Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Goodness, I should have worn better boots.
Evelyn grimaced as she hobbled up the porch steps of the manor and into the cool shade of the entrance hall.
When Selina had pulled her to the side earlier to ask her to join an afternoon promenade, she had expected a short, easy wander through the gardens; she had not thought they would be traipsing through the woodland.
It had been beautiful, her eyes eagerly darting this way and that, spotting the large variety of birds and creatures that existed within that peaceful world. But she wished she had been more suitably attired for the occasion.
This dress is quite ruined, she lamented, staring down at the muddied hem.
She chewed her lip in consternation, wondering if she ought to find the laundry and ask if anyone could help, or whether she should keep the dress hidden until she could return to London.
She did not want to impose on anyone, but nor did she have many other dresses with her, not for the daytime at least.
Deciding that she would be bold and go to the laundry, she had just reached one of the hallways that branched off from the entrance hall, when she felt something catch her hand and a blur went by her.
A moment later, she was being dragged down the hallway and through a door, into the nearest room. It appeared to be a study of some kind with pristine views across the lawns, but it was not at all where she was supposed to be.
“What are you doing?” she gasped, staring up into the lively blue eyes of Hugo.
She pulled her hand free of his and staggered backward, her other hand flying to her chest in a vain attempt to ease her thundering heart.
Had he taken leave of his senses, pulling her into an empty room?
Did he want to cause a scandal? True, she had escaped any mention of herself in the scandal sheets after the toad incident, but she might not be so lucky a second time.
“Apologies for the abruptness,” he said with a smile, “but I had to speak with you alone.”
“Whatever for?” she croaked, as her heart fluttered to a somewhat different rhythm, one that left her breathless.
What reason could there possibly be? Her mind sparked with impossible suggestions, her neck prickling as if he were brushing his fingertips across her skin once more, her stomach twisting itself into anxious knots.
Of course, she had considered that he would be a solution to her problems, but he did not think of her that way.
He certainly would not pretend to think of her that way just to get her out of an arranged marriage.
“I just wanted to compliment you,” he said, still grinning.
She blinked. “Compliment me?”
He nodded. “Your advice. It worked.” He closed the door, and her heart threatened to burst from her chest. “I did not mean to follow your suggestions; it happened quite by accident, but I cannot deny it was a success.”
“Oh…” She exhaled in a rush, turning her back on him so she could at least distract herself with the lovely view.
Of course, it is about Selina. Did you really think it was about you? her mind taunted, her inner voice mimicking that of her father and her brothers.
“It was like… a spell,” he continued. “All of a sudden, I had her interest, simply by being distant and rather cold toward her.”
Evelyn swallowed thickly. “I did tell you. You might have saved yourself some time if you had just heeded my advice sooner.”
And you might have saved me some confusion.
She heard his footsteps, the floorboards faintly creaking, and held her breath.
Why was he coming closer? Why was the door closed?
Why could he not have told her this somewhere else, where there were people to witness?
This was nothing he could not have said in a whisper at dinner or later that evening, when everyone convened in the drawing room.
“I thought you would be heartened,” he said, his tone puzzled.
“I am heartened for Selina, of course, but I am… annoyed that you thought I did not know my friend well enough to advise you,” she replied tersely, as his shadow fell across her, and her blood began to roar in her ears like waves crashing against tall cliffs.
He appeared at her side, much closer than he should have been… but then none of this was proper: to be alone in a room with a man who was not her family or her husband. If just one person passed by and overheard them or opened the door, it would mean ruination.
“Come now, this is your prime opportunity to gloat,” he urged, laughing. “You cannot muster a single smile of victory? I am saying that you were right and I was wrong. Surely, that is some cause for satisfaction.”
She turned her face away. “What reason do I have to gloat? I already knew I was right. Your disbelief did not alter that, and nor did your attempt to gain revenge upon me at the garden party. I am… unmoved by anything you do.”
Her voice did not falter, and she prayed that he could not see the falsehood etched upon her face. It was not true that she was unmoved or unaffected, but she did not want him to know that her heart was beating furiously and her skin was so warm that she worried she might have a fever.
“Gain revenge?” He barked out a laugh.
“Is that not what you were doing at the garden party?” she countered sternly. “Were you not attempting to show me that you did not need any assistance when it came to attracting a woman’s attention?”
He stared at her in something like shock.
Evidently, he had thought he was being sneaky, that she would not figure out the ruse.
But what he was forgetting that she understood what sort of woman she was and she knew her place in society; of course, she would be suspicious of someone like him suddenly trying to flirt with her.
“It was not revenge,” he said in a soft voice. “It was… curiosity. You had such strong notions about how I should approach Miss Parsons that it got me thinking: if being cold and mysterious works on your friend, then what would work on you?”
Evelyn’s breath caught in her throat, but she could not turn her head away any more without having to turn her entire body around. Maybe that would have been the wisest plan, to get out of there as quickly as possible before she began to believe him.
It was revenge. You know it was. Do not be fooled now!
“Tell me, Evelyn,” he murmured, his head dipping toward her shoulder, his breath caressing the curve of her neck, almost at the exact spot where he had touched her.
He was talented; she could not argue with that.
Blushing furiously, her mind a blur, she stepped away from him and whirled around so that they were face to face.
If he was at her side, she somehow felt she was more exposed than if she was looking into his eyes.
If he was behind her, she knew she would not be able to gather herself enough to hold her own.
This way, she hoped she would be able to see the trick in his eyes, his expression, as he spoke to her in those rumbling, warming tones. As long as she kept her eyes on him, she would not be fooled by him.
“What business is it of yours?” she asked, her breathing ragged.
“I am interested,” he replied, taking a half step forward.
She put her hands up. “I think you ought to stay where you are.”
“Why is that? Is it proximity that elicits your affection?”
Yes…
“No,” she said sharply. “I do not like to feel as if I am about to see my name in the scandal sheets.”
He nodded slowly and took another half step in her direction. “I mean you no harm, Evelyn. Perhaps, if you tell me, I can help you. You must be in search of a husband too, are you not?”
She could not answer, for any attempt to speak got stuck halfway up her throat. Why did he have to be so close? It only served to conjure memories of his embrace in Hyde Park, how safe she had felt with his arm around her, how protected. It was not a common feeling for her.
Trying to steady her breathing, she made the mistake of looking deeper into his unusual eyes.
Even her heartbeat seemed to fail her as she got lost in those blue pools, finding none of the deceit or trickery that she had expected to see.
Instead, there was just a glimmer of inquisitiveness, his expression warm and inviting, making her want to tell him.
The sooner you speak, the sooner you can leave and get a grip of yourself.
She cleared her parched throat. “I want someone… who will be honest with me. Someone who does not deceive or play games.” Her breath shuddered out of her.
“I want someone who would not be afraid to show that I am loved and that… I am important. I want someone who would never, not for a moment, dream of making me feel small.”
It was the truth, though she had never said it aloud before.
Those were private prayers that she muttered under her breath at night when the rest of the house was asleep and no one could mock her for it.
Those were the secret wishes that she made whenever she found an eyelash on her cheek or saw two magpies together or passed by a fairy ring of mushrooms or caught sight of the first star in the sky.
As of yet, they had gone unanswered.
Hugo seemed taken aback by her admission as he halted his approach and tilted his head, observing her as if she were some strange creature. Fresh heat burned in her cheeks, but it was not because of the way he was looking at her; rather, it was anticipation of the teasing she was about to receive.
I have said too much. I should have kept it to myself.
“But… that is too simple,” he said, at last. “That is nothing at all.”
Relieved that it was not outright mockery, she shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe it is simple, but it is also so very rare.”
Dropping her chin to her chest and crossing her arms as if she could pull her secrets back into herself, she turned on her heel and hurried for the door. Of all the people she could have told, Hugo was the last person she had expected to reveal her prayers to.
She paused on the threshold and tossed back over her shoulder, “Congratulations on your success with Selina. I hope it continues.”
With that, she left, grateful to find that the hallways were empty and her reputation would survive another encounter with Hugo.