Page 84

G raham remained by the lake long after Eleanor had left him. The wind carried the distant sounds of the ball—a violin’s trill, the murmur of conversation—but the world around him felt empty. She had been here, in his arms, so close he could have kissed her, and now she was gone.

A muscle in his jaw tightened. He had lost her once. He would not live through a second time.

Turning, he strode back toward the manor, barely registering the garden paths he had once known as a boy.

The flickering lanterns cast elongated shadows across the gravel, but his thoughts were elsewhere—still with her, with the way she had tilted her face toward his, with the quiet ache in her voice when she said she needed time.

Something held her back.

It was more than anger at his absence. More than hesitation. He had seen the conflict in her eyes, had felt the tension in her touch—as if she wanted to hold on but was afraid to let herself.

And Graham knew fear.

He had spent five years learning its many faces—fear of failure, fear of disgrace, fear of returning to find that the only woman he had ever wanted had moved on. But tonight, he had learned something else. She hadn’t moved on. Which meant he had a chance. Which meant he was going to fight for her.

He slipped through the terrace doors, the warmth of the ballroom hitting him instantly.

A sea of masked revelers spun across the marble floor, but Eleanor was nowhere in sight.

He needed to find her. Needed to tell her that whatever had kept them apart—his mistakes, her doubts, the world itself—he was done running from it.

A familiar voice cut through his thoughts. “There you are.”

Graham turned to find James, Viscount Ashford, Eleanor’s brother, standing near the drinks table, his own mask now abandoned.

James had been Graham’s closest friend since childhood. But now, looking at him, he felt the weight of the years between them. And worse—the knowledge that James would not approve of what had just happened between Graham and Eleanor.

Still, Graham schooled his expression into neutrality, offering a slight nod. “James.”

His old friend eyed him, then handed him a glass of brandy. “I wasn’t sure you’d ever come back.”

Graham took the drink, but didn’t lift it to his lips. “Neither was I.”

James hummed, studying him. “My father was shocked to hear of your return.” A pause. “So was Eleanor.”

The mention of her name sent a sharp pang through him.

“You… have spoken to Eleanor tonight?”

“She left the ball early, so I followed her upstairs. She didn’t say much because she had a headache,” James said, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “But I know my sister. She’s not as indifferent as she pretends to be.”

Graham tensed. He should be careful. If James had any inkling of what had transpired by the lake, of what nearly happened—

James exhaled, setting his glass down. “You broke her heart, Your Grace.”

The words struck like a blow, but Graham did not flinch.

“Pardon me?” His voice was even, but there was steel beneath it.

“When you left five years ago.” James chuckled. “You may not have realized it, but my sister was doe-eyed around you.”

Graham swallowed hard. Dare he confess his feelings for Eleanor? Would James understand? “Yes, I noticed.”

“I hope you don’t break her heart again,” James added.

“Well, if you must know…” Graham cleared his throat. “I intend to make it right.”

James arched a brow. “Do you, indeed?”

“I do.”

A long silence stretched between them. James’s eyes narrowed for several seconds before he gave a short laugh, though it held little humor. “Then I hope, for your sake, you know what you’re up against.”

Graham arched an eyebrow. “What are you saying?”

James hesitated—just for a fraction of a second. Then he shook his head. “Nothing.”

But it was not nothing. It was indeed something.

Something Eleanor had not told him. Something James was not saying.

And suddenly, Graham knew—Eleanor had secrets of her own.

And it had something to do with why she didn’t kiss him tonight…

It was more than just his absence that bothered her. And he was going to find out what it was.