Chapter Twenty-Eight

“Never do that again, Riya,” Eliza said. One hand still clutched the letter—a mere three sentences—while her other held tight to her friend’s arm, lest she try to escape once more. “You gave me such a fright.”

“I won’t,” Riya promised.

Eliza narrowed her eyes. Riya did not look nearly chastened enough, given the circumstances. No, she looked like a woman who had been kissed well and thoroughly by her lover.

“I thought you had written the note under duress,” Eliza said. “I thought Mr. Vidyasagar had kidnapped you to force you back to India.”

“Kidnapped me!” Riya gave a shocked laugh. “He would never. But Eliza…” She hesitated. “I am returning to India. With Ram.”

The letter fluttered to the floor, and Eliza clasped both Riya’s hands in her own. “Don’t run away, Riya. You have a home with me for as long as you wish. Hyacinth Cottage will be mine after I marry, and you are welcome to it, if that is what you prefer. I know it is not what we discussed—how could we have foreseen this?—but I will not abandon you, have no fear of that.”

“Oh! That is very kind of you.” Riya’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. “But I am not running away. For the first time in my life, I am running toward something. And, oh heavens, I am happy.” She squeezed Eliza’s hands. “I am so very happy, Eliza.”

Eliza searched her face, seeking the truth. When she found it, her own eyes grew damp. “You love him?”

“I love him.”

“Then all will be well.” She smiled, though her hands trembled. It was bittersweet, this moment. Riya deserved all the happiness in the world, and Eliza would never stand in her way. If she had hoped to have her friend close at hand as she embarked on a new path that she had never hoped to tread, well…that was best left unsaid. But from the gentle squeeze of Riya’s hands, it seemed that her friend understood.

“All will be well,” Eliza said again, more firmly this time. “For both of us.”

If she said it often enough, it might even become true.