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Besides, what was she going to do if she met Daniel at one of those events? There were many amongst thetonwho went on with their lives separately from their spouses, but Evie was not one of them.

Perhaps she did inherit her father’s passion and her mother’s tenacity to hold on to her past affections.

A curse, if there ever was one!

But people can learn to live with their own burdens, and Evie had resolved to do the same. She had her weekly meetings with Mr. Turner, and she lacked for nothing. She no longer hoped for the same things as she did in her youth—she simply wished to live the rest of her life in peace.

Perhaps, if she had learned to be content early on and not dared to grasp at the impossible, she would not have been in the situation she was in right now.

“If you wish to hear her sing, then maybe we can have Colin invite the lady for a private show,” Alice suggested. “It will simply be us and Grandmother.”

Evie shook her head and smiled at her sister-in-law. “That would be too much of an imposition, and I really do not have an ear for music, I’m afraid.”

The past few days, Alice had been most solicitous, and Evie did not wish to further burden her. It was already enough that her honeymoon had been cut short when she and Colin rushed back to London to “rescue” Evie from Daniel’s clutches. She could not afford to have the new Duchess bend over backward on her account—she adored Alice too much.

Perhaps more than she did her own brother.

“Whatever you need, dearest, just let me know.” Alice winked at her over her cup. “Even if you want your brother out of sight, I can manage.”

“Oh, no doubt you will!” Scarlett snickered mischievously at her best friend. “Ever since you married, the Duke of Blackthorn has been most thoroughly managed!”

“Scarlett!” Phoebe was absolutely scandalized, her face red from embarrassment.

“Oh, you will understand soon enough when you are married.” The redhead grinned at her.

“And now, thanks to you, I shall gain enlightenment much sooner,” Phoebe grumbled with a shake of her head. “Truly, Scarlett, do you know no shame?”

“None, whatsoever!”

Phoebe hung her head at the redhead’s irreverent grin. “Mama will be so disappointed to know that most of my education had been received prior to my wedding.”

“Oh, do not fret, dearest sister,” Alice remarked wryly. “Mama was not much help on my wedding day either!”

The ladies all burst into laughter, and even Evie managed to smile a little wider.

There were moments when the heartbreak seemed to break her spirit. Moments when she felt that dying would have been much better than living.

But there were also moments like these when she felt as if she could perhaps hang on for a little longer. Mostly, when she painted, she could actually recall how it felt toliveagain.

Evie lived for these moments. These tiny pockets of sunshine that she could find in everyday life.

One step at a time.

How cruel was it that heartbreak could happen in an instant but learning to live on would probably take her entire life.

“Your Grace, Miss Jane has sent word that Her Grace has been eating her meals now.”

Daniel looked up from the document he held in his hand, his green eyes bleary from overwork. All of a sudden, there was a shift, and his gaze landed on his butler, who was standing before him with nary an expression on his stoic facade.

“Has she… has she gone outside?” he inquired.

Evie was like a sunflower with her face and her smile always turned towards the light. He could not bear the thought of her holed up in her rooms.

It tore through whatever remained of his heart.

“Miss Jane says that Her Grace has taken a tour around the gardens this morning.”

That was a blessed improvement from her self-imposed isolation in her rooms, and Daniel nearly cried out in relief.