“I’ll keep reading it until they show up at the door and I know it’s really true.”
In fact Sophie didn’t doubt the news at all, but studying the telegram gave her a few moments to think of other things without being observed too closely. A necessary deception, she told herself. Cap was still recovering from Friday, and she had gone to some lengths to see that nothing new was laid before him for as long as humanly possible. If their places were reversed she would not thank him for such interference, but she was his physician as well as his wife, and as such it was her responsibility. And more than that, she could not bring herself to open up the discussion of the Campbell boys; she could barely stand to think about them at all.
And still the image of Janine Campbell as she had last seen her would not be banished. All over the city people were convincing themselves that she had killed her sons, but Sophie hadn’t seen any evidence of psychosis when she saw her, just weeks ago. Depression, yes. Anger, too, and despair. But to deliberately set out with the boys to kill them and return home alone, that required a coldhearted forethought or a complete break with reality, neither of which she could see.
When the door chime came to them Cap said, “Go on, I know you can’t wait.”
She flew across the room and smiled at him from the door as she took off her protective mask. “I’ll bring them straight up.”
? ? ?
ANNA LOOKED ALMOST burnished, as if she had been buffeted by hard winds off a cold sea and then polished by sunlight. And she was smiling, a sincere smile without artifice. Sophie folded her cousin into her arms and hugged her as hard as she could.
“Ouch.” Anna laughed, pulling away. “You never will learn your own strength.”
Sophie turned to Jack and hugged him, too, and got no complaints.
“You two,” Sophie said. “Always up to tricks.” She had tears in her eyes, but she didn’t care and for once Anna didn’t seem to mind at all. Her calm, resolute, generally impenetrable expression was gone. For today, at least.
“How’s Cap?” Jack wanted to know.
“Fairly calm. Recovering.” It was close enough to the truth. “He met with Conrad for two hours this afternoon and then I put an end to it. But we can talk about that later.”
They started up the stairs and Sophie noticed the paper tucked under Jack’s arm.
He caught her gaze and nodded.
Sophie said, “Let’s leave that sorry business aside for now too, can we do that? He hasn’t seen the paper yet.”
Anna raised a brow in surprise. “Cap without the Sunday newspapers—”
“It took some finagling,” Sophie admitted. “And now I’m going to insist that we leave everything else aside, to celebrate—”
“Anna’s capitulation,” Jack supplied.
Anna paused on the stair to look over her shoulder and raise her brow at him. “I’ll argue with you about that word later.”
“And I’ll look forward to the argument.”
It was good to see them bantering and at ease with each other. Sophie wished she could say the same of herself and Cap. He was distant and worried and in pain, and she wanted very badly to get him on the next ship that left New York harbor. Anna would know all this without being told in explicit terms. No doubt she had spoken to Jack about it. For the moment, though, Anna’s attention was focused in a different direction.
“Have you had word from Roses today?” she asked.
From his room Cap called out, “An avalanche of words. One note after the other.”
Anna stopped in the doorway to look at him. “Not about a party, I hope.”
Sophie nudged her into the room and took Jack’s arm to get him moving, too. Then she closed the door behind them.
“Of course,” Cap said. “You didn’t really think you could talk them out of one, I hope.”
Jack said, “Cap, you look a sight better than the last time I saw you. Marriage agrees with you.”
Cap’s lopsided grin came and went. “You have dark circles under your eyes, so I’ll assume the same for you.”
Sophie let out a squawk of surprised laughter, but Anna just frowned at Cap. “Marriage hasn’t done anything for your manners. But I am glad to see you, nonetheless.”
Jack said, “So you’re saying we need to be prepared for a surprise party when we get to Roses?”
Sophie shot Cap an irritated frown, but she should have known he couldn’t keep the news to himself.
“You might as well tell us,” Anna said. “What is Auntie up to?”
“Never mind about Auntie for the moment,” Sophie said. “Let’s sit down. I want to hear about this sudden launch into marriage. Every detail. Right from the beginning.”
The conversation stretched from one side of the room to the other, where Cap sat in strict isolation. Sophie thought she might someday get used to this, this being close and far at once. If fate was kind she would have the chance.