Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

A delightful lavender scent drifted off Delphine's person as she sat next to Bennett in the coach. It shouldn't affect him, but it did. Greatly. It took a great effort on his part not to lean closer to her and bask in her nearness.

Fortunately, sanity prevailed. That, and his sisters were sitting across from him in the cramped coach.

He glanced over at Delphine and noticed that she was staring out the window. There was a line between her brow as she appeared deep in thought. He wished he could wipe away every worry, every concern, but it was not his place to do so.

In a few days, she would return home and that was for the best. At least, that was the lie he kept telling himself. He wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to her.

Elodie's voice filled the coach, captivating everyone's attention. "We are almost there," she announced.

Reaching up, Melody adjusted the straw hat on her head as she turned to address her sister. "I am taking you at your word that you won't tip over the rowboat."

"I assure you that I won't since I have no desire to have Mother lecture me about soiling another gown," Elodie responded .

Bennett chuckled. "How is it that you soil so many gowns?"

"I'm not quite sure," Elodie said. "The most unfortunate things happen to me. It is hardly my fault."

"Then, precisely, whose fault is it?" Melody asked.

Elodie shrugged. "The universe."

Melody shook her head. "When are you going to stop blaming everyone- and everything- but yourself for your misfortune?"

"Perhaps I will stop when Mother and Father accept that I wish to be a spinster forever." Elodie paused. "I shall live in Delphine's castle with her and I will be her apprentice."

"You, an apprentice?" Bennett asked.

With a tilt of her chin, Elodie replied, "Yes, I would be the greatest apprentice of all time. People would write stories about me and perhaps even make up folk songs."

Bennett knew he was going to regret this question, but he decided to ask it anyways. "What will you be an apprentice of, Sister?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, it does, actually," Bennett replied, "Being an apprentice means you intend to learn specific skills.

"Then I shall learn the art of running a business," Elodie shared.

Bennett gave Elodie a disbelieving look. "Is that something you are truly interested in?"

"I had never considered running a business until I met Delphine," Elodie said. "But why not?"

"Father would never allow you to do such a thing," Bennett declared.

Elodie's lips twitched. "Then I shall run far away and open the greatest business of all time."

Bennett did not think Elodie was the least bit serious, but he decided to press her anyways. "And what type of business would that be? "

"I haven't quite decided yet, but I will figure that out when I apprentice with Delphine," Elodie stated.

Melody chimed in, "Being an apprentice would require you to be teachable."

"I am very teachable. Everyone says so," Elodie declared.

Bennett furrowed his brow. "Who, pray tell, is ‘everyone'?"

Elodie waved a dismissive hand in front of her. "The list is far too extensive for me to go into it now, but suffice it to say, you would know some of the people."

"I do think you are making that list up," Bennett remarked.

"How dare you make such an outlandish accusation!" Elodie exclaimed, feigning outrage.

Shifting her gaze from the window, Delphine said, "I would love to have Elodie come live with me."

Elodie gave her brother a smug look. "Did you hear that, Bennett? Delphine said she would love to have me come live with her."

"I heard it, considering we are inside of a coach," Bennett teased. "But Mother would never let you go live with Delphine. She wants you to find a husband and settle down."

"We both know that is never going to happen," Elodie remarked.

"Whyever not?" Bennett asked.

Elodie gestured towards her sister. "Melody will be the diamond of the first water this Season, and she will have her pick amongst suitors. But I…" she hesitated, "I want more out of life."

Delphine placed her hand on Bennett's sleeve. "Elodie is always welcome to live at my castle with me. It would be fun."

"Trust me, you don't want to live with Elodie," Bennett said.

"Why is that?" Delphine asked.

He leaned closer and whispered, "She has the terrible habit of thinking she is always right. "

A smile came to Delphine's lips. "Ah, it is a family trait then."

Melody giggled and her hand came up to cover her mouth.

"I should warn you that Elodie loves goat cheese," Bennett said. "She would eat up all of your profits."

Elodie huffed. "I could not eat that much goat cheese."

The coach came to a halt, its weight shifting as the footman descended from his perch. Moments later, the door swung open, and Bennett emerged, extending a hand to assist the ladies.

As they began to walk towards the lake, Delphine's gaze swept over the body of water. "Frankly, I had imagined it to be much larger," she commented.

"My mother refers to this as a pond, but Bennett insists it is a lake," Elodie explained.

Bennett's eyes scanned the expanse of water before him. "I like to call it ‘Lockwood Water.' Isn't it lovely?"

"It is indeed lovely," Delphine agreed.

"When I was younger, I learned how to swim here," Bennett shared. "Most parts are shallow enough to stand up in."

Elodie increased her stride and reached the rowboats first. "The first ones out to the middle wins."

"The winner of what?" Bennett asked.

"I don't know, but you are wasting your time asking such foolish questions," Elodie said. "Come along, Melody."

Bennett rushed forward and held his hand out to help his sister into the rowboat. "Careful," he encouraged as she stepped down.

Elodie jumped into the boat and reached for the oars. "Since you are here, Brother, can you push us off?"

"Of course," Bennett said.

After he gently pushed the boat into the water, he reached back and assisted Delphine into another waiting rowboat. He waited until she was situated before he pushed the boat off from shore.

Not long after, Bennett heard Elodie's triumphant shout. "We won!"

"It was never a competition!" he retorted playfully.

Elodie's laughter rang out. "That is just what a loser would say."

Bennett looked heavenward. "My sister is…" His words trailed off.

"Delightful? Entertaining?" Delphine inquired.

"Those were not the words I was going to use," Bennett said. "What if a potential suitor offers to take her on a boat ride? I have no doubt she would insist on rowing the boat."

Delphine gave him a knowing look. "If a gentleman is so easily chased off by Elodie, was he truly the one for her?"

With a glance at his sisters, Bennett said, "I do hope my sisters choose well. I can't abide the thought of either of them being miserable."

"You must trust them to make the right decisions for themselves," Delphine stated.

Bennett let out a sigh. "That did not work out in my Aunt Sarah's case. She married someone far below her station and has dealt with the repercussions ever since. Her husband beat her, relentlessly in fact, and then turned his heavy hand onto their son. Fortunately, they were able to escape with their lives, but at what cost?"

"That is awful," Delphine said. "Dare I ask what has become of them?"

Bennett felt his jaw tighten. "She is somewhere safe- for now. And I won't let anything happen to her or her son."

"I know you won't," Delphine said, her eyes filled with approval. "You are a good man, Bennett."

"And you are a good woman, Delphine," Bennett responded.

She laughed, but he was serious. "I'm being sincere. "

"As am I," Bennett said. "I have never met someone quite like you."

"I shall take that as a compliment."

Bennett grinned. "You should."

A silence descended over them as he rowed the boat and he realized that he felt a sense of contentment that he had never felt before. It was like everything he needed was in this boat. Which was absurd. Was it not?

Delphine turned her head towards his sisters and smiled. "I find it interesting just how truly unique Elodie and Melody are, despite being twins."

"It is true," Bennett said. "They both see the world very differently."

"How do you see the world?"

Bennett furrowed his brow. "I must admit that I am more of a pessimist now," he admitted. "But I do believe that people are inherently good and are searching to be loved and accepted."

Delphine pressed her lips together. "How is it that you believe in love so freely?"

"I was fortunate that my parents showered love upon me from the day I was born," Bennett replied.

"I envy you," Delphine sighed. "I grew up in a very different environment."

Bennett stopped rowing and met her gaze. "I'm sorry."

She offered him a weak smile. "I have no right to complain. I had everything I ever wanted…" Her voice trailed off.

"But nothing that you truly needed," Bennett said, finishing her thought. "But now you get to decide your own future."

"For which I am most grateful"

Bennett grinned. "Do you truly live in a castle?"

"I do, at least when I am visiting Scotland," she replied.

"I hope to see it one day. "

Delphine returned his smile. "You will always be welcome in my home," she said. "You, and your family."

Bennett leaned forward in his seat, unable to resist being closer to Delphine. "And you will always be welcome in my home."

"It has been nice to be around your family, especially your parents. It is rather obvious that they love one another," Delphine said.

"They do," Bennett agreed, growing pensive. "I fancied myself in love once." He wasn't quite sure why he had admitted that so freely.

Delphine cocked her head. "What happened?"

Bennett frowned at the painful memories. "When I first saw Lady Mary at a ball, I thought it was love at first sight, and I immediately set out to make her acquaintance. We danced a set and I was determined to make her my own. It wasn't long after that I decided I would offer for her."

He paused, knowing how foolish he must sound to her. "The morning I intended to call upon her, I read an article in the newssheets. It was about how this young woman had been spotted leaving Lord Whitmore's townhouse."

Bennett ran a hand through his hair. "I confronted her about it and she admitted that she was with child. Lord Whitmore had no designs to marry her so she hoped to marry me before the ton discovered her secret."

"How awful," Delphine murmured.

"I felt betrayed and confused. I had cared for her, but she had only meant to use me," Bennett said. "The worst part is that if she had only come to me and explained her plight, I might have still married her."

Bennett continued. "I felt like a fool and I departed for our country home that very day. I couldn't stand the thought of being around Lady Mary for one more day."

Delphine leaned forward in her seat, her eyes full of compassion. "She was wrong to take advantage of your kind heart."

"The funny thing is that I still believe in love," Bennett admitted. "When I marry, it will be for love. I won't settle for anything less."

"As well you should," Delphine said. "It is no less than you deserve."

"But not you?" Bennett asked.

Delphine settled back in her seat, her expression giving nothing away. "I have always led myself to believe that love was a weakness. I had been so adamant, but now I find myself questioning that belief."

Bennett gripped the ends of the oars tighter, resisting the urge to reach for Delphine's hand. Despite his efforts, he longed to feel her touch.

Elodie's voice interrupted his musings. "Shall we race?" she asked eagerly.

Turning his head, he saw Elodie and Melody were a short distance away. How did he not notice them approach?

But he already knew the answer.

Delphine.

When he was around her, nothing else seemed to matter. He was starting to reveal far too much of himself to her. But he had no regrets about doing so.

Delphine sat in her bedchamber as she waited for the dinner bell to ring so she could make her way down to the drawing room. Her hair was piled high atop her head and she was dressed in a borrowed jonquil gown.

Until she had met Bennett, she had been content with her life. But now… she was not quite so sure. She had feelings for him, but they were unrequited. Which was fine by her. She ha d no intention of giving her heart to anyone. She had been doing just fine on her own and couldn't risk losing all that she had worked so hard to obtain.

So why did her heart seem to beat only for Bennett?

Rising from the settee, she walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness of night. Only fools fell in love, giving the other person power to hurt you, over and over again. For isn't that what marriage was?

Delphine sighed. Perhaps her view of marriage had been tainted from watching her parents. They seemed to take great pleasure in making the other person miserable. It had almost seemed like a game to them.

And yet, Lord and Lady Dallington were nothing like her parents. The affection they held for one another was evident in every glance, every word and every touch. What would it have been like to be raised by parents that truly had loved one another? Would they have showered her with love?

Maybe, just maybe, that is why she was so drawn to Bennett. He treated her with such kindness that her heart was softening towards him. A heart that she thought was impenetrable. But was love not a weakness? She had always thought so, but now she wasn't so sure.

Delphine couldn't risk showing a crack in her fa?ade. Her cousin was trying to take away her title and she had to be strong. All the time. She would not lose her legacy over a trifling thing such as love.

Love?

Did she love Bennett?

No.

She couldn't.

She wouldn't.

But she did.

Delphine leaned her shoulder against the window frame. Perhaps it was best that she leave Brockhall Manor sooner rather than later. The longer she stayed here, the longer she doubted her decision to remain alone.

A knock came at the door and her heart took flight. Had Bennett arrived to walk her down to the drawing room?

She straightened from the wall and rushed over to the mirror. Once she confirmed she looked presentable, she walked over to the door.

With a smile on her face, she opened the door, but it faltered when she saw Elodie. "Good evening," she said as she attempted to hide her disappointment.

Elodie gave her a knowing look. "Were you expecting someone else?"

She was, but she didn't dare admit that. Not to Elodie. "No, of course not," she said, opening the door wide. "I am very happy that you are here."

"May I come in?" Elodie asked.

"Yes, please do," Delphine responded as she moved to the side.

Elodie stepped into the room and turned to face her. "I was hoping we could speak privately for a moment."

Delphine eyed her curiously. "Is everything all right?"

"It is," Elodie rushed to assure her.

After she closed the door, Delphine gestured towards the settee at the end of her bed. "Would you care to sit?"

Elodie sat down and clasped her hands in her lap. In a solemn voice, she asked, "What are your intentions towards my brother?"

Delphine reared back. She hadn't expected that from Elodie. Although, in fairness, she never quite knew what to expect from her. "Pardon?"

"I have been watching you two and I suspect that you both have grown to care for one another," Elodie responded. "Is it true?"

"I… um… I don't know what to say," Delphine replied.

"It is a simple enough question. Do you care for Bennett? "

Delphine pressed her lips together, unsure of how she wanted to answer. She didn't want to lie, but she couldn't afford to tell the truth. "I do care for Bennett but not in the way you are thinking. He is my friend."

Elodie lifted her brow. "You two did not appear to be just friends when you were in that boat earlier."

Coming to sit down next to Elodie on the settee, Delphine said, "I do not know what you are referring to."

"You two acted very familiar with one another."

"That is what friends do," she attempted.

With a shake of her head, Elodie said, "I can't tell if you are lying to me or actually believe what you are saying."

"Elodie…"

She put her hand up, stilling Delphine's words. "I know what I have seen, and it is evident that you two have affection for one another. Do not insult me by saying otherwise."

Delphine should never have underestimated Elodie and thought it was best to just admit what she was feeling. "Frankly, I don't know what I feel. I have never felt like this before and it frightens me."

"What are you frightened about?"

She tossed up her hands. "About everything!" she exclaimed. "I never set out to develop feelings for Bennett."

"But this is wonderful news. You and Bennett can marry?—"

Delphine spoke over her. "No, I have no designs for marriage at this point in my life," she asserted.

Elodie blinked. "But you care for Bennett and he cares for you."

"That may or may not be true, but I cannot marry. If I did, I risk losing everything I have worked so hard to obtain," she shared. "For once I am married, no one will take me seriously. I will just be Bennett's wife. They will expect him to run the estate, my business… everything. And I will be left with nothing to do. "

"Bennett wouldn't let that happen," Elodie asserted.

"I'm sorry, but I have seen it happen before," Delphine said. "I am not the first woman who has inherited a title, and I won't be the last. My estate may be entailed, but not the business. My husband will have full control over that."

Elodie's eyes grew determined. "You could defy convention, could you not?" she inquired.

"I don't know," she sighed.

"Do you truly intend to walk away from Bennett?"

Delphine felt a stab in her heart at that thought. "I wish to remain his friend, assuming he feels the same."

Elodie jumped up from her seat. "Friend? Surely you are not this blind. You two can't seem to stop staring at each other."

"I'm sorry, but…"

"No!" Elodie exclaimed. "I won't let this happen. You love him. I know you do!"

As her eyes grew downcast, Delphine felt embarrassed that Elodie had been able to see right through her. "I don't know if what I feel is love. Perhaps, but it changes nothing."

Elodie's mouth dropped. "It changes everything!"

Bringing her finger up to her lips, Delphine said, "Shh. You must keep your voice down. I don't want anyone to overhear our conversation."

"Just so you know, everyone else knows." Elodie paused. "Well, everyone but you and Bennett."

"I know you are trying to help, but I am a countess. If I marry Bennett, I would lose a part of myself."

"I disagree. You would gain a partner and a helpmate. You wouldn't have to go about it on your own anymore."

Delphine gave her a knowing look. "Did Bennett ask you to come speak to me about this?"

Elodie shifted uncomfortably. "No, but I know he cares for you."

"Care, not love," Delphine said. "There is a difference and it isn't fair that you came here to speak for him. He might be content with being my friend."

"What if he isn't?"

Delphine lifted her brow. "Your brother wants a love match and I can't give him that. He deserves to be happy."

"You have made him far happier than I have ever seen," Elodie declared. "Bennett can't seem to stop himself from smiling when he is around you."

"That is the way Bennett is," Delphine attempted.

"No, it isn't," Elodie assured her. "He is happy, truly happy, for the first time. And it has everything to do with you."

Delphine smiled. "You are a good sister, but should you not at least ask Bennett what he wants first?"

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden knock at the door.

Delphine crossed the room and opened the door, revealing Bennett. He had a boyish grin on his lips that was doing inconvenient things to her heart.

He bowed. "Good evening," he said. "May I escort you down to supper?"

"Actually, you could escort us both down," Delphine responded as she opened the door wide.

Bennett glanced over her shoulder and asked, "Why is Elodie in your room?"

Elodie smirked. "Are you afraid I am going to reveal your secrets?"

"I have no secrets," Bennett replied.

"No?" Elodie asked as she came to stand next to Delphine. "What about Mr. Swanson and?—"

Bennett cut her off. "There is no need to rehash that story."

Winston's voice came from down the hallway. "I think Delphine has a right to know, considering you almost died."

"I did not almost die," Bennett remarked. "I only received a few stitches from that bull. "

"What bull?" Delphine asked.

Winston leaned his shoulder against the door frame. "Our Bennett here decided that he wanted to be a matador after seeing them perform in Spain."

Bennett turned towards Delphine and explained, "I had a little too much to drink and my friends dared me to challenge a bull to a fight. I took a red quilt and I went over to Mr. Swanson's field. As I went to climb over a fence, a bull rushed towards me and I fell backwards, hitting my head on a rock."

Delphine frowned. "You could have been killed."

"Not me," Bennett said with a cocky smile. "I am far too handsome to die."

Elodie let out an exasperated sigh. "Dear heavens, do you ever hear yourself speak?" she asked before brushing past her brother.

Winston straightened from the wall. "I must side with Elodie. You do say the most idiotic things."

As Winston walked away, Bennett chuckled. "And that is how I rid myself of my siblings."

"You are awful," Delphine said lightly. She was secretly pleased that they were alone and could speak freely.

Bennett offered his arm. "You look lovely this evening, Delphie."

"Thank you," she said as she placed her hand on his sleeve. "But I still have questions about why you thought it was a good idea to challenge a bull to a fight."

"It wasn't my finest moment," Bennett joked. "I had seen a matador perform in Spain on my Grand Tour and I thought it would be fun to try."

Delphine pursed her lips. "Why stop with bulls? You could always pick a fight with a tiger at the menagerie."

"Point taken, my lady," Bennett said as they started down the stairs. "I promise I will not pick any fights with animals that are bigger or stronger than me."

"Good," Delphine responded .

Bennett's eyes held amusement as he said, "I am flattered that you are so concerned for my wellbeing."

Delphine grinned. "You have a low bar for being flattered."

"I won't deny that," Bennett said. "But it is not every day that such a beautiful young woman cares what becomes of me."

A blush came to her cheeks at his words. "You flatter me now."

Bennett came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and gently turned her to face him. "I hope you know that I find you to be quite beautiful." He held her gaze. "And your bravery runs deep. You are a unique blend of strength and beauty."

Delphine's breathing grew ragged and she couldn't seem to force herself to look away. He made her feel safe and protected. She couldn't ever remember feeling that way with anyone before.

And that is when she knew- without a doubt- that she had fallen in love with Bennett.