AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Julia?” Lily spoke up, her voice tinged with interest. Belle caught her giving her a curious look. “Do you see what I see?”
“It looks as if Hannah is blushing, Lily,” Julia said, peering closer at Hannah.
Belle resisted the urge to look down at her emptying plate, wanting to avoid their inquisitive eyes. “It’s nothing,” she said, feigning nonchalance. “It’s only that I suffered from a terrible fever as well when I first broke my ankle. Stephen stayed with me throughout the night and I was told that I said quite a few embarrassing things.”
“Like what?” Julia asked enthusiastically.
Belle shook her head. “I don't remember,” she fibbed. “I was too ashamed to ask.”
Lily shot her sister a look. Julia returned it. Belle rose her brows at the both of them.
“What is it?” she asked.
Lily looked at Belle and pulled back her shoulders, her lips twitching. “It appears to the both of us that Stephen might fancy you, Hannah.”
“W…what makes you say something like that?”
“I first noticed it during supper last night,” Julia said. “He wouldn't stop looking at you and he seemed as if he was hanging on every word you said.”
“That’s nonsense,” Belle said, waving her hand dismissively. But she had noticed it as well. Every move he made, every word he spoke, had her sitting up in attention and Belle didn’t miss how often his eyes would settle on her.
“I noticed it far before that,” Lily said. “But last night truly confirmed it for me.”
“There’s nothing to confirm,” Belle said strongly, though she had the distinct feeling she wasn’t getting through to the girls. “We’ve grown into friends since he helped me a few days ago, but that’s it.”
“Then why does he come to see you so often?”
“A sense of duty, perhaps? Or he is only curious about my welfare?”
“We’ll see,” Lily said simply, and she left it at that.
Belle didn’t want to continue talking about it either. If she did, she was afraid she’d end up giving herself away. It would be much more difficult trying to convince the girls that Stephen didn’t fancy her when she made it clear that she liked him.
“I think I’ve eaten enough,” she announced. “I’d like to try walking now.”
“If you wish.” Lily rose as Julia removed the tray from Belle’s lap. The older sister took Belle by the arm and helped her come to a stand. Hannah gently lowered her injured leg onto the floor, testing for pain.
“Do you feel anything?” Lily asked. Julia, once again, climbed onto the bed.
“Not yet.” Belle placed her entire foot on the floor and then she centered her balance. A jolt of pain shot through her ankle and she hissed.
“This isn’t going to work,” Julia said from behind. “You need to rest some more before you attempt that again.”
Belle nodded, disappointment coursing through her. She’d already grown excited at the prospect of being able to walk sooner than she expected, but it was false hope. She was foolish to think she could recover so quickly after only a few days.
Lily helped her back into the bed and Julia got her leg settled comfortably.
“Could you read me some more poetry?” Belle asked Lily.
Lily’s face lit up. “I would love to. Let me go fetch it.”
Belle watched both the sisters leave, Julia taking Belle’s finished plates to the kitchen. Once they were gone, she sighed and rested her head on the wall behind her. A range of emotions coursed through her at once, from frustration to curiosity to a hint of glee.
Lily and Julia’s words lingered in her mind.
Does Stephen truly fancy me like they say?
She smiled at the thought, her heart pounding as she remembered how he had kissed her in the abandoned home—how he had almost kissed her just yesterday. Surely that meant he felt something?
