Lucy appeared beside me, eyes bright with fury. “Did that just happen?”
“Yes,” I said. “It did.”
“He proposed to Jane like he was presenting a quarterly report.”
“Yes.”
“And he wrote it down.”
“Yes.”
“Then he looked at me next, like he was shopping for a bride from a grocery list.”
“Yes.”
Lucy stared at the ceiling. “I am going to need coffee. Or wine. Possibly both.”
Jane slipped in quietly and closed the door behind her. “I am so sorry.”
“This isn’t your fault,” I said immediately.
“I know,” she said, though her shoulders still sagged. “I just did not expect that.”
“No one could ever expect that,” Lucy said, grabbing a bottle of wine from the wine fridge.
Later, when the house quieted and I finally sat alone with my notebook, the weight of the day settled in.
The float list stared back at me.
Vehiclewas still circled and unresolved.
Wickham had taken advantage of trust. Collin was trying to turn obligation into leverage. Different men. Same assumption.
That someone would accommodate them.
I heard footsteps cross the room and looked up to see Ephram heading toward the door. He paused when he noticed me.
“Is everything all right?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said automatically. Then I exhaled. “No. But it will be.”
He nodded, accepting that without probing. “Good night, Lydia.”
“Good night.”
As the door closed behind him, I shut my notebook and stood.
The inn mattered. My family mattered. My independence mattered.
And I was not marrying Collin to save any of it.
Tomorrow, I wouldask for help. Tomorrow, I wouldstop pretending I couldcarry everything alone.
Tonight, I allowed myself one final thought, sharp and steady.
Absurd men did not get to dictate my future.
Not here. Not now.
