Duke In Love

Chapter Three

ESTELLE

The rush of horses and foot traffic were a welcome distraction for Estelle as she braced herself to step into her mother's dress shop. Though not certain, she felt quite sure she would run into her old friend, Nolan. Well, former friend may have been the more suitable description. How horrid, she thought, that one of the first things she did after rejecting him was run off to become a lady's maid. Not that he caused her to leave, but the timing proved to be suspicious. They had not spoken since, and Estelle somehow managed to avoid him for all those years.

Elle could only hope her luck would continue.

Bells jingled when Elle opened the door, and she felt a warm welcome from the scent of lavender that hit her nose as she stepped into the shop. A kind voice called out a welcome, and Estelle recognized it immediately. She adjusted the handle of the basket on her arm, stood up straight, and felt oddly nervous to see her mother. Excited, certainly, but nervous all the same.

Upon turning the corner towards a small, circular stage, Elle found her mother organising dresses on hangers by a mirror. Her mother had her hair braided into two cornrows, which she tied into a bun at the nape of her neck. The pale green dress she wore, which beautifully complemented her dark brown skin, had the most beautiful lace on the sleeves, while most of the rest was modest and plain. That was how she had always designed her working clothes; practical, yet stylish. Estelle stalked towards her mama, and had the short distance to decide whether or not to scare the poor woman. It would be fun, Elle figured, and it had been so long since she had done that sort of thing to anyone. So, she decided it would not hurt.

"Ma-." Just as Estelle stepped forward to give her mother a scare, she received one of her own when she noticed a figure approaching from the back room. Their sudden appearance may not have been so scary if Estelle had not gotten a look at the person's face. She had not seen the shoulder-length waves in a while, but Ellie recognised them anywhere.

In the years since she'd last seen Nolan, he had become... Well, he had changed. The last time Estelle laid eyes on him, he was thin and pale. Cute, she thought, but they were both young and she did not expect much anyway. He spent his days riding horses, reading, or coming by to see if Ellie would be interested in a game or cards or something else. Helping out had not been his forte, least of all in a dress shop. Yet, there he stood, holding a large pile of fabric rolls in his now muscular and tanned arms. He had always stood tall, but the muscle on his frame made him appear even taller. He smiled at Estelle's mother as he approached, that smile that reminded her so much of her younger, happy years. He looked quite handsome.

Estelle stepped back, "Nolan, I-."

Her mother and Nolan both turned towards her in an instant, and she had been prepared to greet them politely. Unfortunately, a piece of cloth she'd dodged earlier, by some stroke of luck, would not be ignored the second time around. The heel of Estelle's shoe came in contact with the slippery fabric, and the world came out from beneath her. All she thought to do was save the pastries, and she was able to at least cover them before falling to the ground. Only, after closing her eyes and bracing for impact, the impact never came.

Instead, Estelle's back collided with something hard. When she opened her eyes, they were met with a concerned look from her mother.

"Oh, Ellie!" Her mama grabbed handfuls of her dress before rushing towards them. "Thank God Nolan caught you!"

With that, Estelle was helped to her feet, and held at the waist until she seemed steady. It proved difficult to focus on her mama when there were two large hands on her, and Estelle could not help but look down at them. They spanned her waist in a way that she read about often in her romance novels, a way that often meant a certain something was to come. She moved out of Nolan's grasp, sure that the sight would be somewhat inappropriate and cause scandal if anyone else were to walk in.