Another knock. This time, it was more insistent.
She hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknob, her breath catching in her throat.
Gathering herself, Daphne slowly opened the door, preparing for the worst... but instead of Ambrose's tall figure, she found herself face-to-face with her two friends, Violet and Isadora.
"Oh, there you are!" Violet exclaimed, brushing past Daphne and sweeping into the room with her usual energy.
"We've been looking for you," Isadora chimed in.
Daphne nodded, bringing her hand to her chest. It wasn't Ambrose. That was a good thing. She should have been happy.
So why was it that she was disappointed?
CHAPTER 16
"So," Violet began excitedly, "tell us everything! How was the hunt? Did you impress Richard with your brilliant riding skills?"
Daphne hesitated, unsure of how much she should let on. But her friends were eagerly waiting for her to speak. She could hardly refuse them. "The hunt?" she said, forcing a smile. "It was... fine."
"Fine?" Isadora repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You're going to have to do better than that, Daphne. Did you catch anything? Or, rather—did Richard catch anything? He must've been trying extra hard to impress you." She nudged Violet with a grin.
"Oh, surely he brought down the prey for you, Daphne," Violet teased, "I can just picture him now, all heroic, galloping after some poor deer with only you in his thoughts."
Daphne could barely hear them over the rapid thumping of her heart. Her mind was elsewhere—back in the woods, standing face to face with Ambrose, feeling the warmth of his hand as he scolded her, his voice low and full of something she couldn't quite place.
Isadora was the first to notice. She stopped laughing, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at Daphne. "Is everything alright with you?"
Daphne blinked, snapping out of her thoughts. "What? Yes, of course. I'm fine."
Isadora didn't look convinced. "You're acting a bit strange. Are you sure everything's alright?"
"Yes," Daphne said, this time with more force, pulling a bright smile onto her face. "Yes, everything is fine. The hunt was just... uneventful, that's all."
Her two friends exchanged glances. Violet looked a little disappointed. "Uneventful? How boring."
Isadora, however, wasn't so easily satisfied. She leaned in closer, her eyes still studying Daphne's expression carefully. "Are you sure? Nothing exciting happened at all?"
Daphne swallowed, feeling her throat tighten as the memory of Ambrose flashed through her mind again. She quickly pushedthe thought aside. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Nothing happened."
Isadora still didn't seem fully convinced, but she let the matter drop. "Well, then... uneventful hunts aside, what about the proposal?"
Daphne stiffened. "The proposal?"
"Yes, the proposal," Violet said with a wide grin. "Do you think it will happen soon? I mean, you and Richard have been spending so much time together lately—it's bound to happen any day now, right?"
Daphne opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Her stomach twisted painfully at the thought. Just a few days ago, the idea of Richard proposing had seemed like a natural step. He was kind, handsome, and proper. They were well-suited for one another—at least, that's what she had always told herself. But now, after today...
The thought of a proposal filled her with a sense of dread she hadn't expected.
"I... I don't know," she finally managed, "Maybe."
Violet raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Maybe? I thought you'd be counting down the days!"
Daphne forced a laugh. "Well, who can ever know with these things, right? Besides, it's not really something we've discussed."
Isadora looked at her closely. "Do you want it to happen?" she asked.
Daphne hesitated again, "I... suppose so," she said, though her voice lacked conviction. "It would make sense, wouldn't it?"
