Thatwas what lay at the centre of her confusion and unease.
Luckily, that was remedied easily enough. The distance she had maintained over the past few days would be maintained indefinitely. She would be a paragon of dutifulness and propriety. She would not engage. Easily done when she knew the master himself would most likely prefer never to see her again.
‘You have been sent to torment me,’he’d said.
But I shall not torment you ever again, for you shall forget I even exist.
‘Mrs Hardwicke!’
Or not, Rebecca thought with a sigh, as she turned to find the man in question striding towards her, raising his walking stick in the air as if waving to her.
He looked every bit the country gentleman today, in buckskin breeches, hessian boots, a forest-green waistcoat topped with a billowing greatcoat, and an old Eccentric hat.
‘Good morning, my lord,’ she said with a forced smile.
Solitude. Distance from you. That’s all I wanted.
‘Was there something you needed?’
‘What? No. Well, yes.’ He shrugged, his eyes scanning the ground as though the answer would be found there. ‘You are on your way to Mrs Ffoulkes, yes?’
‘Yes, my lord. Is that a problem?’
Is visiting the woman an offence now, too?
‘No. No, I... May I walk with you? I’m overdue a visit as well.’
He finally met her gaze then, and Rebecca saw only an earnest hopefulness she couldn’t have resisted in a thousand years. Against her better judgement, she nodded and began walking again. Liam fell in step with her, and so they continued on in silence, until Rebecca could remain so no longer.
If there was ever a chance to make amends, it was now.
‘About the East Tower, my lord... I—’
‘Mrs Hardwicke—’
‘I should apologise, my lord—’
‘Mrs Hardwicke, I am the one who must apologise,’ he said gruffly, as though every word cost him. ‘I...’
‘You owe me no apology, my lord. I was insolent, and disobedient, and—’
‘Yes, you were. But you were not wrong,’ he sighed. ‘I said some truly terrible things, Mrs Hardwicke, for which I had no right. Once again, I behaved a complete tyrant, and I do hope you will forgive me.’
‘There is n-nothing to forgive, my lord,’ she stuttered, stunned by his words. ‘You had every right to be upset, and indeed, every right to throw me out of Thornhallow. Again.’
‘Yes, quite,’ Liam said with a wry smile. ‘You asked me once—or stated rather, as seems to be your manner—that I had returned to Thornhallow to set things right. You were correct. You see, this place, this house...’ He trailed off for a moment, searching for words. ‘Well, there is truth to the tales I’m certain you’ve heard. I left to escape what happened here. And I returned...to face it. I believed that in order to do so, the ghosts I sought to preserve here had to remain intact. That things should be left, as they were. So that I might see...understand... Well, the fact of the matter, Mrs Hardwicke, is that I was wrong.’
Liam drew a deep breath, and Rebecca chanced a glance over at him. A different man yet again stood beside her. A lost, tired, remorseful man, whose light now seemed to flicker in the low, golden autumn rays that pierced through the trees.
‘Dog violets were my sister’s favourite. She used to come out to the woods, fair weather or foul, to collect them, usually dragging me along.’ He smiled a wan smile, then shrugged and returned to himself. ‘All that to say, I am sorry. And thank you. For showing me that which I refused to see.’
They stopped, and Liam extended his hand to help her over a fallen tree. Rebecca hesitated for a moment, then took it graciously, trying to ignore the comforting warmth that seemed to emanate from his touch as she hopped over the trunk. Trying to ignore the twinkling of those hazel eyes that pierced through to her very soul.
‘Thank you, my lord,’ she said softly once they had resumed their walk.
‘If there is another example of your disobedience waiting to be discovered, Mrs Hardwicke, I beg you tell me now. For I wish us to be friends. If that would be acceptable to you, that is.’
No. Say no, Rebecca. You cannot be friends with the master. Not this master. Say no. Remind him of your place, and his. You promised you’d keep your distance, you foolish lass. Now, say no.
