“Is this because of Alfred?” Elsbeth asked, her tone edged with suspicion.
Her mother sighed again, her frustration clear. “You have despised Alfred from the moment I married him. He’s a decent man and he saved us from financial ruin. Yet you refuse to see his goodness.”
“He has secrets, Mother.”
“So do we all,” her mother countered. “But you’ve never tried to understand him. You’ve let your disdain blind you.”
Elsbeth’s lips pressed into a thin line. “But what if he’s like Father? What if he’s deceiving us all?”
“Alfred is nothing like your father. Trust me when I say this.”
Before Elsbeth could respond, the butler stepped into the room, his demeanor composed. “Lord Westcott has come to call on Lady Elsbeth.”
Elsbeth froze, her heart lurching. “Send him away,” she instructed.
Her mother raised a hand to halt the butler. “Wait,” she said, her gaze on her daughter. “Are you certain you want to do this?”
Elsbeth looked down at her lap, her emotions in turmoil. “I don’t want to speak to him.”
“I understand that you’re hurt,” her mother said. “But I would be blind not to notice the growing connection between you two.”
Elsbeth’s voice was barely a whisper. “He offered me employment, Mother.”
“Perhaps it was a misunderstanding.”
“You don’t accidentally offer to hire someone,” Elsbeth muttered.
As Elsbeth turned to instruct the butler to send Lord Westcott away, the infuriating man strode into the room uninvited,his expression a mixture of determination and something softer—something almost pleading.
“I know you don’t want to see me, and I don’t blame you,” Niles began, his voice rushed. “But please, you must hear me out.”
Elsbeth’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Very well,” she said. “Say what you wish to say and then leave.”
Niles’s gaze met hers and she caught a flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. A stark contrast to his usual air of confidence. Something about him felt... different. “May we take a turn around your gardens?”
“I don’t think that is a good idea…” she began, but he interrupted.
“Please, Elsbeth.”
His sincerity gave her pause, and though her mind urged her to refuse, her heart betrayed her. “All right,” she said, rising from her seat. “But it is cold outside, so I do not wish to lollygag.”
Without waiting for his response, she brushed past him, her skirts whispering against the polished floor as she made her way to the entry hall. The butler stood ready with her cloak, which she draped over her shoulders before stepping outside. The brisk morning air greeted her with an icy sting, biting at her cheeks and nose.
Niles followed close behind, his boots crunching softly against the gravel path as they walked towards the gardens. They moved in silence for a time, and the only sound was the occasional rustle of bare branches in the breeze. Finally, Niles clasped his hands behind his back and broke the stillness.
“I wanted to apologize for what I said earlier,” he said. “It was wrong of me.”
Elsbeth stopped abruptly, turning to face him. “Then why did you say it?”
He exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the chilly air. “I wastrying to find a way to help you,” he admitted. “In my overzealousness, I failed to think through the repercussions of what I was asking.”
Her brow furrowed as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You offered me employment,” she said, her tone curt. “Did you not realize how insulting that was?”
Niles had the decency to look ashamed. “I never meant to insult you.”
“But you did,” she retorted. “You made me feel as though that was all I was worth.”
“Heavens, no,” he said, his voice rising with urgency. “I wasn’t thinking that at all. I only wanted to keep you safe, Elsbeth. That’s all. You must believe me.”
