Music Recommendation: One step at a time- Alexandre Desplat
On reaching Woodlock, the carriage in which Noah and Eve were riding entered the gates of the Sullivans' mansion before the vehicle came to a halt.
Noah turned to look at Eve, noticing her stare at the empty seat in front of her, something she had been doing since they had left Thresk Hills. Though he hadn't pressed her for what happened, he was still curious to know who had hurt her. It seemed like he met her after she passed through a difficult time, where he could not help her, and he knew there was only a little he could do about it because of his circumstances.
He couldn't recklessly put her under everyone's eyes and his inability to help made him clench his jaw.
But Noah's heart craved to be there for her. After all, she was the only woman he had loved. Even if it meant it was from afar. He tried to protect her in his own way.
When his coachman Kieran opened the carriage door, Noah noticed Eve didn't realise they were at his mansion and he called her,
"Genevieve?"
Eve snapped away from her thoughts and turned to look at him with her blue eyes that reminded him of the deep sea. He smiled kindly, "We have arrived at Sullivan's mansion."
Noah and Eve stepped down from the carriage, and he said, "Let me lead you to the quarters where you will be sleeping tonight." Eve turned to look at the carriage, where her trunk sat behind the vehicle. He assured her, "Don't worry about it. Kieran will keep an eye on it tonight."
Eve apprehensively asked, "Your family won't mind me being here?"
Bringing an unmarried woman home at night wasn't something that was welcomed. Not to mention, she was no more just a woman from the lower side of society, but someone, who had been accused of having illegitimate affairs with men of the high society.
Noah replied, "My family wouldn't mind, Genevieve. Nor would the Chambers' family. Please be at ease."
Eve followed Noah inside the mansion, where he led her through the hallways and corridors while her mind returned to what happened a few hours ago with the townsfolk and Vincent. She didn't bother to admire the beautiful mansion and blindly followed the Duke before they walked up one of the mansion's stairs and arrived at the guest quarters.
They met Lady Anaya on the way, who looked surprised to see Eve at the mansion at this hour. Both the women bowed, and Eve greeted first, "Good evening, Lady Anaya."
"Good evening, Ms. Barlow," Lady Anaya greeted her back and asked, "Is everything alright?" without directly hinting at the wound she noticed on Eve's forehead.
Noah was the one to reply, "I met Genevieve in Thresk Hills, who was going to travel to Berkshire. But I asked her to go in the morning because of the rogue activities," and the she-wolf nodded.
"That is good. The rogues have been causing quite a bit of an issue lately," Lady Anaya agreed and then asked, "Did you eat something, Ms. Barlow? Let me tell the butler to prepare the dining room. Also, there are newly made nightdresses that Ms. Barlow can make use of tonight."
Eve quickly shook her head, "I am perfectly fine, Lady Anaya. You do not have to worry about it. I have my trunk in the carriage, and can take it from it." She was fine sleeping in with what she wore now.
Lady Anaya said, "I am sure you must have compactly packed your clothes and removing it now would be a hassle. I would be upset if you refused." When Eve offered another bow to the lady, the she-wolf smiled.
People often saw wrongs in the women of the High Society, but women like Lady Anaya defied them. So did the women of her town, Eve thought.
"Thank you," Noah thanked her, and Lady Anaya's eyes met him, where she gave him a nod. The she-wolf walked away from there, while Noah led Eve to her room.
When the butler prepared the dining room, it was just the three of them, as the other family members had already finished their dinner an hour ago. Noah sat on the head of the table, while Lady Anaya sat on his immediate left and next to her sat Eve. Once the maids started serving the food, they started to eat.
Lady Anaya inquired with Eve, "Who lives in Berkshire?"
Eve swallowed her food and replied, "My aunt's friend. At the moment my aunt is there, visiting her."
"Berkshire is beautiful, especially with the oncoming time of Winter," Lady Anaya chatted as both Noah and Eve were quiet. Eve kept slipping away in her thoughts while Noah kept a watchful eye on her. "The last time I was there it was almost two years ago. Is this your first time visiting the capital?"
"Second," replied Eve, and the woman nodded.
"I see," Lady Anaya murmured before resuming her meal.
Noah asked Eve, "How long do you plan to stay there?"
"I haven't decided yet. But it will be long," upon Eve's answer, the Duke nodded.
Lady Anaya noticed the way Noah stared at Eve. She asked their guest, "The Moriarty family must be flexible to work with, isn't it? When my governess missed two days of work, my mother was angry at her," she softly laughed before adding, "Everyone should get a time of vacation."
Eve decided not to mention her quitting working for the Moriarty family and only mustered a smile at Lady Anaya's words. Even if she wanted to continue to work, she couldn't go back and this time, it wasn't because of Vincent. Word of false rumour would eventually pass to different towns that she was sleeping with men for money. She wouldn't be able to work here, as no one would want to hire her.
After finishing dinner, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Lady Anaya's newly made nightdress was already placed on her bed, which Eve wore. She got inside the bed, pulling the blanket close to her chest.
But when Eve closed her eyes, the memories of people dragging and shaming her appeared in her mind. She could still hear the scathing words of the townsfolk that echoed in her ears. She twisted and turned in the bed before sitting upright at the edge of the bed for long minutes.
She placed her feet on the carpeted floor and stepped out of the room. She walked to a nearby patio in the corridor, looking at the beautiful view of Woodlock town under the night sky.
"Having trouble sleeping?"
She turned and noticed Noah, standing a few steps away from her. He had changed his clothes to his night dress, wearing a thin brown coat tied around his waist.
Eve gave a nod. It seemed like she wasn't the only one unable to sleep tonight.
But unlike her, Noah hadn't gone to bed to sleep and sat in his armchair for minutes while thinking about her. He had asked Kerian to see if something had happened in Meadow, but the man had returned with no answer except to say, 'The townsfolk were scared, and no one was willing to speak.'
Deciding to stroll near the quarters where Eve now slept, he walked only to find her standing on one of the patios.
Noah now walked to where she stood and came to stand next to her in front of the railings. He said, "The season of rain has ended and soon it will start to snow."
"It has been cloudy since yesterday," Eve replied, noticing the sky didn't hold stars or moon. "This place has a beautiful view."
"It does," Noah responded while looking at her. He watched the fringes on her forehead move to the sides because of the wind. Every day she seemed to grow more beautiful than the day before, but so did the look in her eyes, which held unspoken pain. Unable to keep himself from knowing, he asked, "Who hurt you, Genevieve?"
Eve clutched the railing while she didn't look away from the view of the town. She then said, "It was a misunderstanding, but it has been cleared now."
"If it has been cleared, why does it seem like you want to run away from this place? Was it Vincent Moriarty?" Noah asked her.
Eve quickly shook her head. "No," she replied, even though the pureblooded vampire was mostly the reason why she wanted to leave. She said, "I thought a few days away from here would help me clear my head. A little break from everything."
A subtle frown appeared on his face, and he said, "You can always talk to me about anything, and I promise to not judge you."
"I know you won't. But sometimes the burden is too heavy that if you share it with another, things might not be the same," Eve smiled at the end, which appeared to be sad. She said, "Thank you for offering me a place to stay for tonight."
Noticing the look of pain in the eyes of the woman he loved, his emotions took over reality, and he let his guard down. He placed his hand on top of hers, which was on the railing and said, "There is something I want to tell you."
Eve looked at him with a questioning gaze, "What is it?"
"I..."
