Chloe talked and talked, pouring out the events of the past years. She spoke of the difficult days in Shadaf following Shirley’s departure, the episode with her knife-wielding mother, and her escape to the capital. She recounted her rescue by Lloyd and how she began working as his housekeeper.
Then, she talked about her days in the capital—the fun times, the happy times, the near miss with Lily that Lloyd had thwarted. Condensing years into minutes, Chloe laid it all out, while Shirley listened without interruption, absorbing every word.
“...and that’s what brought Lloyd and me to the exhibition today.” Chloe concluded her tale, reaching for her glass of water to soothe her parched throat. She was surprised to find it had grown lukewarm.
“Oh, milady... You’ve... You’ve endured so much!” Shirley managed, before tears overwhelmed her. She broke down into a sobbing mess.
“Shirley?!” Chloe exclaimed.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry...” Shirley struggled through her tears, futilely trying to stem the flow with her hands.
Chloe offered her a handkerchief. “Here, use this.”
“Th-Thank you...” Shirley accepted it, dabbing at her eyes. After a few deep breaths, she composed herself.
“Are you all right, Shirley? I didn’t mean to upset you,” Chloe said, gentle in her concern.
Shirley apologized, her voice shaky. “Hearing about all you went through after I left, it just...hit me hard. But then, you told me about your happy times in the capital, all the wonderful people you met, and I felt relief and joy, and it was all just so much that it simply overflowed...” Shirley took a breath—then slammed her face down onto the table. “Milady, can you ever forgive me? Can you ever forgive me for leaving you back then? The guilt I feel is...indescribable.”
As Shirley’s outburst subsided, a hush fell over their corner of the hall, drawing the curious glances of onlookers. Shirley remained bowed in her silent apology, until Chloe gently urged her to lift her head.
“Shirley, look at me,” Chloe spoke softly.
Beckoned by her former master’s command, Shirley slowly raised her head. She was met with Chloe’s steady, compassionate gaze.
“You had a good reason for leaving, didn’t you?”
“I did,” Shirley admitted, her voice hesitant. Deaths in the family had left her family’s business struggling. She’d returned home to support them—a fact Chloe remembered well.
“Then how could I possibly hold that against you? Besides, I’m in a good place now, surrounded by people who love and care for me. You must apologize for absolutely nothing.”
Chloe’s words were carefully crafted for Shirley’s benefit, to assuage her of her guilt, although she would never confess this. After Shirley left, Chloe’s treatment in Shadaf had been, in a word, appalling. To claim that her younger self completely understood Shirley’s departure and never once saw it as a reflection of her own life filled with cruelty would be a lie. But there was no need to say so now. It belonged to the past. What purpose would it serve to unearth it?
“In fact, I owe you my gratitude. You have no idea how much you saved me, Shirley.”
Words of appreciation, however, should never be omitted, no matter how belated. Chloe owed her life to Shirley. She taught her so much—how to read, write, manage a home, the art of embroidery. Even her bright and positive personality would not have been the same without Shirley’s presence.
Shirley’s expression softened into a smile. “I take it all back, milady. You haven’t changed—not one bit.”
Chloe’s eyes sparkled with mild surprise. “All of it? Even the part where I’ve grown?”
Shirley’s eyes crinkled with amusement as she shook her head. “Well, perhaps not that part. But you’re still the same kindhearted, compassionate girl I’ve always known.”
Something warm and ticklish fluttered in Chloe’s chest, right behind her breastbone, prompting her to shyly avert her gaze.
Then Shirley’s eyes twinkled with a glint of something else entirely. “So, how is married life treating you, milady?”
“Married...life?” Chloe uttered slowly, as if every syllable utterly bewildered her.
“With Mister Lloyd? He is Your Ladyship’s husband, is he not?”
“H-H-H-Husband?!”
“Oh, have I misunderstood something? Oh, dear, I am terribly sorry, milady.”
Chloe quickly shook her head, realizing she hadn’t clarified the nature of her relationship with Lloyd in her story. “No, Lloyd is...my sweetheart. We’ve only been official for about a week.”
“Just a week?!” Shirley couldn’t hide her surprise. “The way you two interacted, I thought you were an old married couple...”
Chloe laughed nervously. “That...isn’t exactly false either.”
Shirley was right on the money. Chloe had spent months living with Lloyd. Though many people had already commented on the strength of their bond, she had only just begun to realize how they must’ve looked to others. “Do we really come across that way?” she added, a touch self-conscious.
Shirley hastily apologized. “It’s just that you both seemed so comfortable around each other, milady. Too comfortable for a pair of new lovebirds...”
Chloe gently shook her head. “Don’t apologize for that,” she said. Not when it makes me so happy, she added in her mind. The fact that she and Lloyd looked so natural together brought a swell of joy to her heart—as well as a feverish heat to her body. To cool down, Chloe brought her cup to her mouth for another sip.
Shirley cupped her hand to her cheek. “But just because Your Ladyship and Mister Lloyd aren’t married—that doesn’t preclude you two from having shared a night of hot, fiery passion, does it?”
Water went everywhere.
Shirley leaped from her seat in alarm. “Oh, milady, are you okay?” She hurried to Chloe’s side, patting her back as Chloe coughed and sputtered.
“I’m fine, I’m fine,” she muttered weakly between coughs. “I just...perhaps never expected such words from you, Shirley.” Chloe’s mind briefly flashed with an image of Sara’s smug grin.
“Given your reaction, would I be correct in assuming you haven’t even kissed him yet?” Shirley ventured gently.
A beat passed. Then, Chloe nodded silently.
WHUMPF. Once again, Shirley’s head forcefully met the wooden table. “Forgive this dirty, dirty adult!”
“Forgive this...what?!” Chloe squeaked, taken aback by Shirley’s sudden act of repentance.
Shirley muttered quietly under her breath, “Of course... Her Ladyship is pure... Untainted... Her love is perfectly innocent... Unlike... Unlike yours...”
A tinge of embarrassment crept up on Chloe. “I...I don’t know about ‘perfectly innocent’...”