Chapter 44 - Forty Four
The sun, a fiery orange ball, sank low on the horizon signaling the arrival of the moon. The family introduction, a tense and exhausting affair, was finally over.
"It was wonderful meeting you today," the Dowager Duchess said to Baron Henry, her voice warm and gracious despite the afternoon’s drama. "Safe travels home."
"It was a great pleasure, Your Grace," Henry replied, managing a polite bow from his wheelchair. Augusta, standing behind him, said nothing but offered a stiff, formal curtsy.
"Alright then," the Dowager Duchess said with a final, kind smile.
The footman and the driver carefully helped Henry back into the Ellington carriage, securing his wheelchair for the journey. As the grand vehicle pulled away from the humble orphanage, the Dowager Duchess noticed her daughter in law, Lyra, staring after it with a haunting, intense expression on her face.
"You look like you are about to smack someone in the face, Lyra," the Dowager chuckled softly. "Come on now. The day is done. Let’s head home."
Lyra said nothing. She walked with a stiff movement towards her own carriage. She passed directly by where Delia and Eric stood, her gaze locking with Delia’s for a long, silent moment. It was an unreadable look, neither warm nor cold, but filled with a complex, assessing intensity. Without a word, she passed her and got into the carriage with the Dowager Duchess.
Amber, with a quick, sympathetic smile towards Delia, got into her own carriage and left as well, leaving Eric and Delia standing alone in the quiet dusk.
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