Dating the Duke (The Aristocrat Diaries 2)

“There’s another cat? Sold!”

I kissed her cheek and sent her on her happy way.

“Genius,” Miles said. “I have got to learn how to do that.”

I laughed. “There’s nothing to it. Just distract her with something shiny and you’ll be fine.”

“Sounds like Gabriella,” he mused.

“Pretty much.”

***

The last few days of Adelaide’s stay with us passed far too quickly. After her birthday, something changed between us. It was almost as if we were both more hesitant to interact as intimately as we had before, and I’d never brought up the subject of her staying.

She’d been pulling away from me. Spending more time in her room and less time in the library. She’d even spent less of her free time with Olympia and Ma, choosing instead to go out in the afternoons and hide away upstairs in the evening.

I could see Olympia was a little hurt about it, but emotions were difficult for her to talk about. I didn’t know how to broach the subject with her without making it even harder for her, so I simply made extra time to spend with her doing the things she loved.

And Ma… She was like a little lost lamb and Adelaide hadn’t even left. She’d never admit it to me, but she’d grown accustomed to them having a cup of tea together every afternoon, and that hadn’t happened for the past two days. I think she’d liked having another woman in the house she could chat to, and now that was going…

I barely even had time to think about how I felt about it all. I wasn’t sure I could think about how I felt.

If I did, I’d have to admit that Miles had been completely correct when he’d surmised that I was in love with Adelaide.

I helped Boris haul Adelaide’s cases out and into the back of her car.

“Are you all right, sir?” Boris asked, helping me get the largest one in.

“I’m quite fine, Boris, thank you.”

“Forgive me for saying so, but you look rather down.”

I swallowed, putting another case in, this time in the backseat instead of the boot. “I’d prefer not to discuss it, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, sir.” Boris continued on loading the boot.

I picked up the small cage that held Treacle, and my stomach twisted. Not because I’d miss the damn animal—but because if she was taking him, she really wasn’t coming back.

Putting him on the front passenger seat felt an awful lot like goodbye.

And not a see you later kind of goodbye, either.

I blew out a breath and shut the door. In ten minutes, Adelaide would be gone, and this house would be as empty as it was before her.

There’d be less laughter. Less happiness. Less books.

Less love.

“Oh, I’m going to miss you, my dear.” Ma wrapped Adelaide in a huge hug and rocked side to side. “Please don’t stay away forever, and when I come back to visit, I expect to have tea with you.”

“I promise. You let me or Mum know when, and I’ll make sure I’m around to see you.”

“Oh, gosh, this went far too fast.” Ma pulled back and held her at arm’s length. “Please call me, especially when you finish that book. I want to know what your agent says, and if it’s published, I want one of the first copies.”

“Of course.” Adelaide smiled at her. “Thank you so much for your help breaking down the Tuatha Dé Danann lore and for finding that book about the ley lines and fairy paths. It was massively helpful.”

“If you need anything else, just give me a call. I probably have something else here that would help.”

“Thank you.” Adelaide’s shoulders rose and fell. “For everything over the last few weeks.”

Ma looked like she was going to cry. “Go on now, say your goodbyes before you make an old lady cry.”

“I’ll take my time, then. I don’t see an old lady here.” She squeezed Ma’s hand and moved over to Olympia.

I’d never seen her look so broken.

She grabbed hold of Adelaide and started crying.

Adelaide dropped her head back and looked up at the sky, then bent down to her knees and hugged Olympia right back. “Hey, don’t cry.”

“I—I don’t want you to go,” Olympia said through sobs, fisting Adelaide’s jumper. “Why do you have to go?”

“Oh, my family needs me, sweetheart. I live in Arrow Woods, you know that.”

“But I want you to stay here!”

I stood next to Ma and gripped her hand in time to see Adelaide blink back tears.

“I know, and I’m sorry, but it was only for a few weeks. And look what you did in those few weeks, Oly! Your writing is so much neater, and you’ve read two whole books! You’ve come so far, and I am so, so very proud of you and what you’ve achieved this summer.”

“You are?”

“Of course I am, silly billy. You’ve done so well, and now you can go back to school, and you’ll find it all so much easier than before.”