Chapter 31
Iris could not escapeEwan forever, he was extremely keen to speak with her and in the end, his persistence won out. She couldn't exactly ignore him since he was the lord of the house anyway. When he eventually found her in Amy’s room alone and he requested a moment of her time, she felt compelled toagree.
As she followed him down the hallway to his office she wondered if he would mention the midnight kiss that he stole from her, and if he did she had no idea what she was going tosay.
“So, Miss Daisy.” He smiled and perched on the edge of his desk. Iris’s heart instantly sunk, calling her by the name that didn’t really belong to her was a huge reminder that this could never work. “I have been trying to meet with you ever since we returned from the city. I think we need to have a discussion, don’tyou?”
“Erm.” Iris fiddled impatiently with the waistband on her apron, cursing herself for allowing things to get so far. “I am not sure; do you really think this is something we need to talk about?” It wasn’t the right thing to do, but it would have been easier for everyone if they could carry on asnormal.
Maybe.
“Oh, I think we have much to discuss.” Nothing was going to put Ewan off, he’d wanted to speak with the woman that he loved for far too long. “I would like to start planning our lifetogether.”
Iris's breath balled up in her throat. Ice cold panic shot through her as she tried to work out exactly what this loaded statement meant.Their life together...was he really thinking that they could getmarried?
Of course, Iris felt touched, how could she not? This Lord had just told her that he’d be willing to give up so many things for her. If Iris truly was Daisy she knew that she’d be very over excited about this happening... but how could she make this man sacrifice his privileges when she wasn’t even being honest about who she was? It just wasn’tright.
“I do not know what you are talking about.” Iris staggered backwards slightly, but she did her best to keep her tone firm. “I think that this is madness. You cannot truly mean what yousay.”
Ewan took her shock for pleasant surprise, so he stepped closer to her and he took hold of her delicate, sweet hands. "Daisy, I love you. Of course, I am serious about starting our life together. I want nothing more than to make you mywife."
Tears curled up in the corner of Iris’s eyes. This was too lovely, it felt utterly overwhelming. All she wanted to do was fall into his embrace, she needed him to circle his arms around her and tell her that everything would be alright... but shecouldn’t.
She was not Daisy, and there was no getting aroundit.
“I am sorry, Lord Oakley, but you must forget about me,” she gasped sadly. “I know that we had our moment of attraction, and maybe things went a step too far, but it is not uncommon for young Lords to want to kiss the staff.” Or so she had heard. Iris wasn’t totally sure that was the truth. “I cannot marry you for I am a maid and you are aLord.”
“That does not matter to me,” Ewan chuckled gleefully. “I do not mind. This is why I worked hard, to marry forlove.”
“But what aboutAmy...?”
“Amy is more than happy for us to get married, I have spoken with her aboutit.”
Iris tried to picture Ewan and Amy having that conversation she wanted to imagine how it would go, but her brain had completely shut off and she couldn’t think ofanything.
“Yes, but does she understand? Does she know it will affect hertoo?”
“She knows,” Ewan reassured her warmly. “She knows and she is still happy for us to wed. In fact, she was very enthusiastic about theidea.”
Amy thought that if Iris married Ewan she would be around forever. Iris felt certain that affected her decision more than anything else. Amy assumed that meant she could be her handmaiden even if she was married to her brother, that was all. It was nothing for Iris to get emotionalabout.
So why were the tears now streaming down herface?
“What if we have children?” Iris found herself clutching at straws. Somehow she needed to put Ewan off the idea of being with her, no matter what it took. “They would be affected by our choices too. It would not be fair to them; they would not be allowed all the privileges that they shouldget.”
Ewan threw his hands above his head in a carefree, joyful manner. “But they would grow up in a house of love. What could be better than that? I have worked hard enough so they will not go without. Maybe they won’t want to grow up in a world where every move they make is dictatedanyway.”
“It does not matter what they want,” Iris replied wryly, knowing all too well. “We all have to do what is expected ofus.”
“Not all ofus.”
Iris snapped her eyes up to meet Ewan’s as he said that, and for a panicked moment she wondered if that meant he already knew. It would be challenging, but not impossible, for him to find out thetruth.
But there wasn’t any accusation behind his eyes, he thought that he’d unravelled all the complications in their complex lovestory.
How little heknew.
“Is this why you have been avoiding me?” All of a sudden Ewan’s face fell as he got the distinct impression that Daisy did not want him. Had he become so wrapped up in his own feelings that he hadn’t noticed her pulling back? “Is this not what youwant?”
