Her gaze fell to the gravel path. “It doesn’t matter, does it?” she murmured. “You’re going to leave here one day, and we won’t see each other again.”
Niles stepped closer, closing the space between them. “I don’t accept that.”
She lifted her gaze to meet his. “It doesn’t matter what you accept. It’s the truth. You have a life beyond this village. You’re destined for great things, and I… I’ll remain here. Perhaps it would be best to accompany Charles to his country estate.”
“I don’t trust your cousin.”
“I know,” Elsbeth replied. “And he doesn’t trust you either. It seems no one trusts anyone around here.”
“Do you trust me?”
A weak smile came to her lips. “I do. You’re the only one who believes in me. Everyone else thinks I’m mad for my obsession with my stepfather and his secrets.”
Niles stepped closer still, forcing her to tilt her head to look up at him. His presence was overwhelming, his nearness igniting a warmth in the frigid air. “I don’t think you’re mad,” he said softly. “I think you’re determined. Stubborn. But moreimportantly, I see you. The real you. The one you keep hidden from the world.”
“Niles…”
He spoke over her. “Please forgive me for my thoughtlessness. I don’t want to lose you over this.”
She studied his face, the rawness in his eyes speaking volumes. He was in earnest, and she couldn’t deny the sincerity of his words. “You won’t lose me.”
“Good,” he replied, his voice heavy with emotion. “Because I wasn’t ready for you, Elsbeth. But here you are, and somewhere, at some moment, you became my favorite coincidence.”
“What are you saying, Niles?”
“I don’t rightly know, but I?—”
Niles was abruptly cut off by the sound of Charles’s booming, irate voice. “I thought I told you to stay away from Lord Westcott!”
Elsbeth spun around to face her cousin, who was storming towards them with a thunderous expression. His fists were clenched at his sides, and his jaw was set as though he were barely containing his anger.
“We were just taking a turn around the gardens,” she said.
“Is that what you were doing?” Charles’s tone dripped with disbelief. “Because from where I stood, you two looked entirely too familiar with one another.”
Elsbeth tilted her chin. “Well, you would be wrong.”
Charles came to an abrupt stop directly in front of Niles, his glare unwavering. He pointed a finger at him, his voice sharp. “You will stay away from Elsbeth.”
Niles stood his ground. “No,” he replied simply. “Lady Elsbeth and I are friends, and that is her decision to make, not yours.”
Friends.
The word echoed in Elsbeth’s mind. Friends. Why did thatword sting so deeply? Why had she dared to hope that he might see her as more?
Charles stepped closer to Niles. “I should challenge you to a duel.”
Niles raised a brow, his voice steady and without a hint of hesitation. “Name the time and place.”
“Enough!” Elsbeth snapped. Both men turned to look at her, startled by her outburst.
“There will be no duel,” she continued, glaring at both of them. “You’re behaving like insolent children, and I refuse to be a part of this. Good day to both of you.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and marched back towards the manor. She kept her head high, refusing to let either of them see the turmoil churning inside her.
Why had she hoped for something more? Why had she allowed herself to believe, even for a moment, that Niles might care for her as anything beyond a friend? She clenched her fists at her sides, willing herself not to cry.
As she neared the manor, Niles’s words lingered in her mind, replaying over and over like a cruel taunt.
