Chapter 38 - Thirty Eight
The carriage rocked gently as it made its way through the city streets, the setting sun painting the sky in soft shades of orange and purple. The tense energy of the tea shop had faded, leaving a quiet, weary atmosphere in its place.
"I’m sorry about today," Eric said, breaking the silence. He had been staring out the window, but now his gaze was on her, his expression full of sincere regret. "I should have anticipated my mother would do something like that. I should have stopped it before it began."
"Don’t mention it," Delia replied, offering him a small, tired smile. She looked at him more closely. There were faint, dark circles under his eyes, and the usual sharp energy he carried was muted. "You look kind of tired," she observed, her voice soft with concern.
"I couldn’t sleep last night," he admitted with a sigh.
"Why?" Delia asked.
Eric relaxed back against the plush velvet seat, a playful glint returning to his eyes. He folded his arms across his chest. "Are you worried about me?" he asked, a teasing smile on his lips. Before she could answer, his smile faded slightly, replaced by a look of genuine weariness. "I don’t want to go home tonight," he confessed quietly. He looked at her, his gaze direct and knowing. "Just like you don’t like going home."
The simple, shared sentiment hung between them, a thread of understanding. Delia smiled. "At least we have something in common." She looked out at the familiar streets that led back to the Ellington manor, a place that had felt more like a prison than a home. The thought of returning there tonight, to face Augusta’s cold fury, was unbearable.
"Can you take me to your private residence?" she asked, turning back to him. "I don’t want to go home tonight either."
Eric’s expression brightened. "On one condition," he replied.