Chapter 16 #2
Lady Salford rose from her chair with brisk energy, entirely unaware—or perhaps entirely aware—of the effect her announcement had produced.
“Well then,” she said cheerfully, smoothing the front of her gown. “I must begin preparing at once. I have neglected Lady Harrowby long enough.”
Diana stood as well, instinctively. “You are leaving today?”
“This afternoon.” Lady Salford winked at her. “One must not keep old friends waiting.”
Then she swept from the room with lively determination, leaving behind a silence that felt suddenly enormous.
Diana sat back down slowly. Alexander had not moved, his eyes still fixed on her face. The realization made her pulse stumble.
“You look troubled,” he said at last.
“I am not troubled,” she replied too quickly.
His brow lifted slightly. “Of course you are not.”
She reached for her teacup, more for the sake of occupying her hands than because she wished to drink from it. The porcelain felt warm against her fingers, grounding in its familiarity, yet the simple gesture did little to steady the uneasy stir in her chest.
Peace and quiet, indeed.
The hours slipped past far more quickly than Diana would have liked. The household moved through its ordinary rhythms, servants crossing the corridors, trunks being carried down the staircase as Lady Salford’s cheerful voice rang out while she issued instructions.
When at last the dowager’s carriage rolled down the gravel drive that afternoon, the house felt changed almost immediately. Quieter.
The liveliness Lady Salford had carried with her seemed to vanish the moment the gates closed behind the departing carriage. The echo of her laughter faded into the high ceilings and long hallways of Rosewood House, leaving behind a stillness that felt larger than the building itself.
By late afternoon, the light had softened into a warm golden haze that settled gently across the gardens. Diana sought refuge there instinctively, carrying a book with her as she stepped onto the winding path that led toward the fountain.
The garden had always been her sanctuary.
The air smelled faintly of roses and damp stone, the slow murmur of water from the fountain blending with the quiet rustle of leaves stirred by the breeze. She settled onto the small bench beside the basin and opened her book, letting the familiar weight of it rest in her lap.
For a time, the quiet soothed her.
The pages turned slowly beneath her fingers as she tried to lose herself in the story, letting the steady rhythm of reading calm the restless tension that had followed her since breakfast. In that gentle stillness, the garden felt like a small world apart from the house.
But her thoughts refused to cooperate. They wandered stubbornly back to the house and the quiet that had followed. Back to Alexander.
They were alone.
What would it be like now that there was nothing left to interrupt them? Would he continue to look at her that way across the dinner table? That steady, intent gaze that lingered just long enough to make her pulse quicken?
The thought made Diana press her fingers more firmly against the page of her book.
Closing the book softly, Diana rose from the bench and brushed the folds of her gown smooth as she turned toward the house.
By the time she climbed the staircase and stepped into the long corridor leading to her chambers, the golden light of the garden had begun to fade into the quieter tones of evening.
Her footsteps echoed softly as she reached her bedchamber and pushed the door open.
She froze.
Something enormous sat in the center of her bed. A huge box, with two smaller ones resting beside it, perfectly arranged.
Diana stared, rooted to the threshold. Her mind struggled to catch up with what her eyes were seeing, the sight so unexpected that it left her momentarily frozen in the doorway. Slowly, cautiously, she stepped forward, the soft rustle of her skirts the only sound in the quiet room.
Her fingers reached for the smallest box first. The lid lifted easily beneath her touch.
Inside rested a delicate diamond necklace. The soft sparkle of the stones caught the fading sunlight streaming through the window, scattering tiny glimmers of light across the pale silk lining.
Diana inhaled softly.
Her hand rose instinctively to touch her throat as she imagined the necklace resting there.
The design was simple and graceful, the sort of quiet beauty that did not need extravagance to be noticed.
And it matched perfectly with the earrings she had purchased earlier while shopping with Lady Salford.
Her chest tightened as the realization settled slowly over her. He had noticed.
She opened the second box with trembling fingers.
Inside lay a collection of ribbons. Not ordinary ribbons, but the most beautiful she had ever seen. Soft silks in shades of cream, pale rose, and deep blue were carefully arranged inside the box, each one finer than the last.
Diana touched them gently, her fingertips sliding across the smooth fabric.
Her heart began beating faster.
Slowly, she turned to the largest box. For a moment, she hesitated before lifting the lid, as though she already sensed that whatever waited inside might undo her composure entirely.
Then she opened it, and for a moment she simply stared.
A dress lay inside. Deep sapphire silk, rich and luminous like midnight water beneath the moon. The fabric spilled through her hands when she lifted it, impossibly soft, the cut elegant and flattering in a way that made her breath catch in her throat.
Exquisite.
Diana felt something warm and unfamiliar rise slowly in her chest.
This was not simply generosity. It was attention. Thoughtfulness.
He had listened. He had noticed the things she liked, and he had chosen each piece with that knowledge in mind. Her eyes stung unexpectedly.
A knock sounded at the door, but she barely registered it.
“Come in,” she said absently.
The door opened, and Alexander stepped inside.
He paused when he saw her standing beside the bed, the dress draped across her hands, the open boxes scattered around her. For a moment, he said nothing, his gaze lingering on her face as though reading the quiet storm of emotion written there.
Then slowly, his mouth curved.
“Well,” he said quietly, “you found them.”
Diana looked up at him, and for a moment she could not quite find her voice.
“Do you like them?” he asked.
The question sounded almost casual, but his eyes betrayed uncertainty.
She nodded. “Yes.”
The word felt far too small for what she was actually feeling. No one had ever made her feel so carefully seen before.
Alexander studied her face carefully. Then his smile deepened slightly.
“I am glad.” He stepped closer. “You may have whatever you wish, Diana. I will make certain of it.”
There was something in his gaze that made her too aware of the way she was standing, of her expressions. For a moment, she wondered if he realized what he had done, if he understood how carefully chosen these gifts had been.
Diana forced herself to breathe slowly, aware that if she looked at him for too long, she might say something entirely too revealing.
“Dinner will be ready soon,” Alexander added after a moment, his voice gentler now.
Diana nodded again, still holding the dress. And as they left the room together, the quiet of the house felt very different indeed.