wear. Afterward they changed back into their gowns and the dressmaker and her entourage took their leave. Emma was preparing to follow them downstairs when Lia touched her sister’s arm. “Please stay, just for bit,” she asked.
“Really, I must be getting back. Hiram will—”
“Hiram can wait,” Lia said. “We need to talk.”
Emma looked into Lia’s eyes and finally nodded. “Just for a minute,” she said.
Lia took her sister’s hand and brought her to the settee in the room. They sat down together and Lia took a deep breath. “Em, I really don’t think I can go through with this.”
“Oh, but Lia, you must!”
“Why must I?” Lia’s voice sharpened. “This is a farce and you know it! George doesn’t love me. He loves you—”
Em reached out as if to physically close Lia’s mouth. “You mustn’t say that. It’s not true, and—”
“It is true and you must think I’m a fool if you think I don’t see it. Look, Father wants this to happen for his own selfish reasons, not the least of which is probably money. He married you to Hiram for it, and he no doubt wants to do the same with me. But what I don’t understand is why you’re going along with it too. My God, Em, you’re asking me to marry the man you have loved your entire life—it just doesn’t make sense. I need to know why you’re doing this.”
Emma sat silently looking down at her hands. She nervously twisted the large ornate wedding ring that she’d worn for the past twelve years. When she looked up again, tears had returned, poised to fall gently down her cheeks. “I made a decision when I was seventeen that destroyed any chance of a relationship with George. He has moved on, and I don’t blame him for that. I want him to be happy, and I want you, my beloved sister, to be happy too. You are both wonderful people. I…I can’t think of a better prescription for your happiness than if you two were to join together.”
Lia threw her hands up. “That is utter rubbish , Em. First of all, you had no real choice in the matter of your marriage. We both know Father is much better at spending money than earning it. He got himself into a bind and he told you the only way out of it—the only way to salvage the family’s so-called honor—was to secure an influx of Hiram Sizemore’s cash.” She pointed her finger at Em. “And the currency he used was you.”
Emma looked up, showing the first trace of annoyance Lia had seen in some time. “He didn’t hold a gun to my head.”
“No, he did something worse: he played on your loyalty and your guilt.”
“My guilt?”
“Yes. Your guilt. If you didn’t comply you’d be the one who’d let the family down, who’d engineered our disgrace. And you couldn’t let that happen.”
Emma sighed. “Perhaps there’s a bit of truth in what you say…but it’s water under the bridge now.”
“Yes,” Lia
“Ah, Mrs. Sizemore,” Madame LeFever trilled. “Will your sister not make, if not a statuesque bride, at least a most radiant one?” She made a show of presenting Lia to Emma.
The look on Emma’s face made Lia want to howl at the injustice of it all. She could see the sadness, the longing, and the envy in her sister’s eyes. And she could see the tension as Emma fought to not dissolve in tears for something she could never have.
“Yes, she is certainly beautiful,” Emma replied in a soft voice. Her eyes brimming with tears, she gave Lia her best smile, one Lia knew was hiding a broken heart.
“Madame, your matron of honor ensemble is almost complete. It only awaits your final fitting for the hemline. Will you be so kind?”
Emma nodded and changed into the royal blue, Grecian-style gown.
Lia’s breath caught at her older sister’s loveliness. “Oh, Em, you are magnificent.”
“It is a lovely dress,” Emma agreed.
The two sisters waited patiently while the assistants finished marking the hems of the bridal wear. Afterward they changed back into their gowns and the dressmaker and her entourage took their leave. Emma was preparing to follow them downstairs when Lia touched her sister’s arm. “Please stay, just for bit,” she asked.
“Really, I must be getting back. Hiram will—”
“Hiram can wait,” Lia said. “We need to talk.”
Emma looked into Lia’s eyes and finally nodded. “Just for a minute,” she said.
Lia took her sister’s hand and brought her to the settee in the room. They sat down together and Lia took a deep breath. “Em, I really don’t think I can go through with this.”
“Oh, but Lia, you must!”
“Why must I?” Lia’s voice sharpened. “This is a farce and you know it! George doesn’t love me. He loves you—”
Em reached out as if to physically close Lia’s mouth. “You mustn’t say that. It’s not true, and—”
“It is true and you must think I’m a fool if you think I don’t see it. Look, Father wants this to happen for his own selfish reasons, not the least of which is probably money. He married you to Hiram for it, and he no doubt wants to do the same with me. But what I don’t understand is why you’re going along with it too. My God, Em, you’re asking me to marry the man you have loved your entire life—it just doesn’t make sense. I need to know why you’re doing this.”
Emma sat silently looking down at her hands. She nervously twisted the large ornate wedding ring that she’d worn for the past twelve years. When she looked up again, tears had returned, poised to fall gently down her cheeks. “I made a decision when I was seventeen that destroyed any chance of a relationship with George. He has moved on, and I don’t blame him for that. I want him to be happy, and I want you, my beloved sister, to be happy too. You are both wonderful people. I…I can’t think of a better prescription for your happiness than if you two were to join together.”
Lia threw her hands up. “That is utter rubbish , Em. First of all, you had no real choice in the matter of your marriage. We both know Father is much better at spending money than earning it. He got himself into a bind and he told you the only way out of it—the only way to salvage the family’s so-called honor—was to secure an influx of Hiram Sizemore’s cash.” She pointed her finger at Em. “And the currency he used was you.”
Emma looked up, showing the first trace of annoyance Lia had seen in some time. “He didn’t hold a gun to my head.”
“No, he did something worse: he played on your loyalty and your guilt.”
“My guilt?”
“Yes. Your guilt. If you didn’t comply you’d be the one who’d let the family down, who’d engineered our disgrace. And you couldn’t let that happen.”
Emma sighed. “Perhaps there’s a bit of truth in what you say…but it’s water under the bridge now.”
“Yes,” Lia
Similar Books
