Chapter 47 - Forty Seven
"Brother!" Amber stood up so quickly her chair almost toppled over. She ran to the man who had just entered and threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.
The Dowager Duchess smiled warmly from her seat. "Welcome home, Philip."
Philip returned his sister’s hug, a look of deep affection on his face. "It’s good to be back." Amber gently dragged him by the arm over to her seat, shifting her chair over so he could take his place at the table.
Philip sat down, placing his elegant cane carefully against the table leg. "Thank you, Grandma," he said politely. He then turned his amused gaze to his younger sister. "You didn’t go out to socialize today? Is the world ending?"
Amber shook her head, her earlier good mood restored by his presence. "I’m not in the mood to. How is your treatment coming along? Is it helping?"
"It’s coming along just fine," Philip answered, patting the back of her hand reassuringly. He then looked at his mother, who was still lost in thought, a faint frown on her face. He turned back to Amber. "By the way, how did the family introduction for Eric go yesterday? Was it as dramatic as I imagined?"
Amber leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "The girl, Delia, she seems all right. Quite clever, actually. But her mother," she said, her eyes wide, "I don’t like her at all."
"Really? How so?" Philip asked, intrigued.
"She acts like a villain from one of my books," Amber whispered dramatically. Then she shuddered, as if shaking off an unpleasant thought, and turned her attention back to their mother. "Anyways, Mama, you’re fine with the marriage now, right?"
Lyra, breaking off from her thoughts, looked at her daughter. "We’ll see," she said vaguely.
Amber gave her mother a sly, knowing smile. "What? I thought you liked her. Mama, you are really connected to her, you know."