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She sighed, flopping down on her bed, a mere section of it uncovered by her belongings—belongings she’d been so intent on packing away. Now she didn’t know what to do with them.

“Well, I don’t,” she said, “contrary to everyone’s beliefs.”

“I didn’t think you did,” he said.

She gave him a dubious look.

“Not anymore,” he added with an irresistibly sheepish grin. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter what people think of you. What matters is what you think of yourself. Where do your values lie? Who is the person you want to be? That sort of thing.”

Winnie listened to him as if he was speaking a foreign language. He might as well have been, what with how little she understood him. What did it matter what people thought of her? Who did she want to be? He couldn’t have asked her more difficult questions.

“And if I don’t know the answer to either?” she asked.

He merely shrugged. “Just keep moving forward until you do.”

Keep moving forward. Figure out the person she wanted to be. Don’t let Dad’s opinion muddy the water. What a life she would lead if she could tackle that fear.

Good grief, was she really taking life advice from Matthew now?

“So,” he pressed, “what do you say?”

“To what?” she asked, half-teasing. “You’ve said a lot.”

“To working together,” he said patiently. “To staying and helping me with the festival.”

She looked away, still grappling with her fears. As nice as it was to imagine being able to stand up to Dad and one day become the woman she wanted to be, it was just a pipe dream.

“Aren’t you the least bit curious to see what could come of us working together?” Matthew asked next, giving her a look of intrigue. “We really could put on one amazing event.”

Winnie must have been utterly exhausted, for her mind actually started to linger on Matthew’s words. What if she put her heart and soul into this event—her true heart and soul—just as Matthew did, just as Mr. Wintour had asked her to? What would happen then?

“I don’t know,” she said, still hesitant. “I just don’t think it’s possible for us to work and not fight with each other.”

“Oh, I’m sure we’ll still fight,” he said. “We have to keep our lives interesting, after all. But I think you’ll find me to be quite the agreeable gentleman when I’m not trying to sabotage innocent individuals.”

He gave a harmless smile, and she fought off a laugh. He was too adorable. Who would have ever thought—Matthew Wintour, adorable?

“Soooo…” he said, dragging out the word expectantly.

The hope in his eyes almost made her give in instantly. He really did want her to stay, didn’t he? She could hardly believe it.

Honestly, she wanted to stay, to follow through with the festival and do what she’d promised. But Matthew was becoming an even larger driving force in her desire to remain. She wanted to see what would become of the two of them actually working side-by-side. To see if they really could succeed together.

“Okay,” she said slowly, her pride dropping to her feet as quietly as the start of a gentle rainfall, drip by drip. “I have to admit, I…I do want to see this through.”

His eyes brightened, but she rushed on, knowing there was still much to consider. “I just don’t know where to start. I don’t know festivals, I don’t know the audience. Heck, I don’t even know England.”

He studied her for a minute, then a slow smile spread across his lips, as bright as the sun rising over the hills and spreading its light directly on her features. “I might have just the thing to help with that. Once you know England, all the pieces will fall into place.”

She eyed him suspiciously. He looked far too excited for his own good. “What are we going to do, then?”

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” he said enigmatically. “Only be prepared for a very busy, very English holiday.”

“A holiday?” she asked.

Intrigue poured over the last of the trepidation simmering in her belly.

“Yes. Just give me a day to work through a few details.”