Reborn Wife: I'll Chase Happiness Instead of My Husband Chapter 33: Troubled Heart

SOPHIA

"He might not have been aware of her status," said my mother. "You two have only been married for three months. And he wasn’t here most of the ti."

"But we’ve known knew each other since we were children, right? Surely Daisy accompanied even then. He would have to know her."

"You have a point." She tapped her bottom lip. "I’ll make inquiries. You should send him a letter and ask where she is. Even if it were a mistake to fire her, there’s no reason you can’t bring her back."

"You’re right. And thank you for your help, Mother."

Mother patted my shoulder. "Of course."

"Rest well," I said. "I’ll bring you so tea cakes from the village."

"’Sophia, you rember the tea cakes!"

"I ... do?"

Mother drew to the couch and we sat together. "The Willowmarches are the benefactors of Velvetleaf, that’s the village. They own most of the surrounding farms and woods. And nearly all of the businesses in Velvetleaf. Willowmarch n have been part of the military for the last hundred years, so the Willowmarch won have been left to run Amaranth Manor, the farms, and the village businesses. I spent practically your whole life teaching you everything from accounting to party planning so you’d be up to the task."

"But what about the tea cakes?"

"I’m getting to that. The Pagemoores live on the other side of the village. We have our own land, though we’ve never fard it. We’re scholars, always have been. We’re not as high in the societal heirarchy as the Willowmarches, but you were still a good match for Jace. In any case, your grandfather and his grandfather decided to arrange the marriage when you two were children. Primarily because, when you were five years old, you ran into the Willowmarch ho and demanded to marry the boy in the garden."

"I demanded to marry Jace?"

"What other boy would be in the garden?" My mother chuckled. "But like I told you before, Sophia. Marriages are transactional. In fact, a marital bond built on mutual benefits and tolerance will last far longer than one built on the sand trap that is love."

"It doesn’t sound like I had much of choice."

"You’re a woman. We rarely have choices."

"What do the tea cakes have to do with any of what you told ?"

"Everything I told you could potentially spark a mory for you. Where we lived, the village where you attended your early schooling, Amaranth Manor where you spent many sumrs running barefoot in the back garden."

"Does the oak tree have a special significance?"

Mother shook her head. "Not that I know of. In any case, you adored the tea cakes made by Mrs. Spool. She ran the little tea shop near the school you attended. In particular, a rose-strawberry dessert in the shape of a heart. You always ca ho with one. It was only later that Mrs. Spool told those cakes were sold as a pair. You must’ve eaten one on the walk ho and saved the other for after dinner."

Nothing of what my mother said sparked a mory. "I don’t think I ntioned tea cakes for any particular reason."

"You shouldn’t dismiss the subconscious mind. You could’ve said you wanted to bring ho sandwiches or candied hawthorn, right?"

"That’s true. Does Mrs. Spool still sell the tea cakes?"

"She’s passed on since then, but her daughter and granddaughter run the shop now. It’s possible they still make it. Though your father and brothers and myself don’t spend much ti at Chapter House. We live in our house in the Capital. It’s more convenient."

But ... I’d only married Jace three months ago. My entire family lived in the Capital. All, but . "Did I live at Chapter House by myself?"

"Well, you lived there with Daisy and the other servants."

"For how long?"

"Not long after Jace returned. You kept busy. You were planning the wedding and doing ... er, other stuff. I encouraged you to spend ti with Jace, but he’d brought that harlot back with him. I honestly worried he might dump you for her."

"Why didn’t he?"

"That’s a question for him if you really want the answer. Since he married you, I hardly think it matters at this point." Mother took my hands and squeezed. "You must be making progress. Perhaps you’ll wake up tomorrow and rember everything."

"It’s certainly possible. Why don’t you go rest, Mother? I’ll buy tea cakes. Maybe going to the village will help break the amnesia."

"I hope so." Mother left, and I stayed on the couch processing everything she had told .

I might not have my mories back, but I was getting a clearer picture of what my life must’ve be like. And honestly, it didn’t sound like it was happy existence. My thoughts were jumbled, so I went into the study and took out paper and pen. I jotted down my observances.

1. My family left alone with the servants and moved to the Capital. Presumably because my fiance had returned and the expectation was that we would spend ti together as a couple. (This was not the case.)

2. I spent my life learning how to be a Willowmarch wife. I could rember how things worked and access knowledge I had gained. It was the people and places that had ultimately shaped that were missing from my mind.

3. Jace and Penelope’s relationship was unclear. He had lied about her being my lady’s companion. Why? What did he want to cover-up? Was Penelope really his mistress?

4. It appeared I had been abandoned by everyone. My parents. Siblings. Husband. Did I have friends? Did I have hobbies? Did I have any happiness at all?

5. The doctor had particularly ntioned the Stoneharts. Why? How did they fit into the puzzle of my life?

I looked over the list and sighed. I had more questions than answers, but the hour was getting late and I still needed to go to the village. I picked one of the kitchen maids to go with .

We set off in the carriage, headed toward the village of Velvetleaf.