Godric Somerset was attractive when he smiled with his eyes. Even the rundown forester’s cottage where she lived felt different simply because he stood in it.

It made the place look like a quiet, antique country villa owned by the young Duke Godric Somerset, with his brilliant golden hair. Every ray of sunlight fell on him alone, like a blessing poured down from the heavens.

Eljay already knew what lay behind the smile he turned on her.

Whether she stayed or left, it would not matter to him.

What Eljay Winter wanted was not important to him.

Her heart squeezed with a dull, pressing ache, and she drew careful breaths, yet she could not take her eyes off Godric.

He was a contradiction: waiting for her answer while not truly listening, ready to leave at any moment.

And Eljay could not hold on to this man.

It was like a hot summer day when the condensation on a cold glass runs down to the floor, briefly connecting two points that could never truly meet. This was simply a midsummer night’s miracle that Riverbell made possible.

Eljay wavered under Godric’s gaze. An invisible hand was drawing her toward him. Everything was vague and unresolved.

She wanted it herself, and Godric agreed.

Even if it shook her life to its very roots.

Godric did not reach out his hand to Eljay. Yet he waited for her answer.

Her mouth went dry. She wanted to wet her parched lips, but she grew cautious about how that might look to him, what signal he might read into it.

Unable even to let out a full breath, caught in Godric’s elegant gaze, Eljay felt like she might cry.

She knew the situation was beyond her control, that she could not steer it with her own choices.

‘Can I really refuse this man?’

Eljay drew a deep breath and took one step forward.

She walked toward Godric Somerset. One more step from him and their breath would meet.

Godric’s eyes settled on her face. At the same moment, his large hand moved toward Eljay.

Listening to the sound of her own heart ringing in her ears, Eljay did not look away from his gaze.

In the end, it was her choice.

Wherever that choice led, the responsibility was hers as well.

* * *

“Riverbell is just entering the social season, so it’s a shame you’re leaving for the capital. The people here ought to see this latest dress.”

Mrs. Cotton, a longtime acquaintance of the countess who always accompanied her on trips to the capital, lamented as she looked over the clothes spread across the drawing room.

The small drawing room was cluttered with several dresses and accessories.

Even with dust drifting through the air, the countess sat drinking tea with Mrs. Cotton.

Countess Adeline came back to Riverbell, her family home, partly to celebrate the arrival of Mrs. Cotton’s first daughter-in-law, Sandal. She was barely a month in, yet she was already packing to leave again, like someone who forgot their jewels back at the capital townhouse.

“If you’re going this time, will you be staying in the capital for a while?”

“Arthur’s marriage partner needs to be decided. Oh, Eljay, a moment.”

The sudden call made Eljay start. She was in the middle of placing shoes into a packing crate, organizing them according to the maid Marie’s sorting, and she had made no mistakes, yet she felt nervous for no reason.

Adeline wore an elegant smile and gestured with her eyes toward the dress Marie was holding.

“Take that sky-blue dress for yourself.”

It was one of the indoor dresses, but the fabric was of fine quality and the edging was delicate. With some lace and frills added, it would pass well enough for a banquet.

It was priced beyond what three years of a maid’s wages here could buy.

“I liked it when I bought it, but it’s a bit too unrefined for me to wear, so I never reach for it. It would suit you well.”

“No, my lady. It would be far too much for someone like me.”

Eljay quickly shook her head.

Refusing something the countess offered was itself a breach of etiquette, but she could not accept it. An excessive gift would turn into a sharp blade aimed back at her.

Adeline smiled softly, like the most generous of mistresses.

“You’re at the age where you should be looking for a husband, so you ought to have at least one dress fit for a banquet.”

“It’s too much for me to wear.”

Eljay smiled awkwardly, at a loss. She clutched her worn skirt. Adeline did not look like she would withdraw the offer. Eljay glanced sideways at Marie, silently asking for help.

“My lady, everyone knows Eljay lives on the estate grounds thanks to the count’s generosity. On top of that, if she wore a dress like this, people might misread her as extravagant, and men might not want her as a bride.”

Eljay smiled stiffly to show she agreed with Marie. She had no intention of meeting a man or marrying anytime soon. In the capital, they said there were women who remained unmarried past thirty, but in Riverbell, that was unthinkable.

Fortunately, Adeline did not take offense. Instead, she smiled with a quiet, wistful look.

“I see. I wanted to give it to you because I thought it would look lovely on you. Nothing to be done, then. I’ll give it to my niece.”

“Thank you for thinking of me.”

Eljay bowed and turned back to lay a length of muslin inside the trunk. She got through it safely.

“The marquis’s family has been responding favorably to the young master, haven’t they?”

Mrs. Cotton, who could not go to the capital with the countess, let out a small sigh. She glanced around anxiously, worried someone else might take her place.

“The second daughter of Marquis Bodrowan is truly lovely, and her temperament is gentle. She was well educated by a governess in a fine household. The marquis and his wife are people of excellent character as well.”

“Indeed. The two of them together are a picture straight out of a painting. Have you made up your mind?”

“Not yet. What’s the rush? I’ll wait until next year’s debutante season.”

Eljay tried to focus on the faint voice of the female singer coming from the room.

When Countess Adeline returned from the capital Crownfield this time, she brought back the latest gramophone fitted with a golden trumpet. Because she listened to a record once every day, Eljay grew familiar with the songs as well.

Adeline frequently praised how beautiful and intelligent the young lady of Marquis Bodrowan’s household was, comparing her to every beautiful thing in the world.

The second daughter of the marquis’s family, a golden-haired young woman said to be lovelier than any lady in the capital, was, by Adeline’s description, an angel descended to earth.

“No need to rush. Young Master Arthur is still in his prime. Do you remember? At the party Chancellor Vilhelm hosted, some women who said they attended university with the young master came to greet him. They all seemed quite taken with him.”

Eljay’s hands stopped.

Without thinking, she turned her gaze and found herself looking directly at Adeline.

She read in the newspaper that women were attending university too. Surprised to hear it confirmed as fact, she turned her head without thinking, not realizing Adeline was already looking at her.

“If they’re attending university, their finances and family background must be decent enough?”

“Any proper family wouldn’t send their daughter to a place like that. A governess is sufficient for education, and there are refinements that can only be learned at home. Of course, the desire to learn is not a bad thing in itself, but…”

The corners of Adeline’s mouth curved upward. Her smile was hidden behind her teacup, but it was plain enough that it was a sneer.

“Everywhere you look, there are women harboring foolish dreams of rising above their station. It’s quite a sad thing.”

Folding the dresses with Marie, careful not to leave deep creases, Eljay swallowed her bitterness.

She sat with her back to the countess, yet she felt a burning gaze on her.

She wanted to finish quickly and leave this room. But even that required the countess’s permission.

“Well, you wouldn’t want him getting mixed up with some strange woman. You know, that baron’s son, there was a scandal.”

Marie’s hands slowed. This was the kind of private story about nobles that never made the newspapers. Gossip like this was only heard by those who lived in the capital or worked close to the nobility.

Mrs. Cotton seemed to have some sense, because she did not go into detail and changed the subject.

“Speaking of scandals, there’s one person you can’t leave out. Godric Somerset! The young duke who received his title last year!”

“Have you ever met him, my lady?”

Marie cut in at the mention of the famous name. Getting the reaction she wanted, Mrs. Cotton answered with excitement.

“I only saw him once, from a distance. I recognized him the moment I laid eyes on him. That thing they say in novels, about one person shining even in a crowd, it was real. He was so dashing.”

The eldest son of Mrs. Cotton, whose first grandchild was on the way, was older than Godric Somerset. But that seemed to make no difference, because Mrs. Cotton’s eyes lit up like someone falling in love for the first time.

“That brilliant golden hair, those deep-set blue eyes with their languid gaze, he was so captivating you’d think, can a man like this really exist on earth? I tell you, I stood there with my mouth open staring at him. When he walked into the hall, the whole room went quiet in an instant. Think of the photos in the newspapers as capturing only a sliver of how magnificent he truly was.”

Haah, Mrs. Cotton let out a sweet sigh as she recalled that day.

That admiration vanished the moment she caught Adeline’s expression. No matter how universally acknowledged Godric Somerset’s looks were, in the eyes of the countess she served, her son Arthur had to be the finest young man alive. Mrs. Cotton scrambled to recover.

“Ah, his looks are exceptional, but Duke Somerset’s reputation isn’t exactly good. Last year, Kathrisa Mel, the pianist from a distinguished family, cursed him out when she broke things off with the duke. She was so wounded that she gave a scathing interview about Duke Somerset to a gossip paper.”

Mrs. Cotton kept stealing glances at Adeline’s mood. Fortunately, her efforts seemed to work, because Adeline responded lightly.

“Gossip papers aren’t a reliable source of information.”

“That’s true, but there’s no smoke without fire. A man like Young Master Arthur is the finest husband material there is. Family, looks, character, there’s not a single thing to fault him on.”

Just then, the butler Gilbert entered carrying a silver tray.

“My lady. A telegram has arrived. Young Master Arthur is on his way to Riverbell with a guest.”

“What? Why is Arthur coming here when he should be in the capital? I told him I’d be back shortly.”

Adeline took her glasses from the tray the butler held out and put them on, then read the telegram quickly.

The manor had a telephone installed, but the cost was steep, so telegrams were still used far more often.

Adeline finished reading and looked straight at Eljay.

—

T/N: Another novel with an Adeline! 😂