Chapter 192
“Sorry,” she said quickly, her voice breaking the silence as she
glanced up at him. “I didn’t catch that.”
Graham stopped, turning to look down at her. For a moment, the hard
edges of his expression softened, and something like regret flickered
in his eyes. “It’s okay,” he mouthed, his lips forming the words slowly
for her benefit. Then, almost sheepishly, he added, “Sometimes I
forget… you can’t hear.”
Strangely, as Graham looked at her now, the harsh edge in his
expression softened, replaced by something she couldn’t quite
decipher. Was it concern? Care? Isla wasn’t sure, but the shift was
undeniable. His dark eyes held hers for a fleeting moment before he
spoke again, his tone gentler than before.
“Never mind,” he said, his lips forming the words slowly enough for
her to catch. “Go and freshen up. Maggie must be serving dinner by
now.”
Then, to her surprise, he reached out and gave her a light pat on the
back–a casual gesture, quick and unthinking, the kind of thing
someone might do to hurry along a younger sibling.
Isla froze for a moment, her face heating as the realization sank in.
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Chapter 192
That’s exactly how it felt–as though he were treating her like a little
sister. Her cheeks flushed crimson at the thought. She had always
known Graham Lancaster saw her as nothing more than the daughter
of his father’s second wife, a quiet shadow on the periphery of his
life. But now, he was acting protective, almost familial, as though she
were his responsibility in the most brotherly sense of the word.
The very idea made her stomach twist with an odd mix of indignation
and something she couldn’t quite name. Before he could notice her
reaction, Isla turned on her heel and fled toward the sanctuary of her
room. The door clicked shut behind her, and she leaned against it, her
heart still pounding.
And why couldn’t she convince herself that it was better this way?
When she finally emerged from her room, the house felt eerily quiet.
The grand corridors of Thornfield Manor, usually so full of life,
seemed to echo with the absence of her stepfather. The thought sent
a fresh wave of sadness crashing over her, but she steadied herself as
she made her way to the dining room.
The sight that greeted her stopped her in her tracks. Graham was
seated at the head of the table–the chair her stepfather had occupied
for as long as Isla could remember. Seeing him there, so effortlessly
filling the role of patriarch, was like a punch to the gut. It wasn’t just
the physical act of him sitting there; it was the way he seemed to
belong there, as though that seat had always been his.
Chapter 192
Isla quickly averted her gaze, afraid that if she looked any longer, the
tears she’d been holding back would start to fall again. Keeping her
head down, she hurried to the farthest chair from Graham and his
girlfriend, the one closest to the wall, and sat down.
Maggie bustled in a moment later, carrying dishes with her usual
efficiency. But before she served the food, she stopped beside Isla,
hands on her hips and a stern expression on her face.
“Do you have any idea how worried we were about you, young lady?”
Maggie said, her lips moving quickly, her tone unmistakable even
though Isla couldn’t hear a word. “Running off like that, without a
word to anyone! You scared us half to death!”
Isla kept her eyes trained on Maggie’s lips, reading the reprimand in
the movement of her mouth. Her shoulders slumped as she absorbed
the housekeeper’s words. When Maggie finished, Isla simply nodded,
murmuring, “I’m sorry.”
