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Olivia felt anger flare inside her, but James remained still. He merely looked at his uncle with an expression so calm that it seemed to enrage Hubert further.

"We shall see about that, Uncle," James replied evenly.

The quietness of his voice made the words more powerful than any shout could have been. Hubert stared at him for several seconds before turning sharply and storming into the parlor.

Olivia followed James with her eyes as he watched his uncle disappear through the doorway.

"James," she said softly, moving closer.

He glanced at her, and she saw the pain beneath his controlled exterior. "Are you all right?"

He gave a faint, humorless smile. "No," he admitted. "But I will be."

Olivia wanted to reach for him immediately, to take his hand and remind him that he was not alone, but she hesitated. There were so many emotions passing across his face that she did not wish to overwhelm him.

"You handled that remarkably," she said instead, and his brows lifted slightly.

"Remarkably?" he repeated.

Olivia nodded, her voice becoming warmer. "You could have lost your temper. You could have treated those people as enemies, but you protected them. You listened to them when they came to you frightened and desperate. That tells me more about you than anything else."

James looked away, and Olivia could almost see him fighting against the compliment.

"I did what was necessary," he murmured.

"Perhaps," she replied, stepping nearer, "but doing what is right when you are hurt is not always easy."

He looked back at her then, and their eyes met. Olivia felt a familiar flutter in her chest, but this time it was not simply attraction.

It is admiration.

She had come to admire pieces of him before she had realized she was doing so; it was in the little moments when he cared for Felix or helped tenants, when he had admitted his fears beside the waterfall, when he had kissed her because he finally understood that she was hurting.

Now she wondered …

Have I been falling deeply for him all along?

A loud voice carried from the parlor, interrupting her thoughts. "You cannot do this to me!" Hubert shouted.

Olivia glanced toward the doorway, then back at James. "He sounds rather upset," she whispered.

James gave a dry look. "He has had a difficult morning."

Despite everything, Olivia nearly smiled. "You sound very calm for a man whose uncle has just admitted to attempting to destroy you."

James exhaled slowly. "If I allow myself to feel everything at once, I doubt I shall remain calm for long."

Olivia reached out then and placed her hand upon his arm. "Then do not feel everything at once. Feel one thing at a time."

He looked down at her hand, and something softened in his expression. "You make it sound very simple."

"It is not simple," Olivia admitted, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "But you do not have to do it alone." The words seemed to settle between them.

James had spent so much of his life believing that relying upon another person was dangerous, and now his uncle had proved to be an enemy, Olivia could see that instinct still fighting within him.

Yet he did not pull away from her touch. Instead, he covered her hand with his own, holding it there for a moment. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Olivia smiled. "You need not thank me for standing beside you."