Dietrich let out a wry chuckle. If only the duke knew exactly what he was doing with his time…he wouldn’t believe it.
The duke mounted, and so did Dietrich, and they began riding back to the estate.
“You know,” the duke said after a moment, “I do wish we had an answer. I think that was the hardest part—not knowing.”
Dietrich nodded, unable to say much else.
He should have done a better job avoiding the duke.
This was harder than he’d expected. He should have left his grooms in the stables and gone to lunch himself—or left early to check on Beatrice and Ella.
He bit back a sigh, and when the estate came into view, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Once the duke was safely out of sight, he could get another horse and ride to Eldenwilde. He needed to convince Ella to tell her father who she was—sooner rather than later.
This wasn’t his secret to keep, and he didn’t want to keep it any longer.
Chapter ten
Ella
Ella sat on the front steps of Eldenwilde, soaking in the sunshine. Lady Beatrice and Lord Alexander were absolutely lovely, but she needed a moment of sunshine. She hadn’t realized how much she disliked being inside all the time until she had been asked to do so. Now, she didn’t think she could manage it again.
There was something about being outside that simply made everything better.
She was reluctant to go back inside, even though she was beginning to feel the chill. It didn’t seem worth it to be inside just to warm up, however.
Perhaps she wasn’t cut out to be a duchess if she couldn’t manage a day without fresh air.
“I wondered if I would find you out here,” a soft voice said.
Ella looked up to find Beatrice smiling down at her.
“Forgive me,” Ella said. “I just needed some sunshine.”
“No forgiveness required,” Beatrice said with a smile. “I also needed some sunshine. When I first found out my whole life was changing—unfortunately for me, it happened during winter—I didn’t get many opportunities.”
Ella laughed. “That sounds very unfortunate.”
“It was,” Beatrice said. “I dearly regretted not taking some time to think about it before I said yes, especially when I was trapped inside for far too many days.”
Ella grinned. “I can imagine. I thought I’d go stir-crazy if I didn’t get out.”
“It gets easier, you know,” Beatrice said suddenly. “I know it’s a lot right now, but I promise it gets easier. And it’s worth it to be with the ones you love.”
“I don’t love them, though,” Ella said.
Beatrice shook her head. “You haven’t had the opportunity to love them, but once you do, I think you’ll find you’ll love them very, very quickly.”
“You think so?” Ella asked.
“I do,” Beatrice said. “You and I have had a similar walk, it seems, and I think you’ll find, just as I did, that everything is easier once you’re with the people you love—even if you don’t know you love them yet.”
Ella sighed. “I hope so,” she admitted. “Because it’s been a long time.”
Beatrice laughed. “I can only imagine. Dietrich told me what he knew of your past, and I can understand why you’re hesitant to fall for someone or to say yes to this adventure. I’m sure it seems quite daunting, but, dear, I promise it’s worth it.”
A movement near the gate caught her attention, and Ella looked up to see Dietrich riding a horse toward her. Her heart did a funny little flip at the sight, and she frowned.
