The morning had begun with Amelia entirely too aware of herself, as though the house itself had decided to remind her of every moment she had ever made a fool of herself in front of the Duke of Anderton. She moved through her duties with forced composure, arranging papers and preparing lessons while very firmly refusing to think about Gabriel’s gaze.
Unfortunately, this refusal proved entirely ineffective because her mind supplied it anyway. She could still recall the way he had looked at her during the dancing the previous day, as though she had temporarily rewritten the rules of his world without permission. It was deeply irritating that such a memory could make her throat feel oddly dry.
This means nothing at all.
David, by contrast, seemed entirely immune to emotional complications. He sat at the desk during their reading lesson, but his attention drifted repeatedly toward the window as though the outdoors were calling him personally.
Amelia watched him struggle through a sentence before losing him entirely to distraction once again. “You are not actually listening,” she observed gently, tapping the page with her finger.
David frowned, shifted in his seat, and glanced toward the glass once more. “I am listening,” he insisted, though his eyes betrayed him completely.
Amelia tilted her head, studying him with mild amusement. “You are listening to something entirely unrelated to the book,” she corrected lightly.
David hesitated, then closed the book with exaggerated resignation. “I want to go outside,” he declared, as though this were a matter of urgent importance.
Amelia paused, then glanced toward the window herself. The estate grounds stretched beyond, bright with morning light and far more inviting than any enclosed room had a right to be.
“That,” she said thoughtfully, “is a reasonable complaint.”
Within moments, the lesson had been abandoned in favor of fresh air, much to David’s overwhelming delight. Grover joined them at the doorway, tail wagging as though he had been consulted and fully approved the decision.
Amelia walked beside David as they crossed the gravel path, surprised at how easily the routine of the household seemed to shift around her now. Only two weeks ago, she had arrived here frightened and uncertain, and yet now, she found herself giving lessons, setting rules, and walking through a duke’s estate as though she belonged to it. The thought should have unsettled her more than it did. Instead, it simply felt strangely natural.
David ran ahead without hesitation, Grover chasing after him in exuberant bursts of energy. Amelia followed at a more measured pace, allowing herself a rare moment of quiet observation. Somewhere in the distance, gardeners worked among hedges, and the estate felt less like a rigid structure and more like a living thing. She became aware, with some surprise, that she was no longer entirely an outsider. Even the servants nodded at her now instead of watching her with suspicion.
“I think I am beginning to be accepted,” she murmured to herself, then immediately wondered if that sounded far too hopeful.
Her thoughts, however, remained complicated when it came to Gabriel.
She still did not understand him. Not properly. Not at all, really. Yet the uncertainty no longer felt entirely uncomfortable. It felt… something else.
Before she could untangle that thought further, footsteps approached from behind, and Amelia turned to see Valerie walking toward them with careful composure. The girl’s expression was controlled, but there was tension in her posture that suggested something had been weighing on her for some time.
David spotted her first and waved enthusiastically, causing Valerie to hesitate for half a second before continuing forward. Grover, ever loyal to chaos, immediately circled her legs in greeting. Amelia smiled faintly, sensing that something important was about to be said.
Valerie stopped beside them, hands folded neatly as though she had rehearsed this moment.
“I am worried about my debut,” she admitted abruptly, her voice quieter than usual.
David lost interest in the grass and wandered closer while Grover settled at Amelia’s feet.
Amelia regarded Valerie thoughtfully, noting the way the girl’s composure masked genuine anxiety. “That is entirely understandable,” she replied gently, keeping her tone even.
Valerie glanced at her, surprised perhaps by the lack of dismissal.
Amelia lowered herself onto a nearby bench, gesturing for Valerie to sit beside her.
“Everyone feels that way before their debut,” she added lightly.
Valerie hesitated but eventually sat, smoothing her skirts with precise movements. David climbed onto the bench’s armrest, swinging his legs as he listened without fully understanding.
Amelia folded her hands, choosing her words carefully. “My own debut had me very nervous,” she admitted.
Valerie blinked at her. “Did it?” she repeated.
Amelia gave a small, wry smile. “Indeed,” she said. “My first engagement was rather unfortunate. A misunderstanding in a ballroom that had tongues wagging.”
David looked fascinated by this description, though he clearly missed key details.
