He knew his suspicions were not baseless.
She was well-read and educated, and her person was too refined to be just anyone, but why would she ever lie about herself? Edward was confused.
Who are you, Ophelia?
He did not doubt her honesty, and he knew she was not a liar about anything; in fact, if anything, she was bold and compassionate, and her heart was too big. He remembered how she had stood up before him for Amy and how kind she was to everyone in the household. She had been courteous to him as well despite their argument.
What is it about her?
He got in bed, the darkness no longer nauseating as he could only think about Ophelia. Her hazel eyes and beautiful blonde hair always rested neatly on her shoulder or flowed behind her, reaching her waist. She was a sight no matter what time of the day, and Edward felt as if he could not get enough of her.
She had intrigued him in ways no one had been able to in quite some time, and he could not put a pin on this.
Ophelia.
He closed his eyes, his mind still completely consumed.
Ophelia.
It almost felt as if his heavy-lidded eyes were whispering her name, her image refusing to vanish from before him. He didnot know if he was more entrapped by her beauty, by her mind, or perhaps by her bold spirit.
Though whatever it was, he could not shake the feeling that she had a hold on him.
And he had no desire to let go.
Chapter 10
If she had not been a woman of such strong character who completely abhorred the concept of crying, Ophelia would have broken down into tears. The pain in her right foot was unbearable and walking back to the manor felt like the most difficult task in the world.
Why did I even step out today?
She had known for weeks that both her boots were in a precarious condition, and she needed to either buy new ones or perhaps use the existing ones more carefully. She could hardly blame the boots since she had worn the same pair for years. These had been gifted to her by her father, and Ophelia was particularly attached to them. The good thing was that her height and foot size had not changed since, and she could still use them rather easily, but those days would soon end.
Both of them were now almost torn apart, the soles completely worn out. They provided no protection to her feet, and she was almost worried about her foot’s condition at the moment. She could almost feel it was going to be awful.
The pain most certainly was.
“Just a few more minutes of walking, Ophelia. We will be home soon.” She sighed deeply, giving herself false hopes sincethe manor was still a full twenty minutes away and the street was entirely deserted.
She was certain no one was going to pass by here and see her in her misery or offer her help. She had to endure this alone.
“But I have suffered through so much alone. What’s a pair of worn-out boots and a blister on my right foot? I can endure this for a little longer,” she told herself, forcing the tears to stay underneath her lashes as she took one painful step after the other.
I can do this.
I can do this.
I can do this.
A loud, thundering pair of horse hooves greeted her ears just then, and Ophelia’s head whipped in the direction, even though the carriage or the rider was nowhere in sight as of now. She was so overcome with happiness at the sound that she looked up at the sky as if thanking God for listening to her heart’s plea and bringing someone here.
“Oh, please let it be a carriage from the manor,” she whispered, still focused on the sound when a horse appeared in view, no carriage in sight.
Who is it?
To her surprise, it was none other than the one person she had never wanted to come across in such a terrible state: the earl himself. Ophelia looked back up at the sky, almost feeling betrayed since Edward’s presence was nothing but an illusion of help. Interacting with him was already one of the most difficult things she ever had to endure, and she did not doubt that he would immediately want to help the moment he saw her.
God, please let me disappear.
