A Wallflower's Folly: Fated for a Rogue , Book 1 (Fortunes of Fate 6)
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“Fine.” Isabella heaved another exasperated breath. “I’m afraid of settling, of consigning myself to a dull life, either married or not. I’m afraid of missing happiness because I cannot see it, or of making a wrong decision that takes me away from what I need the most.” A certain level of relief slid down her spine from the admission. Too long she’d carried it around with her.
Madame Zeta nodded and the spangles over her forehead twinkled. “Happiness is a feeling that comes from within and being content with your place in the world. It is not something you plan for.”
“How will I know whatever decision I make will lead to happiness?”
“You will know in your heart.”
She sighed. That told her nothing. “None of my suitors make me happy.”
“Then they are not for you. Also, do not depend on a man to bring you happiness. Find it in yourself.”
“Myself is boring.” Isabella stared at the fortune teller. “I long for adventure, for something delicious and scandalous before I become an old maid.”
“Then go in search of it.” Madame Zeta shrugged. “Those things are always in the offing.”
“Perhaps, but when spoken aloud, it sounds silly and impractical.” Perhaps I’m just the dullest of the Fortescue girls. Louisa had married and reformed a roguish viscount. Mariana was on the verge of bringing a duke’s son up to scratch. And she? Well, she had dismissed a whole parlor full of men because none of them made her heart flutter or seem like they fit in with a forever-type scenario.
“Silly is good for the mind, child. Everything else, pain and heartache—even joy—builds character. They forge the soul into who we need it to be and equip it to survive the life we choose.”
Back to a choice again. Isabella frowned. “I will still be myself regardless of what I do or where I go.”
Madame Zeta nodded. “Perhaps, but each choice will make you grow into the person you will ultimately become.”
“What if I’m happy with the person I am now?” Talking in riddles made no sense to her.
“If you were happy with her, you wouldn’t have come to see me today.” Amusement sparkled in the gypsy’s eyes. “You are obstinate. That clutters your path.”
A laugh escaped Isabella. “You have no idea.”
“I think I might.” A wide grin curved the other woman’s lips, brightening her face. “Remember, miss, sometimes folly is a good thing; I highly encourage it. For folly can bring about exactly the path you might be missing.”
“Yet you cannot tell me what that might be.” It wasn’t a question.
“I cannot. You must discover it yourself.” Then the smile faded. “Might I ask you a question, miss?”
“Of course.” Isabella leaned forward.
“In your travels between London and here, have you seen a young lady with creamy skin, a mixed race woman? I have been searching for her and wish terribly to find her.” Wistfulness combined with grief in her brown eyes that spoke of a story.
“I have not. Is she important?”
“Invaluable.” Then the gypsy shook her head. “I will prevail. On one of the paths before me, I will meet her.”
“How do you know?” Isabella almost envied the woman.
“I have faith that everything will come about as it should.” Again, she lifted an eyebrow. “So should you.”
“Best wishes,” Isabella murmured as she stood.
“To you as well, miss.” Then the gypsy waved a hand toward the rear of her wagon. “Take a trinket as a memento of your time with me.”
“Thank you.” As she sorted through jewelry and other baubles over two trays, another woman asked the gypsy to read her palm.
Finally, Isabella selected a small gold pin that, at first glance, resembled the opened petals of a rose, but when she took a second glance, it looked like interwoven threads without a clear beginning or ending.
Louisa scoffed from behind her. “I’m quite certain that isn’t real gold.”
“It doesn’t need to be. I think it pretty.” She quickly pinned the brooch to her bodice beneath her spencer and grinned. “Now, let us go enjoy the remainder of the fair. I’m of a mind to eat something oh so bad for me and perhaps indulge in a lark that will make me laugh.”
The fortune was a great joke, of course. No one could know another’s future, but it was interesting to contemplate. After today, she would retire from the Marriage Mart and make inroads into finding a scandal before spinsterhood overtook her.
USA Today Bestselling author Amanda Mariel dreams of days gone by when life moved at a slower pace. She enjoys taking pen to paper and exploring historical time periods through her imagination and the written word. When she is not writing she can be found reading, crocheting, traveling, practicing her photography skills, or spending time with her family.
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