My smile must not have been very convincing, for Julia wrapped an arm around mine and pulled me to her side. “You must know both David and I will miss you. I was harsh to you the first time we met, and while I don’t take back those words, I do regret them. Evenin the short time I’ve come to know you, I can see why David thinks so highly of you.”
I nodded, feeling numb. Somewhere over the course of the last few days, I’d gotten used to the idea that I’d be moving into Tate Hall, and now it seemed as though that might not happen. How was I supposed to help Julia when we’d only just begun to know each other?
I felt hollow, as though I were watching our conversation from a position above us. I didn’t want to go back to being a lonely spinster living with her widowed mother on less money than we needed. I didn’t want to be friendless again.
Julia cleared her throat. “You must be parched and frozen from your walk. Would you like some tea? David rode on horseback, so the carriage will be free to take you home after we visit.”
I nodded again, unable to think of a reply. When had Julia become the one out of the two of us to know how to carry on a conversation?
I’d become lost the moment I’d heard David was in Lincolnshire. In Lincolnshire, there was no David, Julia, or the Mortensens. It was bound to be a dreary place.
“Julia—” David’s voice rang out from somewhere inside the house. “I’m home.”
I closed my eyes to a sudden rush of desire to hear David calling my name in that familiar manner whenever he walked through that door.
It was a ridiculous thought.
The door to the drawing room opened, and David stepped in, disheveled, with his coat half on, and enough stubble on his cheeks to make him look older than his twenty-three years.
He didn’t notice me. “I think I’ve found a place for Anna, and she will be able to move there even sooner than expected.”
His voice bounced off the walls without a hint of sadness. His relief and joy at finding me a place far from here left me suddenly bereft. If I could have disappeared through the floorboards, I would have happily done it.
Julia’s eyes widened, and she tipped her head toward me.
David’s grin disappeared, and with it, so did any hope that he wanted me to stay longer in Breckenridge. Finding me a place to live had been an item on his list, and he was even more anxious to cross that one off than he had been about the stolen kisses.
“Anna ...” he started, running his hands through his hair. He groaned. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were here.”
Yes, he’d made that quite clear when he’d enthusiastically declared how eager he was to be rid of me.
I stood, my legs unsteady. My embarrassment of him finding me in a tree was nothing compared to what I was feeling now. “I can go.”
“No,” both he and Julia said at the same time. David turned to his sister, a strange look of pleading on his face.
Julia took my hand in hers and pulled me back down to the sofa. “You need to have tea first, and it will take some time for the carriage to be prepared; we can’t ask you to walk home. Please, stay.”
David nodded. “I’ll be back shortly.” He rubbed a hand down his unshaven face. “Let me make myself more presentable, and then I’d like to tell you what I’ve found.”
David strode out of the room, and Julia pulled me toward the table. “It sounds as though David’s trip was a success.” She squeezed my hand. “Helping you has made him as happy as I’ve seen him in years. I’m certain he will be relieved to have a more permanent solution for you and your mother.”
“Yes,” I said in response, having trouble finding my voice.
A servant brought the tea, and then a few minutes later, David opened the door again, this time clean-shaven and clothes in impeccable order.
He glanced at me but went first to Julia and kissed the top of her head. “It is good to be home.”
She smiled up at him. “It is always good to have you home.”
I held my breath and waited to see if he would greet me similarly, but he didn’t. Of course he didn’t. No one here thought we were engaged.
He sat and turned to me. “How have you been, Anna?”
I forced a smile. At least he wasn’t calling me Miss Atwood. “I’ve been well. I visited the Mortensens before coming here.”
David’s mouth curved into a smile. “They are a great family and an asset to the estate. We are lucky to have them.”
Julia nodded in agreement, and I did as well. A lot of agreeing occurred over our tea, but with no mention of David’s errand, nor of what he accomplished there.
