Christina watched as Jenny put salve on them and wrapped them in cotton, and thought of Gavin taking Theo and going away without her. She felt a sharp twinge of loneliness. It was hardly explicable, given that she’d known them both for such a short time. And yet she felt a more tenacious connection to Gavin than she’d ever experienced with Edward. It hurt to think of him moving on without her. She took Theo up to the nursery before bed and read him stories from one of Lang’s books, wishing she’d had the wherewithal to ask Viscount Brundle about that last night with her brother. According to her father, Brundle hadn’t had much to add to Norris’s account of the evening, but perhaps he hadn’t asked the right questions. Maybe Christina would ask something that had not been asked before. She finished the last story and tucked Theo into his bed for the night. Returning downstairs, Christina distracted herself with her basket of mending and started to repair the sleeve of a chemise Gavin had torn accidentally a few days ago.
