Gabriel gave a brief nod, his thoughts already drifting to the day ahead. “Very well. I shall be in my study, replying to correspondence.”
“Very well, Your Grace.”
Gabriel began walking towards the stairs. However, he did not make it far before coming to a halt.
“Oh, and Jenkins?” He hesitated for a moment. “Do let me know when Miss Balfour arrives.”
There was a nearly imperceptible shift in the butler’s expression before he nodded. “Yes, Your Grace.”
As the hour neared noon, Gabriel felt the weight of the morning’s work lifting as he prepared for a well-deserved break.
However, just as he was about to rise from his desk, a soft knock sounded at the door, drawing his attention. His eyebrow rose, and with a dispassionate voice, he called for whoever was on the other side to enter.
“Miss Balfour,” he greeted, a hint of warmth coloring his voice as Evelina stepped into the study.
A faint smile graced his lips, betraying a sense of anticipation at her unexpected presence.
The joy of her company was a temptation he found impossible to resist or deny. He found himself looking forward to their meetings in his study more often these days.
“I must admit, I did not anticipate your visit today. Our latest discussion on Eliza’s lessons was but a few days ago.” His eyes flickered with a mirth. “Do you now seek out my company eagerly, Miss Balfour?”
Gabriel turned slightly to adjust his papers, trying to keep his gaze from lingering on her. His playful banter masked a deeper longing. He knew he shouldn’t, but he enjoyed teasing her.
He loved nothing more than to witness her reactions to his teasing, the blush that would usually stain her cheeks and the tension that would crackle between them.
He could no longer deny the magnetic pull she held over him. She was unraveling him.
The room resounded an unusual hush, the air thick with a sort of tension as Gabriel’s teasing banter faded into an uneasy silence. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, he finally raised his gaze to find Evelina’s solemn expression.
His brows furrowed in concern, a flicker of apprehension leaping in his eyes as he observed her carefully.
“Is something amiss, Miss Balfour?” His voice held a note of genuine worry, his usual closed expression giving way to a raw vulnerability in the face of such somber demeanor.
Perplexed by the uncharacteristic quietude that continued from her, he gently prodded, “This silence does not befit you. Pray, share with me what troubles you.”
In the pregnant pause that followed, his heart quickened with a sense of foreboding, his concern deepening as she composed herself with a formal curtsy.
The forced smile that graced her lips failed to reach her eyes, casting a shadow of unease over the room as she gave a greeting at last. Gabriel’s worry intensified, a knot of anxiety tightening in his chest at the sight of such uncharacteristic facade.
Before he could ask again, she spoke at last, her voice clear and devoid of emotion as it echoed his study.
“I have come to let you know that today shall be my last lesson with Lady Eliza, Your Grace.”
What?
Gabriel furrowed his brow. “I beg your pardon? I-I’m not sure I heard that correctly. Can you repeat what you just said?”
“I will no longer be able to continue tutoring Eliza. I am to be married soon, Your Grace, hence I’m unable to carry on my duties,” Evelina murmured, barely meeting his eyes.
The world seemed to come to a screeching halt at that very moment.
No, this is not happening.
The study fell deathly silent. Gabriel’s eyes were wide with disbelief as her words hung heavy in the air.
Struggling to contain the whirlwind of emotions raging within him, his eyes locked onto hers, silently urging her to reconsider her decision. Yet, as he searched her face for a sign of reassurance, he found her distant gaze unsettling, as if her thoughts were a world away.
She was looking in his direction, yet somehow she seemed to be looking right past him.
