“And you know how to make tea?” The question wasn’t asked with any particular tone, but the implication that Alice was ignorant and helpless enough not to even know how to make tea—with her shattered nerves, it was enough.
“What is wrong with you?” She spun around clutching the blankets to her chest. “I realize today’s venture turned into a bit of a mess, but please tell me, what have I done to irritate you so?” True surprise crossed his expression, his eyebrows lifting at her fierceness as she spit her question at him.
“I honestly can’t understand you. I thought we’d reached a place of acceptance. We were finally working well together, but now you try and stay away from me at all costs. One minute you seem to be concerned and caring, then the next you become cold and distant. I can’t handle this any longer.”
To her utter humiliation, her eyes began to well with tears. Lifting her hands to cover her face, Alice stomped toward the cabinets before he could answer—she was too frustrated to accept anything he had to say at the moment.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked, exasperated by the clattering behind him.
“Looking for some bandages,” she said while scouring a drawer. “In case you’d forgotten, you’re injured. And as much as you irritate me, I’m not about to leave you untreated.” Alice placed her hands on top of the table and hung her head, breathing deeply with her eyes closed to regain her sense of ease.
“There’s a basket with such supplies in the cabinet by the fireplace.” It took him a moment to answer—most likely he was trying to calm himself as well. Alice leaned away from the table and grabbed the basket, then sank to the floor beside Ethan, looking decidedly at his foot instead of his face.
Picking up his foot from the stool, she could see that his ankle was already swelling and turning a nice shade of aubergine. She placed her palm on the bottom of his foot and slowly rotated it around, looking for areas of trouble. She was used to tending to her father’s injured leg and would treat Mr. Beaumont no differently, even if she did presently wish to strangle him for thinking so little of her.
Ethan winced but smartly said nothing. It appeared to be a straightforward sprain, and Alice was grateful it wasn’t worse. Pulling a length of clean cotton from the basket, she expertly wrapped the area. Her agitation began to dissipate as she lost herself in the rhythm—round and round, over and under. It felt nice to be the one helping him for once, rather than feeling helpless herself.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” Ethan eventually said, quietly. “I don’t mean to question your abilities or intelligence. And I certainly don’t mean to be so gruff with you. I just . . . I don’t know how to be around you anymore.”
“What do you mean?” Alice tied off the bandage and placed her hands back in her lap before looking up at him. She was truly curious as to what had changed between them that would make him so uncertain.
“I’d like to be your friend. I’d like to leave our rough start in the past and move forward, but . . .” He let out an exasperated sigh and raked his fingers through his damp hair.
“Butwhat?”
“But I’m so goddamn attracted to you that you unnerve me!”
CHAPTER 17
Ethan sat in shock, incredulous that those words had just tumbled out of his mouth. But without fail, Alice once again set him on edge until he didn’t know what to say or do. He always ended up saying the wrong thing around her, such as just now.
Alice sat frozen below him, hands clenching her blanket closed, face set in a look of astonishment with her eyes wide. “You . . . you’re attracted to me?”
Expelling a long breath, Ethan decided he might as well come clean. “Yes,” he admitted. “I’ve been avoiding you because I find you distracting. When I’m around you, I lose sight of everything else I’m doing, of what really matters. It leaves me flustered, and I end up taking my frustration at feeling out of sorts on you, and I apologize, you don’t deserve that.”
She was staring at him intently and had opened her mouth to speak when the whistling kettle interrupted, breaking the moment. Alice rushed to retrieve the pot from the fireplace and returned to the kitchen area, busying herself with tea preparations.
Ethan eased his foot back onto the stool that she’d so thoughtfully procured and leaned back with a defeated sigh. A moment later, she returned and handed him a steaming mugbefore settling into the other chair. He gratefully wrapped his frozen fingers around the hot cup and breathed in the scent of the tea.
“Thank you. I’m sorry I questioned your aptitude. Over the past few weeks you’ve proven yourself capable, and I shouldn’t have made assumptions based on your upbringing.”
“I appreciate that. And I’m sure some of your doubts are justified. I’ve realized in the past month just how ignorant I am when it comes to the way most people truly live.” Alice ducked her head, a finger tracing the rim of the mug. “But part of being a lady is knowing how to run a household.” She looked up at him again, a teasing smile bringing up the corner of her lips. “And while I may not do the tasks myself, I do have an understanding of how to make tea and basic cooking. We must know how to prepare the perfect menu, after all.”
A chuckle escaped him at her mocking tone, breaking the tension that had grown between them. They sat in silence for several moments while thawing out, tea in hand.
“I feel it, too, you know.” The words were quiet; Ethan unsure he’d heard them until she spoke again. “I know there can never be anything between us, so I understand why you resist—why it makes you uncomfortable. But I don’t think we can continue to avoid one another.”
“No, I suppose that hasn’t worked very well.” He could hardly believe she had admitted to being part of whatever was happening between them, that she would acknowledge feelings for him as well. He swallowed around a lump in his throat, clearing it before giving a nod.
“Now that we’re settled, we should think about what to do next,” he said, intentionally redirecting the conversation. “We can’t attempt to venture back until this rain lets up, so we may be here for a few hours. Might as well prepare some food and set our clothes out to dry as much as possible.”
Alice must have been just as eager to move on, for she stood without a word and began laying out pieces of clothing over the dining chairs.
“Put those nearest the fire,” Ethan said, motioning to his shirt and her chemise. “We’ll need those dry the most as they are the layer closest to our skin.” Alice obliged, blushing slightly.
He felt like a helpless fool, unable to assist due to his damn ankle. He should have been more careful, taken the time to look around before attempting to descend into the crag.
“Why the wood anemone?” he asked, curiosity overtaking him.
