The image above is of Eloise's wedding ring. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

I lie on the bed in Rawtenstall Lodgings, staring at the delicate ring in my hands. The ring I had so nervously pushed on to Eloise's finger almost seven years ago. I hold it up so the stones hit the light, making it glint and gleam. I had taken it from her so roughly, as though it meant nothing to me, but this ring means everything to me. There is nowhere I would rather see it than on Eloise's finger, but...

She belongs to Emmanuel.

So I will keep this ring. I will keep it, even though she looked like she had lost the world when she handed it to me. She chose this. Not I. She chose to leave me for him, so she may deal with the consequences of that now.

I wish I could restrain myself from feeling the bitterness I feel toward Eloise, but I cannot. I am bitter. Bitter that she chose Emmanuel over me, bitter that she placed no value on our lifelong relationship, bitter that she no longer loves me. I am bitter because even now I still miss her, despite everything.

Sighing, I roll over onto my side. As I do, there is a knock at my door.

"Yes?" I call.

"Damon!" A lilting voice replies. "It is I, Estelle."

I freeze, my stomach tightening. The memory of Eloise confronting me about Estelle is all too fresh in my mind. I groan, slapping my fist to my forehead.

How could I be so stupid?!

As much as I do not want to, I stand, pocketing the ring and going over to the door.

I pull it open to meet Estelle's green-eyed gaze and familiar leering smirk. "Hello, Damon."

"Miss Estelle." I say. "We need to talk. Come in."

I stand to the side and let her in. She sits at the seating area, looking at me expectantly.

"There has been an unfortunate change in circumstances." I begin. "You cannot come here any longer. What I did, that was a big mistake. I was not thinking straight, I apologise."

Estelle's features droop. "You are saying that I can no longer see you? Where do I go?"

I sigh, despair clinging at me at the sight of the woman before me. I wish I never approached her. "I am not quite certain of that myself. If I knew anybody in this village, I would have had you contact them immediately until you could find shelter. I do apologise, Estelle."

Estelle inhales deeply. "If you do not mind, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course you may."

"Does... what you are saying to me now, have anything to do with the woman I bumped into while leaving several days ago?" Estelle peers at me, attempting to gauge my reaction.

She is talking about Eloise, I realise. I stare at her wordlessly, trying to formulate a response. What am I to say to that? She is not even aware of the relationship Eloise and I share, or the circumstances in which Eloise came to see me.

"Well..." I begin hesitantly, avoiding eye contact with the woman before me. "She is somebody I owe a lot of things to. To answer your question, I suppose she does, although it is in a very convoluted way. By no means, has she asked me to do this."

Estelle nods and reaches out to pat my hand, smiling. "I understand, Damon. I could see from our encounters that there is something different about you. You saw me as human, which no man has done for a very long time. That woman is lucky to have you."

"Oh, Estelle, that woman and I, we are not –"

"You are in love with her, Damon. You may lie, but your gaze cannot." Estelle says, before standing and leaving the room.

I watch her leave, her words ringing in my ears. Her words were similar to the ones Mary had said to me. Am I really so transparent? Can everyone who looks at me see the love that I still have for Eloise? Can Eloise see it? If she is able to, she has never shown any amount of discomfort around me. Well, that is, excluding when I choose to make her uncomfortable. I wish I did not have to, but she continuously gets too close to breaking the walls I have erected to protect myself, she continuously keeps reminding me of the fact she chose Emmanuel over me. I still cannot bring myself to accept that. I would rather her think I am uncouth and rude than for her to even suspect I still love her. She cannot know.

Thinking of Eloise reminds me of Ella, my daughter. The most beautiful little girl I have ever laid eyes on. The attachment I have already developed towards her is immense. She could tell me to do anything and I would happily oblige. She has the sweetest soul, the purest heart, the clearest eyes and the sincerest conscience of any child I have ever met. I am proud of her for being such an amazing little girl and proud of her mother for raising her in my absence.

I am all too aware of just how much I have missed out on in Ella's childhood, but now that I am here, I hope to make up for all of that and more. I hope to be the father I did not get the opportunity to become, to provide and protect her, to give her the freedom to be who she chooses to be. I can give her all of my experiences, my hardships and joys, to help her better navigate her own life.

Steady. I remind my rampant thoughts. You're not here forever.

***

Eloise is dashing around the room, chasing a giggling Ella. I watch with an amused smirk on my face.

"Ella, stop this!" Eloise calls. "I am getting late for work!"

Chuckling, I finally decide to intervene and scoop Ella up as she makes an attempt to rush past me. She squeals, wriggling around in my arms, trying to escape.

"Alright, pumpkin." I tickle her sides. "You have had some fun, it's now time to listen to Mummy. She must go to work."

Ella concedes, "Okay, I stop now."

"Good girl." I peck her forehead and then look to Eloise, who is once more dressed in her uniform. "Are you ready?"

She nods. "Yes. Let's go."

With Ella perched on my hip and Eloise walking two steps ahead of me, we stride out of the house and down the street in the direction of the Arlington household. With the husband a civil official and the wife being the daughter of a ship captain, they have plenty of wealth at their fingertips. They have three children, two of whom are twins. The twins are Chauncey and Jeremiah, two rowdy boys of 8 who love to chase their cat around the estate. The youngest of the three is Aurelia, a little girl the same age as Ella, with large brown eyes and the shyest temperament of all her siblings.

As we approach the gates of the Arlington estate, Chauncey runs out with a playful roar, grabbing Eloise by the hand.

"Come on!" He calls. "We have all been waiting."

Not listening to any of her protests, he begins to drag her to the residence. I smile, watching her allow herself to be led by the little boy. She continuously turns back to wave at Ella, worried lines etching her face and a trembling smile at her lips. She must hate leaving Ella to go to work.

After watching Eloise disappear into the residence, I turn around to begin the walk back to her house, only to almost walk into a child standing right behind me. The little girl blinks up at me with captivating brown eyes.

"Hello, mister." She says.

"Hello, little one." I ruffle her hair, smiling down. She must be Aurelia. Heavens knows what she is doing out here alone.

"Come with me, mister." Aurelia grabs my hand, also leading me towards the house that Eloise just entered.

"Um, excuse me, little one. Where are you trying to take me?" I stutter, unable to pull my hand away from Aurelia's. Inexplicably, I am suddenly in the same situation that I have just seen Eloise go through.

What is happening?

I look to Ella, but she simply smiles at my confused state. "It's okay, Mister Damon. Everybody here is so nice."

As we approach the double doors, I once again try to pull my hand back but Aurelia held fast, turning to look back at me. "Stop squirming, Mister, we are almost there."

She opens the door and we are in a grand foyer. There are double staircases that lead to the second floor and a seating area where Eloise is seated with a lady. The chaises form an orderly square, all facing an ornate gold-rimmed table in the middle. The lady perched on one of the chaises has a long, high nose, cheekbones that looked like they have been carved from stone and hair the same brown as Aurelia's. This must be her mother, Eloise's employer.

Eloise looks at me in shock. Ella scrambles out of my arms and runs over to the lady, who I am assuming is Lady Arlington.

I bow my head in respect. "I am terribly sorry, my lady. Your daughter..."

"Has a terrible habit of bringing every stranger she sees into the house, I know." Lady Arlington interrupts, gesturing for me to sit next to Eloise, whose eyes are still wide at my appearance. "All of my children have this habit, I have no idea where it comes from. Since you had Ella in your arms, I presume you are an acquaintance of Eloise?"

She shoots a pointed look at Eloise, who instantly breaks out of her daze and scrambles to reply, "Um, oh yes, he is. He is a family friend... um, of my mother. He is an entrepreneur."

Eloise's eyes are darting from Lady Adeline to myself, her nerves evident in her fidgeting fingers. Lady Adeline looks over at me again, her gaze traveling up, down and then back up to my face again. The expression on her face tells me she is appraising me, judging my appearance against Eloise's words, weighing up their truth.

After a poignant pause, she finally smirks and her eyes turn from wary to warm. "Well, any friend of Eloise's is a friend of ours. Alice, bring some tea, please!"

A timid young lady rushes out of a side door, her nose and cheeks a ruddy red to match the hair that is fighting its way out of the cap on her head. She is carrying a tray, with three cups of tea balanced on it. She carefully tiptoes her way over to us, her lips pursed in concentration, her eyes never wavering from the cups of tea.

She rests the tea on the table, glancing furtively at me and Eloise. Wordlessly, she scuttles away back to the comfort of the room she came from.

Eloise looks up at her, "Oh, Alice. It was not necessary to get a cup for Damon and I. I need to begin work and Damon here was just about to leave."

Was I?

"Was he?" Lady Arlington echoed my thoughts. "No, no. Damon, an interesting name. I wish to take up some of your time, if you permit me to do so."

"Oh, of course." I say. Lady Arlington does not seem like the type of woman who is refused.

She smiles and then her eyes shift to Eloise. "Eloise, I want you to sit with us. Besides, sweet little Ella has joined us too, I cannot make your daughter watch you doing somebody else's house chores."

"Yes, Lady Arlington." Eloise bows her head.

"Miss." Ella pipes up. "Did you know Mister Damon is my friend?"

"Is he now?" Lady Arlington looks down at Ella fondly. "Well, then, I will have to treat him extra well, won't I?"

Ella looks at me and winks conspiratorially. I smirk back at her mischievous tactics. She is definitely her father's daughter.

***

Lady Arlington chortles, holding her cup of tea to her mouth. "Oh, Damon! You do jest so."

I smile, shifting in my seat to cross my legs. "Lady Arlington, you have heard nothing. I have many tales in my repertoire, just not the time to tell them."

"Yes, Damon, you are quite right." Eloise nods. "Even Ella has fallen asleep. Lady Arlington, I must insist we take your leave now. It is rather late."

I look over at Ella, who is curled up in her mother's lap, her chest rising with every breath, her lashes brushing against her cheeks as she sleeps. She is the most beautiful child I have ever seen. How magnificent that Eloise and I were the ones to create her. Even though Eloise and I would speak about our future children, I had never imagined that we would create a life so full of beauty and grace and innocence. Ella really is perfect.

"Of course, of course. I have kept you for so long."

I look at Eloise, a thought suddenly springing to mind. "Oh! Eloise, I do apologise. I took a day of labour away from you. I promise to compensate you, really, I do."

Eloise looks at me, bewildered and Lady Arlington waves a hand at us dismissively. "Oh, Damon, please! My husband will still pay her, we love Eloise!"

I blink at her. "You will still pay her even though she has not worked today?"

"Yes, definitely! Besides, Eloise is not a slacker. This was an exception, what she did not do in physical labour, she more than made up for in giving me an evening to remember."

"Well, that is very gracious of you, Lady Arlington." I say, standing and straightening my suit. "Eloise, here, I shall take Ella for you, you cannot possibly carry her all the way home."

Without waiting for her response, I pick Ella up, placing her arms around my neck and holding her close. Eloise stands up, smiling at Lady Arlington, "Thank you for having us."

Lady Arlington is looking at us with a glint in her eye. "My, my. You do make a lovely family."

Eloise and I look at each other, frozen. A lovely family. We would have been such a lovely family if Eloise had not chosen Emmanuel over me. I would have liked nothing more than to be a lovely family with Eloise and Ella. I would have loved both of my girls, I would have spoiled them, I would have given them everything they ever asked for. Alas, life does not often turn out the way we plan.

"Oh, do forgive me. I have overstepped my boundaries." Lady Arlington says, her face sheepish.

"No, no, not at all." I force a laugh. "I was just taken by surprise."

"As was I." Eloise chimes in, her smile appearing as more of a grimace. "Damon, we should leave. We have taken up much of Lady Arlington's time."

"Yes. Goodbye, Lady Arlington." I bow my head in her direction.

"Goodbye, Damon. I shall see the both of you soon." She smiles.

Eloise and I stride out of the house in silence. I am pondering on Lady Arlington's words. You do make a lovely family. I wonder if Eloise is doing the same. I try to look over at her, but she is walking on the side of me where Ella's head on my shoulder blocks my view. I cannot see the expression on her face. I wonder if she likes the idea as much as I do, or is disgusted by it. She was the only family I had for most of my life, I only ever pictured my life with her in it. She was my anchor, forever keeping me grounded and secure. Picturing myself, Eloise and Ella as our own little family is a thing of dreams. There is nothing I would want more, but I am not as certain if she would want it. Surely the only family she wants is her, Emmanuel and Eloise.

As we approach the house that Eloise and I once shared, my first love turns to me.

"Damon, I can take her from here. Thank you for your help."

She reaches out for Ella but I interrupt, "No, no, Eloise. I'm okay. How will you take her up the stairs alone? Allow me to help you."

There is hesitation in Eloise's eyes. Her gaze wavers between Ella's sleeping form and me. Finally, after a pregnant pause, she relents. "Okay, Damon. You may carry her up."

She spins on her heel and makes her way through the front garden, opening the front door for me to manoeuvre myself and Ella in. Eloise guides me through the main sitting area and then up the staircase, occasionally peeking back at me to ensure Ella is okay.

We finally arrive at Ella's room, and Eloise rushes over to the bed, pulling back the sheets. I slowly lay Ella down and pull back slightly to look at her, momentarily mesmerised by how absolutely enchanting she is when she is sleeping. Her long lashes flutter as she dreams, her cheeks a rosy red, her little fists are curled adorably.

"She's beautiful." I hear myself say.

"I know." Eloise whispers back.

Breaking out of the moment, I stand upright and turn to Eloise. "Where is Mary?"

"She must have returned to her own cottage." Eloise says, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Ella. "She will be back in the morning, as she normally is."

Part of me wants to stay here and talk to Eloise. For the first time in a long time, we are alone. Ella is asleep, Mary is gone. It is just Eloise and Damon. Just like it used to be. I want to bask in her presence, I want to hear her voice, I wish to make her laugh. I wish to see that old radiant smile that used to grace her face almost all the time, and yet now, I have barely seen it once. I want to hear her talk about the things she enjoys, the things she hates, I want to sit with her and hold her close and hear her say the words I've longed for.

I love you.

Could she say those words again? Would she ever say those words to me again? If she said them right now, I know with every drop of blood in my body that I would not hesitate to say it back. I would accept Eloise with all of my being, I would forget everything she said in that railway station six years ago. I would make her my family again, just like that.

"Damon?" Eloise is looking at me with a bemused expression on her face, her gaze telling me she's been calling my name for some time now.

She loves Emmanuel, you fool.

Embarrassed by my thoughts, mortified by the fact I am standing here so in love with a woman who wants nothing to do with me, I hastily dust down my suit and say, "Thank you for allowing me to spend so much time with Ella and your employer today. It is rather late, you should rest. Goodbye."

I leave as quickly as I can, without looking back.