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It was never going to be Beresford, but Faith was discovering that Fowlmere had its own charms, and its own opportunities to shine. To her surprise, she was even excited about them, far more so than planning a tour of some foreign land. This was her home, her heritage, at last. And, for the first time, she wanted to share that with other people.
‘So...you think you’ll be staying, then?’ Sylvia asked.
Suspicion started to prickle at the back of Faith’s neck. ‘Yeah, it seems like it. Look, Sylvia, not that it’s not lovely to hear from you, but was there something that you actually wanted?’
Sylvia sighed down the phone line. ‘He’s miserable without you.’
‘No. He’s safe without me. Respectable. Just like he wanted.’
‘He was wrong.’ Hope tugged at her heart at Sylvia’s words, but Faith stamped it back down.
‘I can’t imagine him saying that.’ Or even admitting it to himself.
‘Maybe not. But I’m his sister. I know these things. So, you know, bear it in mind.’
Bear it in mind? What did that even mean?
But then a car pulled up on the driveway, just across from the field where she stood, and Faith knew, even before he got out of the car, exactly who the driver was.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
‘BETWEEN YOU AND your sister, this is all starting to feel a little stalkery,’ Faith said, folding her arms over her chest as she reached the car.
‘My sister?’ Dominic asked, cursing Sylvia mentally in his head. This was all her fault, somehow. If it hadn’t been for her with her insinuations and questions the day before, he’d never have felt the strange compulsion that led him to check up on Faith. Just to make sure she was okay. And maybe, a little bit, to find out what was making her stay at Fowlmere. ‘What did she do?’
‘She called. Apparently to check I was still here.’
‘And you thought I’d asked her to do that?’ Dominic asked.
Faith raised her eyebrows and indicated his presence. ‘Not looking entirely far-fetched. Except that I’d have expected it to take you longer to get here.’
‘I didn’t ask her to call. I imagine she was just concerned for your wellbeing and wanted to see how you are. She’s nice like that.’ Which sounded much better than, She’s overly invested in our non-existent relationship.
‘Which still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.’
‘You wouldn’t believe the same?’ She raised her eyebrows at him. He got the message. ‘Fine. I heard you were still here at Fowlmere. And I didn’t want to leave things between us as they were. The papers seem to have lost interest, so—’
‘So it was safe to come see me. I get it.’ There didn’t seem much point denying that one.
‘I thought maybe you might need some help.’ He hadn’t been able to get the image of her, confined by evening wear, desperation in her eyes, out of his head. He needed to know she was still here because she wanted to be. Not because she didn’t have any other options. ‘Word is that you’re trying to renovate the Fowlmere estate. Open it for business, like Beresford.’
‘I’m not trying to do anything. I am doing.’
‘Right. I just...I didn’t expect you to stay this long.’ Not voluntarily, anyway.
‘You mean you didn’t expect me to stay at all.’ She looked away, staring out across the fields at some guy with a tape measure. ‘Maybe something of what you said stuck. Maybe I’m done with running away.’
‘Really.’ Stood to reason she wouldn’t decide to stay somewhere until after she’d run away from him.
‘You don’t believe me.’ She didn’t give him time to answer. ‘Well, it doesn’t matter what you believe. You, or your sister, or the papers, or my parents’ friends. I’m back and I’m staying.’
‘Why?’ Dominic asked, just like he had on the balcony. Would this woman ever stop making him question things?
‘Because I found something to stay for,’ she said simply, and Dominic stared at the open truth in her face.
She’d found a reason to stay. But it wasn’t him. It was never him.
‘You were right about one thing,’ Faith said. ‘Pretending to be someone else, living in hiding, that wasn’t being me. I’m Lady Faith Fowlmere, and nothing I do or say will change that. And nobody can take it away from me, either. So I’m here, where I belong. I’m making my own place in the world, not looking for it everywhere else.’
His heart weighed heavy in his chest. He wanted to be happy to see her so free, so alive again. But he couldn’t help wish she could have found that happiness with him.
