and strode to the door, then glanced back. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
He nodded and said, “Goodnight.”
Chapter 5
Morning dawned with no signs of thunder or lightning. Elspeth nibbled at her lower lip as she gazed out across the moors. The storm had given way to light rainfall. The kind that was not at all uncommon for their part of the world.
More of a drizzle, really. Not the fierce storm it had been. Elspeth sighed, her heart heavy.
Damian would expect her to depart soon. The thought caused her throat to tighten and chest to squeeze. She had no wish to leave him—not when she had grown so fond of him.
Her heart and soul did not want to leave him.
Regardless, she must. This was not her home.
Despite her strange new feelings, Elspeth knew she could not remain here. Damian did not feel for her as she did for him. And the longer she stayed, the harder it would be for her to go. She sighed as she turned from the window.
She had no idea what would become of her, but the time she’d spent here with him gave her renewed courage. Damian reminded her what kind of woman she was and gave her hope for a better future. Come what may, she would thrive.
But first, she had to dress.
Elspeth frowned as she reached for her traveling frock. It was still damp and covered in road dust that had turned muddy. She’d not be wearing it today. Instead, she retrieved a walking dress from her valise. The toffy colored frock would be better suited to the day’s adventure, at any rate. She would leave on foot, and its color would hide the dirt she was sure to collect along the way.
Setting it on the bed, she moved to the mirror and unbound her hair. After fashioning it into a simple twist at the back of her neck, she pulled the walking gown on. Its design was not as complex as that of her riding habit. Still, she struggled to fasten the frock.
Well, she’d not make a fool of herself by falling again. No. She would go to Damian and seek his assistance. After all, he had said they were friends. She held her dress up by the neckline as she strode from her chamber.
Elspeth knocked at his chamber door, then waited. When no answer came, she knocked again and called out, “Damian, are you in there?” Her heart pounded as she waited for a reply. When none came, she determined he must be elsewhere. Perhaps in the breakfast room?
She held tight to her bodice with one hand and her skirts with the other as she made her way through the house in search of him. He was not to be found in the breakfast room, nor the parlor or library.
At a loss for where to search next in a rambling unknown home, she meandered aimlessly through the corridors, peaking into doors and occasionally calling out for him. She turned down a hallway leading toward the back of the house. Tall floor to ceiling windows dressed in faded blue curtains and fraying silver sashes lined one wall, while large paintings hung in gilded frames adorned the other.
She paused a few times to study the paintings of what she assumed to be Damian’s relations. Their colors appeared drab in the grey light coming through the windows, but she imagined them to be brilliant in full sunlight. Oddly enough, the paint did not seem washed out or faded from the sun’s exposure.
One painting, in particular, captured her interest. It was of a woman and man with two small boys and hung near the end of the hall. All four had dark hair, the same iridescent blue eyes Damian possessed. The man bore a striking resemblance to Damian, and she wondered if he might be Damian’s father. She moved her attention to the smallest boy in the painting, wondering if he was Damian.
As she studied the boy, a hand came to rest on her shoulder. Startled, she screamed and jerked around. Her heart thumped as her gaze met Damian’s. “You frightened me,” she said.
“I see that.” He grinned, his gaze lowering to her chest.
It was then that she realized her mistake. She released her bodice when he startled her, and her gown now dropped to her waist. Her cheeks burned as she pulled the bodice back up. “I was searching for you so you could help.” She presented her back. “If you please.”