Chapter 50: Something feels Different

Golden sunlight poured through the curtains, spilling soft warmth across the wide bed. Evelyn stirred first, blinking sleepily against the light. Her body ached in places she didn't know could ache, a delicious, humbling reminder of the night before.

She turned her head on the pillow.

Nathaniel lay beside her, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting against her bare waist. His eyes were closed, lashes long against his cheekbones. He looked unguarded like this, a man stripped of his armor so different from the cool, commanding duke who ruled rooms with silence.

Evelyn studied him quietly.

She remembered his hands on her. His mouth. The words he murmured. The way he had known about that book, about her curiosity… the way he had made her feel it.

She swallowed.

What now?

Her fingers reached out before she could stop herself, brushing the edge of his jaw lightly. His skin was warm, the faintest shadow of a beard rough against her touch.

"You're staring," he said without opening his eyes.

Heat rushed to her face. "I thought you were asleep."

Nathaniel cracked an eye open. "I was. Until a certain someone started poking at my face."

"I wasn't poking," she muttered, pulling the sheet closer around her.

"You were admiring." His voice was deep and rough with sleep. "I don't blame you."

She scoffed, but her lips curved anyway. "Arrogant."

"Always."

A moment passed between them quiet but charged. He reached up, fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from her face, then resting briefly on her cheek.

"You're quiet," he said.

Evelyn lowered her gaze. "I'm thinking."

"About?"

"About how everything feels different now."

He didn't respond right away. Then he sat up slightly, leaning on one arm to look at her more directly.

"Do you regret it?" he asked.

Her head snapped up, eyes wide. "No."

Nathaniel's shoulders eased.

"But I don't know what this means for us," she added honestly. "It's hard to tell what you're thinking most of the time."

He was silent for a long stretch, his eyes unreadable as they held hers.

Then, unexpectedly, he reached over to the nightstand and pulled open the drawer. Evelyn watched as he retrieved the box, the one with the emerald necklace and opened it between them.

Her breath caught. It was really a beautiful piece.

He took it out and gently fastened it around her neck.

"You're mine," he said, voice low. "And I protect what's mine."

She touched the emerald, fingers trembling. "Is that what this is? Possession?"

Nathaniel leaned in, lips brushing the shell of her ear.

"No," he murmured. "It's desire. And something else I'm still learning how to name."

Evelyn's heart pounded.

The words weren't soft. They weren't a declaration of love. But coming from him, this man of steel and silence they meant everything.

She turned to face him fully, placing a hand over his heart. "Then I'll wait until you can name it."

Nathaniel caught her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing the inside of her wrist.

Outside, the manor stirred with the sounds of morning. But in their chamber, it was still. Warm. Safe for now.

And neither of them moved.

Later that morning

Steam curled lazily in the air, turning the polished tiles of the bathing room to misted glass. The copper tub was half full, the water warm and scented faintly with lavender and rose oil. Cora knelt at the edge, pouring in the last jug with practiced care.

Evelyn sat on a cushioned stool nearby, wrapped in a silk robe, a dreamy softness lingering in her expression. Her eyes were distant, lips slightly parted as though reliving something only she could see.

Cora glanced over and smiled knowingly.

She walked over to her, sleeves rolled, a towel draped over her arm and a sly smile already tugging at her lips

"Well, well," she said with an unmistakable lilt, setting the towel down. "Would you look at my lady. Glowing like the moon in midsummer."

Evelyn's eyes narrowed. "Don't start."

Cora laughed. "I don't even need to. That little blush on your cheeks says more than enough." She leaned in, mock whispering. "The Duke didn't return to his chambers last night."

Evelyn rolled her eyes, trying to stay composed as Cora helped her slip out of the robe. "He… stayed for the night. That's all."

"All?" Cora echoed, widening her eyes dramatically. "He stayed the whole night. I came by earlier to bring tea and saw the hallway guards all looking sheepish. That only happens when something scandalous is happening inside."

Evelyn sunk into the tub, trying to let the water swallow the heat in her face. "You're shameless."

"Me?" Cora grinned, kneeling beside the tub to rinse a cloth. "My lady, I'm not the one who's been claimed by a Duke."

"Cora!" Evelyn warned, but she was already giggling.

"Oh, I know, I know," Cora said, gently washing her mistress's arms. "It's just… seeing you like this. Blushing, smiling to yourself, floating around like you've been kissed by stardust. It's a good look on you."

Evelyn relaxed slightly. "I didn't think he'd come."

"But he did." Cora looked at her knowingly. "And he stayed. That means something."

Evelyn stared at the water. "I just don't know what yet."

"You don't need to," Cora replied softly, wringing out the cloth. "Let him chase you for a while. Let him prove what it means. You've already waited this long."

Evelyn gave her a small, grateful smile.

Then, Cora smirked again, unable to help herself. "So… was it everything you dreamed of?"

Evelyn splashed her with a handful of water.

"Cora!"

The laughter between them echoed warmly through the room, carrying with it something Evelyn hadn't felt in a long while: hope.