“You love arguing with me,” Beatrice pointed out as he tucked her arm through his and led her inside, leaving Ella and Dietrich on the porch steps.
“Are you always like this?” Ella asked. “I thought I was special.”
“You are,” Dietrich said simply, taking another step closer. His eyes bore into hers with an intensity she hadn’t expected.
“And yet you’re arguing with Beatrice just like you argue with me,” Ella pointed out.
“She’s practically my sister,” he said. “She doesn’t count.”
As he stood on the step below her, it brought their height difference into perfect harmony, and she was able to look deep into his eyes.
It was both thrilling and slightly appalling.
She looked away as Dietrich hastily cleared his throat. “I just wanted to see how you were getting on with lessons from Beatrice,” he said. “I want to tell your father sooner rather than later because I don’t like having to keep a secret from my employer.”
Ella sighed but nodded. “I understand. I apologize for putting you in that situation.”
“Thank you,” he said, sounding slightly surprised.
“Did you think I wouldn’t see reason?” she asked.
“I just didn’t think you would apologize,” Dietrich said.
“Why? Because you think I’m rude?”
Dietrich sighed. “Can we try not to bicker today?” he asked. “I would really love that.”
She stared at him suspiciously. “Why do you want a truce? Are you trying to get away with something?”
He let out an exasperated groan. “Can’t I do one nice thing without you expecting it to be a trap?”
Ella grimaced. “I’m sorry,” she said, turning away from him. “I haven’t had much experience with people doing nice things for me for no reason.”
Dietrich didn’t say anything.
She turned back to glance at him before looking down at the ground. There was a bug crawling across the steps. “Before we moved here, we lived in the middle of nowhere,” she began quietly. “It was an hour or so just to walk to the nearest town, and we had no neighbors within easy access. And I’m sure your mother told you that I did everything for my stepfamily. Well, at least, I used to,” she added.
Dietrich made a quiet noise of encouragement.
“When they would do something nice for me, it was almost always a trap…so I’m not used to people being nice to me just for the sake of being nice.”
Dietrich reached out and put his hand on her forearm. “I am sorry that was your experience,” he said quietly. “You deserve better.”
Ella let out a sarcastic chuckle. “They didn’t think so.”
“They were wrong,” he said firmly. “You deserve people who care for you and who treat you like a human being. It’s not your fault they were terrible people.”
She could hardly look at him.
Why did he have to be so nice all of a sudden? She shook her head and pulled her arm away from him. “I’m free of them now,” she said. “Thank you for coming to check on me. I’m getting cold, so I think I’ll go in.”
She turned and opened the door, letting herself in. The butler was in the hallway, and his eyes brightened when he saw Dietrich walking in behind her.
Because, of course, he couldn’t just let her be.
“Good afternoon, Dietrich,” Jenkins said.
“Hello, Jenkins,” Dietrich said, handing over his coat. “Which way did they go?”
