“I’ll find Mr. Ashby,” she responded as I left her there.
Elizabeth greeted me when I approached them. She handed me a drink from the table beside her. “Are you enjoying yourself?” she asked.
I glanced at Graham. “I am. You two seem…to be having a good time.” Could I sound more jealous? My face probably betrayed my thoughts louder than I could have shouted it. “I mean, I’m glad to see you so happy.” I raised my glass to Graham and then drank deeply.
“This place is a real home,” Graham responded. “Ye’ll see, the longer yer here, how easy it is to feel comfortable.”
“No, I do. I do see that.” Smiling felt like a lie, but my lips stretched out anyway.
We fell into a tense silence, and it lasted so long I couldn’t bear it. I said goodbye and practically ran to find Patrice again. When I found her, my heart beat wildly because next to her stood Mr. Ashby. I had deliberately avoided him since we’d left the big house. I knew she had gone to find him, but in my haste to leave that awkward situation with Graham, I’d forgotten.
“Yer back,” Patrice commented dryly. She raised an eyebrow.
I shook my head once, indicating I didn’t want to talk about it. “Have you tried any of the food yet?”
“Aye, take a bite of this.” She shoved a piece of sweet bread at me.
“Oh my heavens, it’s incredible!” I said after tasting it.
“And this, too,” Mr. Ashby offered me a slice of what I assumed must be fruit. It was pink with green skin. When our eyes met, I swallowed. He did not look at me any differently than usual. It washis typical kind, accepting gaze. He was simply offering me a slice of fruit, as if it had been any normal day.
I took it, biting the slice in the center. It was equally sweet and tart, and utterly unique. Of course, it had hints of other kinds of fruit—like citrus or pineapple—but it was wholly different. I met Mr. Ashby’s gaze with enthusiasm. “It’s delicious!” I said.
He grinned, nodding. “It is my favorite. I’m glad you like it.”
“What’s it called?”
“Guava.”
I repeated the word and found it enjoyable to say. “Guava. Guava.” Grinning, I took another bite and looked at Mr. Ashby. He was chuckling at me. “What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing, it’s just good to see you happy.”
That answer was so like him. He always seemed to be concerned for my welfare and constantly found ways to put a smile on my face. As we stared at each other, I found myself wanting to clear the air between us. If we both knew that what had happened had been a mistake, we could put it behind us and continue being friends like before. I didn’t want to lose his friendship because we’d both been caught up in a moment of vulnerability. Besides, trying to avoid him seemed foolhardy.
“Can we talk for a moment?” I asked him, glancing at Patrice. She understood, so she excused herself before Mr. Ashby could reply.
He watched her go and then gave me his full attention. I took a step closer to him so we wouldn’t be overheard. “I know we agreed to not speak about this morning…”
He looked away, but I pulled his attention back by continuing. “But I needed to say just one thing.” His eyes connected with mine, and the stern look in them had my heart pounding. I swallowed to find the right words. “I don’t want to lose you.”
Mr. Ashby didn’t respond verbally, but his eyes softened as he seemed to truly hear me. He looked down, then nodded. “I don’t either. So let’s…” He met my eyes again. “Continue on how we were before.”
I smiled at him, clasping my hands in front of me. “Yes, that is just what I wished to say.”
He looked away and laughed lightly, nodding again. “Well, I do know you very well. You can trust that I will never abandon you. If you need me, I will always be here.”
“Always?” I raised one eyebrow.
His laugh was full. “Yes, always.”
We regarded each other fondly and I noticed how well he looked tonight. He had shaven closely, and had even cut his hair shorter so it was styled differently. Instead of tying it back, he had it down. The length was just past his ears and it suited him quite well. I almost said as much, but Patrice joined us again with another glass of something for me.
“Ye seem better friends now,” she commented.
I grinned at Mr. Ashby. “Yes, we’ve made up. Now, to never quarreling again.” I held up my glass and clinked his. I wouldn’t exactly call what we’d donequarreling, but we hadn’t parted as friends, certainly.
Things were back to how they ought to have been. I was friends with Mr. Ashby and devoted to Graham. Now to focus all my energy on that man whom I had been waiting on my entire life…
