Page 44 of The Scent of Intuition
“Between you and Bea.” Pippa took two steps forward and Alfie had to take a step backward. She was cornering him. This was an interrogation, and he had little choice but to speak the truth.
“She ran away from me.”
“I know. She’s crying in her chamber.”
Alfie squeezed his eyes shut. He’d made her cry and loathed himself for that even though he didn’t understandwhyshe cried.
He hesitated for a moment, then let out a weary sigh. “I don’t know why she’s crying exactly but I’m afraid it is because of me.”
Pippa nodded, her eyes softening with understanding. “Bea can be… complicated. But I’ve never seen her respond to anyone the way she does to you.”
He leaned heavily against one of the raised beds, his head bowed, the weight of his confusion and heartache pressing down on his shoulders.
“She let you see her.”
“I know.”
“I mean, she let you see her when she’s having an outbreak, Alfie. She never allows anyone to see her, not even me.”
He narrowed his eyes. “I’m an apothecary.”
“I don’t think this is why she allowed it. I think it’s because she trusts you. And she’s ashamed at the same time.”
“She can trust me. I will never recommend a treatment that won’t help.”
“Not with an ointment or a salve, Alfie. She trusts you with her heart.” Pippa spoke slowly as if she was only just realizing what she’d said when she heard her own voice. “Don’t toy with her. She’s not just anybody.”
Alfie shook his head, his voice tinged with frustration. He had a reputation as a rake before he’d moved to London, but he wasn’t a cad. Nor had he ever experienced such torrential agony when he couldn’t have a woman.
No, she’s not just anybody. She’s everything to me and has been since I brought her honey every day in India.
“I’m a commoner, Pippa. Whatever feelings I have, they don’t belong in her world. I shouldn’t have kissed…” He trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
“Is that why she swooned?” Pippa’s eyes locked with his and she wasn’t letting the question slip away unanswered. So, Alfie nodded.
Pippa took a step closer and raised her chin, her gaze unwavering. “Listen to me, Alfie. Social standing might dictatewhere we ought to belong, but it doesn’t dictate who we love or who we belong with. You need to follow your heart. If Bea means something to you, don’t let fear or society’s rules keep you from pursuing what’s true.”
He looked at her, a glimmer of hope flickering in his heart. “And what if she doesn’t feel the same? She ran away from me. What if I’ve only made things worse in kissing her?”
Pippa smiled, a hint of mischief in her expression. “You’ll never know unless you ask her. Bea is stronger than she appears. Give her a chance to decide for herself.”
“She’s set her cap on someone else.”
“Ah, the prince. Yes. She thinks she has. He’s a great man, I am sure of it.” Pippa spoke without regard for Alfie’s feelings and his mood soured as she sang the prince’s praise. “He will make some woman very happy someday, Alfie. But that woman is not going to be Bea. They don’t love each other.”
Oh? Love? Did Bea love him and not the prince she was trying to capture?
Suddenly, he had no doubt that he loved her.
He blinked at Pippa, and she gave a crooked smile, a knowing one.
Alfie agreed, her words resonating deeply within him. “Thank you, Pippa. Nick is very lucky to have you by his side.”
She tipped her head and smiled.
As he turned to leave, Pippa touched his arm lightly. “Remember, Alfie, courage isn’t just about facing danger. Sometimes it’s about facing the unknown. You have to speak your heart.”
With a determined breath, Alfie left the orangery, the leather bag heavy on his shoulder but his heart lighter with newfound courage. Perhaps this wasn’t as impossible as he’d thought?
