EVELINA
Evelina stood before the mirror while Anna brushed her hair. The crisp lines of her riding suit felt different from the gowns she wore daily. Less delicate. More freeing. It belonged to another side of herself, one rarely seen.
The memory of the tea party still clung to her. Selina's words echoed like a challenge. The next Duchess of Ravenscroft. Every noblewoman's glance had shifted toward her, reading her, measuring her. Evelina had held her composure, but later, alone in her chamber, she had felt the sting. Not because of Selina's confidence, but because Evelina herself had no answer to the question it raised.
So when Lucian's invitation arrived, she did not dismiss it. She tucked it away, guarding it like something fragile. She told herself she was only going to Kingswood Forest to set her thoughts straight. To confirm whether the pull she felt was courtesy dressed as charm. But she knew it was more.
Anna stepped back, placing the riding hat in Evelina's hands. "You look perfect, my lady." Her voice was gentle, but her eyes flickered with curiosity.
Evelina adjusted the brim, her tone firm. "Anna, not a word of this to anyone."
The maid curtsied. "Of course, my lady."
Outside, her horse waited, saddle, and ready. Evelina gathered her gloves, but her hands trembled. She drew in a breath that did little to steady her.
This was not about the Grand Duke, not about court rumors and not even about her family's watchful eyes. This was about her. About whether, in Lucian Ravenscroft's presence, her heart would betray what her mind refused to name.
Her boots struck softly against the stone steps. She mounted, gathering the reins. She turned toward the path leading into Kingswood Forest. Each stride carried her closer to an answer she dreaded and longed for.
Minutes passed. Then she saw him. Lucian Ravenscroft waited by his horse. His posture was composed, but his eyes betrayed something deeper when they met hers.
Lucian smiled. "Evee, I am glad you came."
She returned it, though her chest fluttered. "Lucian, it is a pleasure. It has been too long since we last spoke."
His eyes lit at her words. A spark of hope crossed his face before he hid it behind composure.
They rode side by side. The silence between them was not heavy. It was calm. After some time, Lucian spoke, voice low and deliberate.
"Evee. I have been thinking of our talks. At the palace. At the lake. I wanted to hear what you truly feel, away from the others."
Evelina looked at the sunlight piercing the leaves ahead. Her chest tightened. "Lucian… everything is complicated. The court. The whispers. The Grand Duke. And now we sit here pretending none of it matters."
Lucian inclined his head, his gaze steady. "I do not ask you to pretend. I ask you to see me, and for me to see you. Without politics. Without weight. Just us."
Her lips curved faintly. "And if I do not know what my heart wants?"
He reached, brushing a loose strand of her hair back. His touch was light, careful. "Then we find out together. Slowly. No one else decides for you. Not me, not your family not Montclair and not the court."
Her pulse quickened. Her throat tightened. "Lucian… I…" The words caught.
He cut in, his voice soft but certain. "Evee, I want you to see me as Lucian. Not Lord Ravenscroft. Not the young Duke. Only Lucian. Will you?"
A warmth spread through her chest. She nodded, her whisper fragile. "I will."
His eyes softened. "And I will see you as Evee. Not Lady Everleigh. No titles. No duties. Only you."
They let silence stretch. The forest surrounded them, wind in the branches, the shimmer of water nearby. Evelina felt something she had not dared to name. A certainty. Her heart had found its counterpart.
Lucian's voice broke the quiet. "Evee. I do not know what storms lie ahead. But I will not let anyone dictate who you are. Or who you may become."
Her breath caught. She whispered, almost to herself, "Then perhaps I will not be afraid to see where this leads."
A smile passed between them, soft and wordless. They rode on, side by side, for once free of the eyes of others.
The rhythm of hooves on soft earth and the rustle of leaves wrapped them in stillness. Evelina's chest eased for the first time in weeks.
Then a sharp crack split the air. A branch snapping under weight.
Her horse startled, rearing. Evelina's hands clutched the reins, but the jolt unbalanced her. She gasped, slipping from the saddle.
Lucian's arm caught her. Firm. Steady. He pulled her against him before she could fall. The world narrowed. The trembling horse calmed, the forest stilled. Evelina heard nothing but her own breath. She felt nothing but his strength holding her close.
Her face was inches from his. Their eyes locked, open and unguarded.
Neither moved. His gaze flicked to her lips, then back to her eyes. A silent question lingered.
Her heart hammered. She did not pull away.
"Evee…" His whisper was rough, almost broken.
She could not speak. Her throat was tight. Her hand rested against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm beneath her palm.
The moment stretched. Fragile. Charged. Evelina blinked, breaking it. She inhaled sharply and shifted back. His hand lingered at her waist before he let go.
"I… I am fine," she said, voice quick and uneven. Her cheeks burned.
Lucian's face was unreadable, though his eyes still held the heat of what almost was. "Forgive me. Though I am not sorry for keeping you safe. I will not let you fall."
She adjusted her reins, focusing on the path. Her chest still raced. If he had leaned closer, if she had not pulled away, she would not have stopped him.
That truth frightened her. It thrilled her. Both at once.
They rode on in silence, the tension humming between them. Neither spoke of the moment, though both carried it like fire beneath their calm.
Evelina's mind turned inward. She thought of Selina's claim at the tea. The next Duchess of Ravenscroft. She thought of Montclair's cold eyes across the ballroom. She thought of her family's careful plans.
None of it matched what she felt here.
Here, in the space between words and titles, she had touched something undeniable. Lucian's steadiness. His gaze that stripped away pretense. His quiet request to see her, only her.
Her thoughts raced with questions. What if her family opposed? What if Montclair pressed harder? What if the court whispered louder?
But every time doubt rose, the memory of his voice silenced it. I will not let anyone dictate who you are.
Her breath steadied. For the first time, she wanted to believe.
They reached the edge of Kingswood Forest as the sun lowered, light streaked the horizon, casting long shadows on the ground. Evelina slowed her horse, reluctant for the ride to end.
Lucian noticed. His voice was quiet. "Evee, you should return before the household wonders where you have gone."
She nodded. Yet her eyes lingered on him. "Thank you, Lucian."
He tilted his head. "For what?"
"For letting me be Evee. Even if only here."
His lips curved into the faintest smile. "Then come again. Let this place remind you."
She looked down, her pulse quick. Then she gave a small nod. "I will."
They parted there, at the edge of the trees. Evelina turned her horse toward the capital, the weight of her family's world waiting.
But as she rode back, the air in her chest felt lighter.
She had not spoken the words and she had not dared but she knew now. The pull was not courtesy. Not charm. It was her heart.
And for the first time, she did not run from it.