“Why did Jim leave early last night? Did you see him before he left?” Adam asked her the following morning in the dining room.

The Wrights had not come downstairs yet, and Adam and she were sipping coffee. “He said he needed to be up early today.”

“Strange that he didn’t come into the main room. He seemed to be enjoying himself.”

“I thought so, too.” She leaned against the window frame, looking outside but seeing nothing. “I thought he wanted to be here,” she whispered.

Adam leaned against the other side of the window. “Maybe he did. Maybe he just had to get up early.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

Something had happened. Something had changed, and she didn’t know what it was or why he wouldn’t say anything to her. She’d lain awake that night thinking of what she’d said and what others had said. He’d called her bright and beautiful. He’d said it reverently. She could hear his voice in his head, a soft but deep intonation that rumbled through her head and carried on to her chest, lingering there and wrapping itself around her heart.

She spent much of the day entertaining the Wrights with her mother and Adam. She found herself alone a few times with Darien. He was interesting and humorous and extremely clever. She laughed more than she had in a long time, and it felt good to be lighthearted, and even silly, forcing her mind away from her troubles, if only for a short time.

“When do you think you’ll be visiting my sister?” he asked and grinned as she escorted him on a tour of Paradise. “I admit, I’m impatient to show you the capital and make every man in the city jealous of me while you are on my arm.”

She shook her head and smiled. “You are ridiculous with your outrageous compliments, even if I enjoy receiving them! But I’m thinking of the spring. It makes traveling so much easier when the weather is fine.”

“The Washington and Atlantic Railroad stops in Winchester and will bring you directly in to the city. I’ll meet you and your mother and sister-in-law at the train station and take you to Josephine’s. December is generally temperate.”

“I’ll have to speak to my mother about the trip and when it would be most convenient for her to be away.”

Darien stepped a little closer. He smiled ruefully. “Would I earn a slap if I said I will count the days until you arrive?”

“I doubt a busy man like yourself will be concerned with a friend’s sibling more than a few moments after he is once again among the sophisticated ladies in our capital.”

He sobered. He looked at her hands clasped at her waist and touched them with his until she laid them in his palms. “Although it pains me to disagree with a lady, you are wrong,” he said and looked her in the eyes. He tilted his head as he looked at her closely. “Unless of course, there is someone special in your life already.”

Olivia looked away. “I . . . I . . . there is no one.”

“Not even Mr. Somerset?”

“No,” she said and felt a blush rise on her cheeks. “Not Mr. Somerset.”

“Ah, I’ve steered away from our lighthearted conversations and made you frown. Would you show me the Paradise library?”

Wright winged his arm and proceeded to tell her a funny story about Adam having become lost in his college’s library. Eleanor joined them and invited him to have coffee and cakes with her in the main room.

Olivia excused herself and went up the staircase. She became aware of muted voices ahead of her around the corner and down the hallway that led to Adam’s rooms. At first, she thought it was two of the servants, but then she realized it was a man talking to a woman and it would be very unlikely that a male employee was on the second floor of the house. Olivia looked up and saw a reflection in the large mirror over the table against the wall of the hallway. She could see it was Josephine and Adam standing just in front of the door to his rooms. They were talking softly, and Josephine laughed at something Adam had said. Why did Olivia believe it had been wicked?

She knew she should turn away, but she was caught, mesmerized as she watched her older brother and this exceptionally attractive woman speak to each other in low tones. They stood bare inches apart, and she watched Adam as he inched his face closer and closer to Josephine’s. She brought her hand to his face, stroked his cheek, and ran a thumb across his lip. She smiled then and turned away from him, and began walking toward Olivia. Adam called out to her, and she laughed in response but didn’t stop walking.

“I will confirm that later,” Adam said.

Josephine smiled and continued walking. Olivia turned and hurried into her rooms. She leaned back on the closed door and thought about what she’d seen. There was an intensity between her brother and Josephine Wright, something private and intimate, and maybe wanton, that she shouldn’t have been privy to but she couldn’t have turned away from for any amount of money or even a Morgan stallion. It was exactly the way she felt when she looked at Jim Somerset and nothing like she felt when she looked at any other man. She’d been devastated when he left right after dinner on Saturday night just when she thought there might be hope for the two of them. She’d been wrong. Again.

* * *

“Would you . . . would you like to have supper with me this evening?” Jim asked Marabelle Winston as he stood at the counter in her father’s store, late November. She looked up at him in confusion.

“Why?” she asked finally.

He couldn’t help but wonder why a woman he was asking to spend time with, maybe court if supper invitations led that far, wasn’t smiling, not the least bit happy from what he could tell. She’d kissed him at the party last summer at Paradise, hadn’t she?

“What do you mean, ‘why’?”

She shook her head. “No, but thank you for asking.” She turned away to busy herself at the shelves behind her.

“Is there a reason? Something you can tell me?”

Marabelle looked over her shoulder at him and straightened slowly. She looked angry now. Very angry. She looked around the store and motioned him to the far end of the counter. He followed and watched as she stared out the window of the store, opened her mouth to speak, and stopped.

“I’ve spent my life half in love with you, or even all the way in love with you. I don’t remember a time I didn’t love you. But I’m determined to forget you. I won’t be second fiddle to another woman,” she whispered finally.

He felt the color drain from his face. “I don’t know who you mean.”

“It’s getting easier to stop loving you by the minute, Jim,” she said with sarcasm. “Of course, you know who I mean. Olivia Gentry. I don’t want a husband who’s thinking of another woman while we eat dinner together or go to church or . . . get in bed.”

“I’m sorry to have bothered you, Marabelle.”

She stared at him for a few long seconds and then turned and walked away, calling out to a customer to see if they needed help. He opened the door to the whipping wind and blowing snow. He made his way across the street and down two blocks. He shoveled the walkway up to his family home and to the business, too, although the forge’s heat kept it mostly clear, all the while thinking about his conversation with Marabelle. He looked up at the gray sky and thought this snow might just go on forever and a day from the looks of it. He had Phillip clean the coal chute off and carry extra wood into the house to the rooms that still had working fireplaces. His mother and sisters were in the kitchen with Helen cooking and baking.

Jim stood leaning on the shovel handle, letting the snow build up on his shoulders and head, thinking about taking Marabelle to a marriage bed. Would he blow out all the lamps and candles so that he could imagine it was Olivia’s face he kissed, breast he touched, and body he entered? He wasn’t certain Marabelle was wrong, and that would be a sad and unhappy start to a lifetime of marriage.

* * *

“What do you think, Adam?” Eleanor asked as Beatrice cleared their dinner plates. “Would the first week of January suit you? We could go on Wednesday, be present for Miss Wright’s salon on Friday, and leave on the Monday following. We would have time to see the sights and perhaps do some shopping.”

“That suits me fine, although I’ll have to be home by Tuesday at the latest. I promised Matt I would travel with him to Bridgewater to finalize the sale of Annie’s property that is scheduled for that week.”

“Can’t you use a lawyer for that and avoid the trip?”

“I would like to Mother, but I’ve advised Matt that one of us should be there. Annie knows no one in Bridgewater she trusts who would be a help in something like this, and I hardly blame her. Matt’s arranged a document to stand as her legal representative for the purchase, and he’s concerned there may be some language shenanigans that he won’t understand. I told him I’d go. We’ll be there and back in three days if all goes well and the train schedule is true to what we’ve been told.”

“That will be quite a bit of traveling in a short time,” Eleanor said. “Olivia and I will be fine on our own taking the train to Washington.”

Adam smiled. “Not to worry. I’ll bear up just fine and look forward to seeing Darien again. I’d like to stay closer in touch with him since we’ve seen each other after nine years apart.”

“Is there anyone else you wished to see?” Eleanor smiled.

Adam grinned. “I wouldn’t know to whom you are referring.”

“Do those dates suit you, Olivia?” Eleanor asked.

“Yes. I’ve nothing planned.” Ever, she thought.

“You were quite looking forward to it earlier, dear. If you don’t want to go, we don’t have to,” Eleanor said as she looked at her daughter’s face.

Olivia shook her head. “I am looking forward to it. I’ve received a letter from Josephine detailing all the interesting things we may see and do there. Perhaps I’ll want to live there.”

Eleanor laid down her fork. “Live there?”

“A young woman cannot live on her own in a large city such as Washington,” Adam said.

“Why not?” she asked. “Perhaps I will find a circle of friends there. I may be introduced to people or endeavors that we wish to invest in.”

Adam shook his head. “Certainly, you understand that would be impossible.”

“And why is that impossible?” she asked as she poured cream in her coffee.

“Because unmarried women do not live alone in a large city, that is why.”

“Really?” she said.

“Really! It’s not safe, and surely you understand young women must guard their reputations. There are unsavory characters who would assume a woman alone must be open to . . . liaisons,” he said.

Olivia had rarely seen her brother in such a state. He was a smart and polished negotiator who found it unnecessary to be emotional, always sticking to facts and figures and delivering them in a way that made others feel as if a subject had been their idea. Eleanor’s brows shot up as her sense of proper behavior, especially at the dinner table, was being tested.

“Liaisons?” she repeated.

“My apologies, Mother,” he said. “But certainly, you agree.”

“Josephine Wright lives alone, Adam. Do you imagine her reputation is in tatters for it, as men consider her open to liaisons?” Olivia asked.

Adam picked up his coffee cup and sipped. “That is hardly comparable.”

“But why? Why are her circumstances any different than mine?”

“Because you are my sister and she is not,” Adam said. “We will go to Washington. We will all come back from Washington.”

Olivia was not going to argue any longer. If she decided that a change of location would be the thing to bring her out of the megrims then she would speak to her mother about it. She wasn’t a child, contrary to what Adam thought, and he wasn’t her parent. She had saved every dividend she’d received from the Paradise business and had quite a nest egg built up. She imagined she could purchase or rent a town house, even in a fashionable section of town, and still be comfortable and able to retain a few employees. She was desperate, she’d realized of late, to get away from Winchester and all the shadows cast by unworthy men. To leave everything she loved as well, including Paradise and the horses and her family. And a man that would never be hers.

“Saturday next, Adam,” she heard her mother say as she realized she’d drifted off into her own mind as she’d done often of late.

“What is Saturday next, Mother?” she asked.

“The Christmas party at the Somersets’. I thought I mentioned it to you.”

“You did mention it. Are we going?”

“I’ve already replied that we’d be there.”

Olivia blew out a breath. How she hated seeing Jim. Hated it. He reminded her of all of her errors, especially the fresh one when they’d had a meal together and he’d come to Paradise for dinner. She’d let hope grow between those two occasions and been excited and joyful and anticipating every next moment and hour. When he’d looked at her the way he had when he’d walked in the door that evening as if she were the center of his world, she’d thought their futures would begin to be entwined, that her dreams of being loved by him were within her reach. But something over the course of dinner had changed his mind.

She’d been discouraged and embarrassed when it was apparent that Mr. Dunderage had his sights set on her inheritance. Her confidence had been shaken when it was clear that Mr. Armsworth wanted to use her for the influence her family had and as an ornament for his arm. But this . . . this change in Jim Somerset, this reversal from their meal together in town to coffee at the end of dinner at Paradise had changed her, too. She was no longer so much concerned with what other people thought of her. She was concerned with what she thought of herself. And there must be something terribly wrong with her to elicit that change in him.

* * *

“Everything is delicious, Mrs. Somerset, and decorated so beautifully,” Olivia said as she met with her hostess near the buffet that had been laid out in the dining room of the Somerset home. There was pine draped everywhere, rum punch with cinnamon filling the air with a wonderful aroma, and red bows at every corner in every room of the house.

“I am so glad you’re enjoying it, dear. I haven’t seen you in town or at church lately.”

Olivia smiled. “I’ve just been so busy lately it seems.”

“Seeing much of Mr. Armsworth?”

“No. I haven’t spoken to Mr. Armsworth since the harvest dance,” she said and looked at her hands.

“Well, all the girls are wondering if you and he are no longer . . . interested in each other. I imagine there are one or two young ladies in town who would like to set their sights on him but would not want things to be awkward.”

“They are welcome to him, Mrs. Somerset. But I would caution them that Mr. Armsworth is not exactly what he appears to be.”

“Oh. Dear me. I’m so sorry if I’ve upset you,” she said and looked at Olivia inquisitively.

“You’ve not, ma’am”—Olivia attempted to smile—“I am quite happy to be parted from him permanently.”

Mrs. Somerset laid a hand on her arm and looked at her with a gentle concern. “You’re looking pale, Olivia, and a little thinner since I saw you last. If there’s something troubling you, you should talk to your mother or your sister-in-law. That is the same advice that I give all my children. It does us no good, no good at all, to keep feelings and worries inside.”

Olivia shook her head and felt tears spring to her eyes. What was the matter with her? This was Mrs. Somerset! She’d known the woman all of her life and knew she was kind and a good and loving mother to her children. She nearly blurted it out, here in the middle of a lovely holiday party. She would cry on the woman’s shoulder and tell her that her son was causing her pain and distress and that she was going to move away from everything she knew just to put an end to it—if she wasn’t careful of her feelings and her tongue.

“Here you are, Olivia,” Annie said at that moment. “The music is going to start, won’t you come into the other room?”

“Oh, yes! Jane has been practicing all week! She is very nervous but excited to be playing for all of our guests,” Mrs. Somerset said.

“I’m sure she’ll be just dandy,” Annie said and smiled and looked around the room. “You have a very nice house. So homey. It’s my first time here.”

Mrs. Somerset chuckled. “Your husband was here as much as he was home when he was a boy and as a young man, too. He and Jim were constant companions, and Olivia was here often, too, seeing Nettie and Emmaline.”

“It’s so wonderful that your families are so close. I didn’t have friends like this growing up,” Annie said. “But I think our little one will have plenty of friends here in Winchester.”

Mrs. Somerset put her hand on Annie’s cheek. “Well, I don’t know why I’ve never thought of it before but you must become acquainted with my oldest daughter, Nettie, and her husband John. Matthew knows them both well, of course. They have two children, Rachel and Albert, precious grandchildren for me. How wonderful if our families stayed close!”

“It would be wonderful. Don’t you think so, Livie?” Annie asked.

“Um, yes, yes of course,” she said. She desperately wanted to be gone from this conversation, from the room, and even the house. She didn’t want to talk about families and closeness and babies. Especially not here where corners and doorways held memories.

“Mother,” Jim said as he approached. “I think Jane is wanting Betsy to turn her pages for her, and Betsy is busy speaking to her friends.”

“Oh, dear. Jane will be in a panic. Excuse me, girls.”

“Annie. Olivia,” he said with a nod. “I hope you’re enjoying yourselves.”

“Matt is waving to me from the other room,” Annie said and turned away in a hurry.

All the guests had left the dining room as the music began in the parlor. She was left to stare at him, and her eyes burned with tears she would not allow to fall. “I’m going to Washington to visit Josephine Wright the first week of January.”

He nodded and licked his lips. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself.”

“I’m sure I will.”

He was staring back at her, and now she was looking everywhere but his face. The lump in her throat and the tears in her eyes were quickly turning to anger and frustration. “Why did you leave early that night?”

“I told you. I had to be up early.”

“I don’t believe you.”

He shrugged. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She was going to disgrace herself soon, either throwing herself in his arms or bursting into tears or slapping his face, she wasn’t sure which. But anger was creeping up her spine, anger and humiliation, that she continued to want this man who clearly did not want her.

“My plans are to move to Washington. Permanently.”

He looked away, and when he looked back his eyes were glittering. “What a fool thing to do.”

“I’ve always been a fool,” she whispered.

He stepped closer to her, looming over her, forcing her to tilt her head back to look at him. The rage in his eyes was gone, replaced with something else. Something softer or regretful. “I’m not . . . I’m not part of that world. I’ll never be. I’m a farrier.”

She shook her head. “What are talking about?”

“The night I left early from dinner at Paradise. I’m not like the Wrights or like Adam or you. I don’t intend to try and influence anyone, let alone the men who guide this country. I work for a living and I like it.”

“What does that have to do with anything? No one was asking you to.”

“You’re meant for great things, Olivia. I’m meant for Winchester.”

“So, you have to be one or the other? You can’t be a farrier and be involved in the politics of our country? You can’t enjoy a dinner conversation about important issues and know how to shape a horse’s shoe? How ridiculous you are!”

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm and turned her to him. He opened his mouth to speak and then wrinkled his nose and forehead. He was parsing out a dilemma, it was clear. She wouldn’t be around when he determined his answer. She broke his hold on her and followed the laughter and music until she found her mother chatting with Annie.

Jim was fuming. He wasn’t listening to his sister’s piano playing or seeing the dancers just ahead of him. He was unable to think of anything other than what Olivia had just said to him. His hope that he’d be left alone until he was able to calm himself would not be fulfilled. Adam slung an arm around his shoulders. It was all he could do to keep from punching him in the nose.

“How’s my sister?” Adam said.

Jim jerked his head to him. “Going to move to Washington, I hear.”

“I don’t like it any more than you do.”

“It’s in your power to do something about it. She can’t live there alone.”

“That’s exactly how I feel, but Olivia isn’t just any woman. She’s very special, very bright. My mother asked me if there was a reason why I didn’t think Olivia could be successful at anything she chose to do. Mother is right, of course. Not everyone has as much reason to stay in Winchester as you and I do, though,” Adam said. “Olivia needs to find her place in the world, as mother says, and she’s decided to find it in Washington.”

“It will be dangerous for a woman in a big city.”

“It will be. But I’ve got to trust her and her good sense and upbringing.”

“That’s not good enough.”

Adam looked at him wryly and slapped him on the back. “You could always marry her. You’d at least have a say then. Not that she’d listen to you all that much.”

He opened and closed his mouth several times but no words were forthcoming. What Adam had said was the dream he fell asleep to and his greatest hope, even if he had relegated it to some dark, unseen corner of his mind.

“I’m sure she’ll meet lots of important people while she’s there. Maybe she’ll marry one of them,” Jim said, with barely concealed anger.

Adam stared at him until he looked at him. “I didn’t realize how bad you had it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied and walked away. He could still hear Adam’s laughter in the next room.