"Do you make more beautiful gowns for us than you do for your other customers, Mrs. Lester?" Alanna asked.
"All my gowns are equally lovely," Sally claimed. "But unfortunately, not all of Williamsburg's womenfolk are as beautiful as you and Melissa."
Alanna was used to everyone referring to Melissa as a beauty, but doubted that she deserved equal praise. Glancing toward the dressmaker's mirror, she saw a pair of green eyes that were too large for her face, a nose that was passably cute, and lips that formed only a hesitant smile. That certainly didn't add up to beauty in her mind. She and Melissa bore a slight resemblance, it was true, but her cousin's features were usually animated by radiant smiles, and Alanna never felt any such joy. Sally Lester was merely being kind, she decided, and it was a relief rather than a disappointment.
As the two young women left the dressmaker's, they found Randolph O'Neil walking their way. Alanna would have darted into the shop next door, but it was apparent he had already seen them, and he didn't deserve to be treated rudely. Melissa gave Alanna a playful nudge in the ribs, but had no time to tease her before he greeted them.
"Good morning!" he called out when he was still several feet away. "Please tell your mother that I have just received some crystal vases I think she might like. I hope that you'll have time to come in and have a look at them while you're in town."
He had addressed his remark to Melissa, but he was looking at Alanna, and she could not help but blush. Randolph O'Neil sold elegant imported merchandise and jewelry, and Rachel Barclay was one of his best customers. On her infrequent visits to town, Alanna had always enjoyed browsing through his shop, but that had been before he had taken special notice of her. Now, she would have avoided his place of business so as not to encourage the interest she couldn't return. Melissa, however, felt differently.
"We have a few other stops, and then we'll be there," Melissa promised with the sparkling smile she used on all men, and satisfied he would see them again soon, Randolph continued on his way.
Melissa turned to watch him. "I swear that man becomes better-looking each time I see him. I'll bet he's only forty-two or three. I still think he's perfect for you, and if you're nice to him, he's sure to give us better prices."
"And what will he expect in return?" Alanna questioned hoarsely.
Melissa eyed Alanna with an incredulous glance. "He can expect whatever he wishes, Alanna, but you don't ever have to respond with more than a polite word and a smile." Melissa had always given Alanna the benefit of her advice, but she no longer felt like much of an expert in romance. She had hoped for a chance meeting with Ian that morning, but she hadn't seen any British officers on the street. Fatigued from lack of sleep, she raised her hand to cover a yawn, then made light of it.
"The warmth of the day is making me sleepy. Let's hurry up with our errands, so we'll have time to visit with Mr. O'Neil before we go home."
Alanna didn't argue, but she had already made up her mind to be honest with Randolph and, should the opportunity arise, she'd tell him he would never be more than a friend. Unfortunately, the chance did not present itself. He welcomed them cordially to his shop, but confined his remarks to the exquisite wares he had on display. Other than referring to her Aunt Rachel's tastes while showing off the crystal vases, he didn't make any comments of a personal nature, prompting Alanna to wonder if perhaps she hadn't just imagined him being especially attentive after church.
She then grew all the more self-conscious, and when Randolph walked them to the door, she found it difficult to look up at him as she said goodbye. His smile was warm rather than overly eager, convincing her that she had allowed Melissa's imaginative interpretation of his interest in her to influence her opinion of him. They had brought a small wagon and she hurried toward it, climbed in, and might have started for home without Melissa, had her cousin not called out to insist she wait.
"I'm sorry," Alanna exclaimed, "but romantic intrigues are simply too much for me. When we come back to Sally's, I'm going to park the wagon by the back door, so I can slip in and out without anyone else knowing I've come into town."
"You are such a silly goose," Melissa chided. "Both you and Randolph are so painfully shy, I doubt anything will ever come of your friendship."
"Good."
Melissa watched Alanna slap the reins on the horse's rump to speed his pace, and wondered as she frequently did, how they could have such differing attitudes when they were blood relatives. In the next instant, she envied her cousin, for Alanna would never have become involved with an Indian brave—or any man for that matter—with the disgraceful haste she'd displayed. She closed her eyes briefly and repeated a silent prayer for divine protection from future indiscretion.
"I do hope Byron and Elliott are all right," she then remarked. "They're scarcely backwoodsmen, like the men with Captain Trent."
Alanna was ashamed of how little thought she had given to her absent cousins. "Maybe they've never skinned a bear, but they know how to ride and shoot. I'm sure they're fine officers, too."
"Yes, they must be."
The next time Alanna glanced toward Melissa, she was asleep. That was such an unusual occurrence she didn't know what to make of it. Melissa had always had boundless amounts of energy, and even after long evenings required no more than a brief nap the next day. They hadn't been up late the previous evening though, so she couldn't understand why Melissa was so tired. Perhaps she wasn't sleeping well, but she hadn't complained after that one night of tears. If anything, she had been almost too cheerful, displaying what appeared to be a forced gaiety at times.
When they reached the gate at the end of the lane leading to their home, Alanna gave Melissa's shoulder a gentle shake. "Wake up, we're home."
Startled, Melissa's eyes flew open, and she quickly straightened up. She barely recalled leaving Williamsburg, so she knew she had slept all the way home. "I'm sorry. I wasn't very good company for you, was I?" she asked.
She and Melissa spent most of their time together, but Alanna knew neither of them confided wholly in the other. Their personalities were simply too different for them to ever be as close as some sisters or best friends were. Melissa might be overly concerned with impressing others, but Alanna knew she could draw an equal amount of criticism for being too distant, so
neither of them was perfect.
"Is something wrong?" Alanna asked. "I know you're concerned about your brothers, but if you've another problem, with Ian perhaps, or someone else, I could at least listen, even if I might not be able to provide any helpful advice."
Alanna's expression reflected not only a compassion which invited such a confidence, but also an innocent sweetness that made confiding in her impossible. How could Melissa ever admit what she had done, when the enjoyment of a man's affection was so completely out of Alanna's realm of experience? Melissa ground her fingernails into her palms to force back her tears.
"I haven't been sleeping well, but I think it's just a combination of the boys leaving, Ian's attentions, and the excitement of the upcoming Publick Times. Now let me get the gate."
Melissa hopped down from the wagon before Alanna could question her response, but she feared she was going to have to be much more careful. Alanna could sense the distress she hid from her parents' eyes, so she would have to bury her secret even deeper. Perhaps Ian would come to see her that evening, and with his laughter reflected in her eyes, no one would perceive her pain.
* * *