A Reason to Rebel (35 page)

“But how am I to find him?”

“He will find you.”

Tina sighed. It just didn’t seem right to base her future on finding a matching pendant. There was still the betrothal agreement to be dealt with. What was she supposed to do about that?

“You need not worry so, little one.” Nona said, as if reading her thoughts. “All will be well. You will see. My Shana did not think so, but all was well. Her Felicia worried, but all was well, and you, too, will see.” She closed her eyes, but continued to speak. “I will tell you a story.”

Nona settled back against the pillows and Tina picked up her hand again. It was little more than skin and bone. The skin was soft, the pads of the fingers calloused, but Tina held it lovingly.

“I was sixteen when I met Richard. He was strong and handsome, with a laugh that caused my heart to stop. He was also already married. I was infatuated as only a sixteen-year-old could be. I disregarded the cards and pursued him all the same. It was the only time I have ever ignored the cards.” She was silent for a few moments, then continued. “I soon realized the error of my ways, but not before I was with child. But Fate was kind to me and I bore a girl. I had twelve years with her before Richard learned of my Shana’s existence.”

Nona shifted against the pillows. “Shana was a kind and trusting soul, but longed for something different. Despite having been born into our way of life, she did not fit in. When Richard offered her the chance to live with him, she took it. By then the cards had warned me her destiny no longer lay with our people so I did not protest. I did not see her again until after her marriage to a baronet. And it was many years after that before I learned she had married the baronet because her half-brother cast her out after their father’s death. Although he was much older than she, the baronet doted on her and when your mother was born, his delight knew no bounds.”

Tina helped her to sip from the small cup of water before Nona continued. “Your grandfather was very tolerant of us. He allowed us to camp on his land—and allowed your mother to spend months at a time with us. It was good for her and she learned much. At one time, I thought she would marry one of us but, once again, the cards said it was not to be. Before she went off to London for her debut, I knew she would not return for many years. Not long after your parents sailed for India, my Shana and her husband perished in a fire. We have not journeyed to that area since.”

Nona closed the casket and set it aside as Tina spoke. “I do not know what we would have done without you, Nona. Perhaps Felicia is destined to join Mira and Carlo, and the others.”

“Certainly she is spirited enough, but it is not to be. You, JoJo, and little Caro will fare well, the cards have said so. That is enough. But there will be no more contact between you and our people. It is as it should be. You are members of the nobility and none will cast slurs upon you.”

“But Nona, our own grandmother despises us—Jon and I—for our blood. It does not matter to her we are two generations removed.”

“She does not matter.” Nona waived away her objections. “The cards have not said whether she will ever come around, but it is clear she will not matter.”

Tina considered her words. She knew better than to question Nona’s belief in her cards. They had directed her great-grandmother’s entire life, but Tina found her unquestionable reliance on them unnerving. She, frankly, did not believe consulting the cards or a crystal ball, or anything else could take the place of reasoned logic. The cards might be helpful when wrestling with a matter requiring some thought, but they should not be relied upon to the exclusion of all else, and when it came to action, reason and practicality often won out.

Practicality was the reason the old marquis taught her to shoot and Jon, in turn, taught Felicia. It was the reason she and Felicia could not live under the same roof as Mr. Milton. And, she was forced to admit, it was probably the reason she would marry the current marquis if he asked—regardless of Nona’s edict.