Carmella 'Ella' Camden, a curious and intelligent young woman, dreams of finding love and companionship. Despite her beauty and wit, she constantly feels overlooked by noble men during her social seasons, who only seem interested in her friends and...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Jeremy flung himself onto the bed with a heavy sigh, the mattress yielding beneath his weight as he stared up at the ceiling. The events of the day swirled in his mind, but one memory stood out more vividly than the others—the garden party.
The flashback began as he closed his eyes. He could almost feel the heat of the afternoon sun, hear the murmur of conversations mingling with the buzz of bees around the rose bushes. Penelope Harrington's voice rang in his ears, high-pitched and overly flirtatious, as she attempted to capture his attention.
"Oh, Your Grace, you must see the new roses my mother had planted. Aren't they divine?" she exclaimed, leaning in far too close for comfort. Jeremy nodded absently, his attention drawn more to the industrious bees than to Penelope's endless prattle. He watched the insects flit from bloom to bloom, their industrious nature a stark contrast to the frivolity of the social gathering.
Just as he was contemplating how to extricate himself from Penelope's clutches, Ella came into view, walking gracefully across the lawn. Her presence was like a breath of fresh air, her demeanor calm and composed despite the chaos of the party. However, Penelope's reaction was anything but composed.
"Look at her," Penelope sneered, her voice dripping with disdain. "Ella Camden, the epitome of failure. She couldn't even hold onto her fiancé. No wonder he ran off. She's a waste of a woman, really. A spinster by choice? Pathetic."
Jeremy's jaw tightened at Penelope's cruel words. He turned to face her, his eyes narrowing. "Miss Harrington," he began, his voice laced with a mixture of humor and warning, "I think it's rather rich of you to criticize Miss Camden. If she's a waste of a woman, then what does that make the rest of us? You might find it enlightening to actually get to know someone before passing judgment."
Penelope's eyes widened in shock, her cheeks flushing a deep crimson. "I-I wasn't—" she stammered, clearly taken aback by his defense of Ella.
Jeremy continued, not letting her off the hook so easily. "Miss Camden has more grace and dignity in her little finger than most have in their entire being. As for her fiancé running off, perhaps it speaks more to his character than to hers. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe there's a rose bush with more interesting company."
With that, he turned on his heel, leaving Penelope flustered and embarrassed. He couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped him as he walked away, relishing the satisfaction of having put her in her place. The memory of Penelope's indignant expression brought a smile to his face even now, as he lay in his room.
Returning to the present, Jeremy's thoughts lingered on Ella. There was something about her that intrigued him, something that made him feel a strange, foreign sensation he couldn't quite place. She was different from the other women he had known—resilient, intelligent, and with a quiet strength that drew him in.
Why did he feel this way about her? He wondered, staring at the intricate patterns on the ceiling. It was unlike him to be so affected by someone he barely knew. Yet, every time he thought of her, a warmth spread through him, a feeling of protectiveness and admiration that was entirely new.
