I love you, Reid,
Elise
When Elise’s carriage pulled up in front of the Pelham townhouse two weeks later, a rush of emotion met her when she looked at the familiar stone façade. Barely having set a foot out of the carriage, Marianne rushed out to meet her, barreling into her arms before she could step all the way down.
“Oh, Elise! I’ve missed you so much,” she said from the crook of her sister’s neck, where her face was presently buried.
“I’ve missed you too, dear one,” Elise replied, wrapping her arms around Marianne equally as tight.
Grabbing her hand and pulling her into the house, Marianne worked quickly to bring them out of the late December cold. Looking up after shedding her coat, Elise saw her father standing hesitantly at the foot of the stairs, looking at her with suspiciously wet eyes.
“Father,” she said, approaching him, determined to break the awkwardness.
“Oh, my dear girl,” he said, reaching out for her. “How grown you look. I know you were already a woman when you left, but my how you’ve come into your own. Your mother would be proud to see you.”
Elise hugged him tightly, not fighting the tears the remembrance of her mother brought. They both stepped back after a moment and laughed in the joy of being reunited while simultaneously sniffing and wiping at their cheeks.
“I’m sorry I’ve neglected you for so long,” her father said. “There is no excuse. I should have stood by you no matter what.”
“None of what happened is your fault, papa,” Elise said. “I always knew you loved me, but I needed to go. You gave me a gift when you let me leave. I’m just sorry I didn’t think before acting that night—I never wanted to cause any of us trouble or pain. You’ve had to deal with the consequences of my actions, and that’s not fair to you or Marianne.”
“You did nothing wrong,” Marianne protested, looking very much like she wanted to punch something.
“Elise, neither of us blame you,” her father said. “You only acted as yourself. It’s in your nature to take care of others. It’s the ridiculous rules of society that brought us all here and nothing else. I just wish I would have been strong enough to ignore those rules when everything first happened.”
“It’s not easy to swim against the tide,” Elise said quietly. “I know that, and it’s why my life has been so much happier away from the restrictions and rules guiding theton.I hate that the fallout has prevented us from being together, but the freedom I’ve gained has been a gift in its own way.” She gripped her father’s hand as she explained her new life, hoping to unburden him of any lingering sadness.
“I’m happy for you, and I’m glad you are here,” he said. “We’ll celebrate the new year together, and hopefully we can make a new beginning as well.” Hugging her father, Elise hoped fixing her reputation would mean that she could see her family more often, as it was truly nice to be home again.
She followed her sister upstairs to her old bedroom, and it felt like stepping back in time. At once, she remembered the woman she used to be when she still lived in this house, but that person just didn’t feel quite right anymore. Parts of her former self still existed within her, but she had grown and changed in the time absent from this place, and the room no longer felt like a haven.
The uneasy feeling of trying to be herself within the old trappings confirmed she would never really be able to return to society and fit the way others did, but if she could be accepted once again, and make a new place in thetonwith Reid beside her, it would be worth it to never feel alone or like an outsider again.
* * *
Thankfully, Elise was kept distracted from the moment of her arrival on through to the next evening with celebrations of her sister’s engagement and the New Year, which would begin at the stroke of midnight. When helping set up for the formal dinner that would include Marianne’s fiancé and his family, Elise realized the staff was preparing for an extra guest. As far as she knew, everyone had already arrived, so she left the dining room to inquire about the discrepancy. But upon entering the drawing room, she heard the butler announce a new arrival.
“Lord Weston, my lord,” he said with a bow to her father before departing the room.
“Reid,” Elise spluttered, before she could catch herself and greet him in the more formal manner such an occasion called for. She heard Marianne’s future mother-in-law gasp in shock at hearing a lord addressed by his Christian name in front of company. Elise supposed she might as well live up to her scandalous reputation.
“What are you doing here?” Seeing the man she loved standing next to her family was bringing disparate parts of her life together and it made her feel off balance, the way she had upon arriving back to her childhood home.
“Surprise, my dear,” her father said. “Lord Weston and I have become friends since he joined us in Lords last month, and as he is also a friend of yours, I thought it would be nice to have his company tonight.”
Elise stood there, stunned, looking at the two most important men in her life together. “I hope it’s a good surprise,” Reid said softly, brow slightly furrowed at her unresponsiveness.
“It’s a wonderful surprise,” Elise said, finding her voice. “Just entirely unexpected, as I did not know you knew one another.”
“Good,” Reid said plainly before stepping forward to grab her hand and kiss it. “Now, why don’t you introduce me to the bride to be?” he asked, his smile lighting up the room around them and instantly charming her sister.
Elise went through the next few hours in a daze—it was surreal to see Reid joking and laughing with her father and the mixed company over dinner. She had longed to see him while she was in town but had never thought to do so in the presence of her family. As much as she was enjoying the fact that he was even in proximity of her, she yearned to have a minute alone with him. It was agonizing to be so near and not be able to touch him and feel his warmth.
Finally, at around ten in the evening, the formal meal drew to a close, and everyone made their way to the library for drinks and games while awaiting the new year. Elise lingered at the back of the crowd near Reid, just to be near him. Passing a smaller and rarely used parlor, she impulsively grabbed his hand and pulled him into the room behind her.
“What’s all this abou—oof,” Reid’s question was abruptly cut off when Elise slammed her body against his in a fierce hug. He instantly wrapped his arms around her in return and leaned his head against hers. She could feel him breathing in the scent of her hair. “I’ve always loved the smell of your soap, even more so when you use it on me,” he murmured. She smiled at the teasing tone of his voice.
“I missed you so much,” Elise said, refusing to let go. “But what on earth are you doing here, and when did you become so close with my father?”
