Olivia turned to glance at him, and he caught the flicker of warmth in her eyes—the silent acknowledgment, the gratitude. Her lips curved in a private smile meant only for him, and for a moment, it felt like the world tilted back into balance.
“Thank you, Evander,” she said softly.
He returned the smile, but there was no time to dwell on it. He turned his attention back to his father. “Lord Harwood has offered to buy our indigo plantation,” he shared. “Perhaps we should consider his offer.”
His father looked at him as though he’d grown a second head. “You cannot be in earnest,” he snapped. “We stand to lose a fortune if we sell it now.”
Evander met his gaze without flinching. “But we stand to lose more if we keep it, considering I have heard of Bryon’s ill-treatment of the peasants.”
“I would not give much heed to those rumors. They are vastly exaggerated,” his father replied. “Bryon assured me that he was treating the peasants fairly.”
“And you believed him?”
His father shrugged. “I had no reason to suspect otherwise.”
The dinner bell chimed in the distance, alerting them of the time.
The earl glanced at the mantel clock. “I told your mother I would dine with her this evening,” he said stiffly. “We will continue this discussion another time. Perhaps, with time, you’ll come to your senses.”
He strode from the room without a backward glance, and silence fell in his wake.
Evander exhaled and turned to Olivia. She had folded her arms, though the tension in her shoulders had softened.
“Thank you,” she said, “for standing up for me.”
“I always will. Even when you’re wrong.”
She arched a brow. “You think I’m wrong?”
He smirked. “Not this time. But eventually, there will come a moment when you’re entirely mistaken. And I look forward to being there when it happens.”
She laughed then, just as he had intended. How he loved her laugh. It was a sound that he could get lost in.
He offered his arm. “It would seem we’re dining alone this evening.”
“I prefer that,” she said, slipping her hand into the crook of his arm.
“So do I. But,” he added teasingly, “you’ll have to improve your conversational skills. I can’t be the only one carrying the weight of stimulating dialogue.”
She gave him a look. “My conversational skills are just fine, thank you.”
“So says you.”
“No one has ever complained before.”
He began leading her out of the study. “That’s because you’re beautiful. People rarely argue with beautiful people.”
She gave him a sidelong glance. “You truly think I’m beautiful?”
He didn’t hesitate. “I always have.”
“I don’t feel beautiful.”
Evander slowed, and his hand shifted slightly, bringing her closer. “Then you haven’t seen the way I look at you. To me, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.”
Her eyes searched his, as if she were looking for the truthfulness of his words. Let her look. He had nothing to hide. Well, almost nothing. There was one truth he hadn’t dared speak. That he loved her. And that truth… he kept buried.
Until he was brave enough to tell her the true extent of his feelings.
