AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Julie?” Evie croaked out in a sleepy voice.
Julie whipped her head toward Evie and visibly relaxed. “There you are!” she exclaimed and stalked toward her.
Reassured that it wasn’t some annoyingly loud burglar, Evie went back to her room and huddled on the bed. “What are you doing here in the middle of the night?” she asked with a yawn.
Julie raised her brow. “The middle of the night?” She walked toward the window and pulled the curtains. Bright sunlight entered the room, making Evie flinch.
“It’s afternoon,” Julie said gently, then went to sit on the edge of the bed. “Darling, I know it must have been difficult losing Peacehaven, but—”
Evie bit her lip and turned away. “You don’t know,” she said, tears burning the backs of her eyes. “I’ve lost everything. Peacehaven was my last link to my grandfather.”
“No, it wasn’t. Your title, your lands, this townhouse, your entire existence is the link to your grandfather. A piece of him will always be in your heart.”
Evie took a pillow and covered her face with it. “I don’t need a lecture right now,” she mumbled against the pillow, jumbling her words.
“What?” Julie laughed at the incoherent sound.
Evie removed a pillow from her face. “I said, this is the reason why I locked myself in here. I don’t need to feel bad for feeling bad. I just want to be left alone.”
A frown appeared between Julie’s brows. She looked at Evie carefully, her gaze settling on Evie’s puffy face and unkempt hair. “Evie, it has been over a fortnight. Gabriel came to us this morning at his wit’s end. He says you don’t return his notes, and the servants say you don’t get out of the house. Gabriel said he promised not to bother you, so he hasn’t called upon you, but he is worried.”
Evie let out a deep breath. “I don’t want to cause you worry. Either of you. I just needed to spend some time alone. But I am well, I promise.”
“Then you will come to our dinner party on the morrow?” Julie’s face brightened visibly, and Evie plastered a tight smile on her face.
“Yes, I shall.”
* * *
Clydesdale’s dinner was an unremarkable affair. The food was bland, the conversation boring, and more importantly, Evie was sitting a few seats away from him. Didn’t Julie know the sole reason he’d come here was to talk to his wife? And it got even worse from there.
Evie was smiling openly at every gentleman she talked with, and it grated on Gabriel’s nerves. For one thing, the smile was absolutely feigned. He had learned to discern that much. When she smiled earnestly, her eyes lit up like a million stars. Now they were hollow, cold, indifferent.
But that wasn’t the main thing that grated on him. The main thing was that she smiled at him that same way. After knowing her real smile, this one was like an insult. He’d rather she screamed and wailed her frustrations, beat him in the chest, or slapped him hard across the face than see that smile, which meant she was treating Gabriel just like everybody else.
She couldn’t have changed her mind so quickly about him, could she? She’d told him she loved him just a fortnight ago. Surely those feelings didn’t go away so quickly. It was one thing if she avoided his gaze or refused to talk to him. Then at least, he’d know that she was angry with him. But no, she treated him just like every other man.
After dinner, the guests collected in the drawing room for entertainment and games. Gabriel saw Evie silently sneak out of the room, and he followed her a few moments later.
Gabriel looked around the hall but didn’t see Evie anywhere. He knew this house like the back of his hand, and Evie most likely did, too. So he approached the most likely room she would choose to hide in. He passed several doors and opened the one on the left.
The room was sparsely illuminated by a lone candle and the lit hearth. Evie was sitting in the chair, her head thrown back, eyes closed, her neck bare to his gaze. Gabriel quietly ventured farther into the room, observing as her chest rose and fell with every measured breath. The floor creaked, and Evie sharply turned to look at him.
“It is just me.” Gabriel held his hands up as if in surrender.
“Oh.” She seemed to relax, so at least she still felt comfortable around him. “What are you doing here?”
“I just wanted to speak with you.”
“Of course.” She stiffened her spine and placed her hands on her lap, a picture of propriety. If he’d not known her taste, the feel of her as she writhed beneath him, he’d never guess by her icy demeanor today what a passionate creature she was.
He tilted his head to the chair opposite hers. “May I sit?”
“Please.”
Gabriel settled comfortably in the chair, looking around and straining to find a topic of conversation.
“Mr. Cromwell,” he finally pushed past his dry throat. “He seems to be settling well within my household. The rest of the servants too.”
