NovelEnglish
Chapter 63 He Invited Me To Dinner
**Rosalie‘s POV
Three days had passed since I had arrived at Avondale..
The island
had lovely weather. However, I spent most of the time in my room. As Soren insisted, I needed to take it
very slow for my recovery just to be safe, for the baby‘s sake. That was the doctor‘s order, as well.
The lovely scent from the fresh flowers, the morning sun pouring in through the window to land softly on
my blanket– everything was perfect, but it just felt irrelevant to me.
I‘d gotten away from Ethan, and I had gotten the freedom that I wanted. So why wasn‘t I happy?
I tried not to think about him, because every time I did, it felt like there
was a huge weight on my chest and I could barely breathe.
I had gotten this far, and I knew I should carry on with my new life– but my
heart was telling me that it just needed a little more time.
It was painful to be alone right now. I needed to find something to keep myself occupied so that I wouldn‘
t think about Ethan.
I sat up when I heard a knock at my door. In came the doctor, a very nice old gentleman.
“How is my favorite patient doing today?” He chuckled. “I hope, much better.”
“Yes, I do feel much better than I have, but I‘m still a bit sore.”
I was being honest. The better he understood how I felt, the better he could help me
with a speedy recovery.
“Well, that is to be expected, my dear.”
After checking my vitals and the wounds, he said, “You‘re doing well–
in fact, your recovery is much faster than 1 anticipated–
so no need to continue bed rest. However, I don‘t want you on your feet for too long. You don‘t need to o
verexert yourself.”
I was nodding to acknowledge the doctor‘s words when I heard another knock at the door.
“Miss Ro.” This time, it was a young female voice.
“Please come in.”
It was the housemaid Lola. She had a few books and magazines in her hands.
“Oh, Doctor–sorry for interrupting!”
“No worries at all! We are just wrapping up. Everything is on track, and Miss Ro should be all good in two
or three weeks. I‘ll check back in early next week. Have a good day, ladies.”
“Thank you, doctor!” Lola and I said at the same time. Then we exchanged a look and both giggled.
Lola was always so upbeat,
She smiled and said, “Miss Ro, the Master said that he imagines you‘re getting bored after a few days of
being in
this room, and he wondered whether you had any interest in reading some books?”
My eyes widened. It was as if he could read my mind.
“That‘s just perfect!” | exclaimed. “Your master is so thoughtful. Please pass my gratitude on to him, and t
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇthank you so much for bringing them to me.”
“It‘s my pleasure, Miss Ro. The Master is coming back tonight from his trip. He asked whether he could h
ave the honor of joining you for dinner at home tonight?”
Immediately, my stomach twisted into a tight knot. “Dinner?” I asked.
It wasn‘t that Soren hadn‘t been absolutely kind to me in every way. I‘d just gotten used to being a bit of a
recluse. I wasn‘t sure how good I‘d be at making small talk, especially with a man I hardly knew–
a man that looked just like Ethan!
“Yes, dinner with him.” She seemed to notice I was hesitant, so she encouraged me, “It‘ll be fine. He‘s qu
ite charming.”
I‘d give it a try. Because Soren had been so kind to me, even though he didn‘t have to be.
“Um– of course. Your master is too kind.”
“That‘s wonderful! I‘ll let the master know. He would be very happy!”
Topened my mouth again, wanting to ask her not to stand in ceremony with me all the time–
I thought of her more as a friend than a servant. But before I could, she bowed to me
and exited the room.
My eyes landed on the books she had dropped off, but my mind drifted to Soren.
Thadn‘t really seen him since we first met. Being in charge of the
island‘s security had to keep him busy, but that made him the best host I could ever ask
for. He had provided everything that I needed to help me recover, and I was grateful for it.
It was just that.. he reminded me too much of Ethan.
I sighed to myself.
He was not Ethan, though, and I was starting to feel like I was being a rude guest.
Lola came into my room in the afternoon carrying a blue dress.
“Miss Ro,” she began. “Mr. Soren will be home in about an hour. We should get you ready.”
I was a little nervous because I didn‘t know what to expect for dinner.
1 glanced at the dress, and felt relieved that it wasn‘t anything fancy. It was just a knee–
length blue dress with short sleeves made out of a cotton blend. It wasn‘t slinky, it didn‘t look revealing at
all, and it wasn‘t going to make me feel like I was at one of those fancy dinner parties that Ethan always
had to attend.
Getting ready wasn‘t a long process, and Lola was very pleasant to work with.
An hour later, I was ready to go. I had the blue dress on and a pair of strappy black sandals. My bruises
weren‘t completely healed, but Lola was very good at covering them with makeup.
With Ethan‘s necklace around my neck, I felt a bit torn between two worlds.
Lola had gone down a few minutes earlier to help the chefs get everything ready. Soren‘s house was hug
e, but
he didn‘t have a big staff, so Lola needed to help out.
A knock on the door pulled my eyes away from my reflection. He was here.
I took a deep breath and went to answer it.
Pulling the door open, I saw Soren standing there with a bouquet of white lilies. He
looked very handsome in a dark suit with a blue tie that was almost the same color as my dress. He look
ed so much like Ethan–except for his bright, sincere smile.
“Wow!” was the first word out of his mouth. “My goodness, Ro! Look at you! You look gorgeous.”
I looked at the flowers to avoid his gaze. He hadn‘t dropped his eyes down my body or made
me uncomfortable or anything, but I wasn‘t used to having a stranger complimenting me like that.
“Thank you, Soren, but the flowers were not necessary…” Just to be polite, I added, “you look nice too.”
“Ah, well, I switched my daytime suit out for a nighttime suit,” he replied, unfurling
his hand like a model, and then he ignored
my comment about the flowers. “These are for you. They need water, but don‘t worry. Lola will run up an
d put them in a vase while we‘re eating. Let‘s hurry so the food doesn‘t get cold.”
I wondered if he was starving, but his eagerness for food suddenly made me
look forward to dinner a little more. I signed inwardly, took the flowers and set them
inside, and then stepped out into the hallway.
“Thank you for joining me for dinner,” he said as
we walked next to one another down the hall. “It‘s not often
that T have company in this house. And, you know, I like to talk.”
I tried to be polite as we got to the stairs. “I‘ll be a good listener.”
He laughed happily at my comment. “Hold onto
the railing,” he reminded me. “We‘ll take our time. I‘ll stay on your other side and make sure that you don‘
t fall.”
He was thoughtful. I‘d never met a man quite like him before.
We made it down the stairs to his opulently–appointed dining room. He pulled
out my chair, and I sat down to a lovely chicken dinner with a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus.
“Lola,” Soren said as the two of us began our dinner, “how has your day been?”
She was in the process of pouring him some wine, and me some nonalcoholic sparkling cider.
“Good, thank you. I always have a nice time hanging out with Miss Ro.”
“That‘s good to hear,” he said. “Did you get a chance to work on your painting?”
“I did,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for asking.”
Turning to me, he said, “Has Lola mentioned to you that she is quite the artist?”
I shook my head, feeling a little embarrassed that I hadn‘t asked much about what Lola liked to do in her
spare time. “No, I didn‘t realize. That‘s great.”
“Yes, she‘s very talented. In fact, that landscape behind you is one of hers. I bought it from her last year.”
I turned to see a beautiful forest scene. It wasn‘t quite as good as the professional paintings I‘d seen in th
e castle, but it was obvious that she had talent.
“I love it.” I told her. “The little cottage in the background is particularly beautiful.” “Thank you,” Lola said,
the apples of her cheeks a bit pink. “One day, I‘d like to be a professional, but for now, I
just paint for fun.”
“What about you, Ro? What do you like to do for fun?” Soren asked as he was cutting into his chicken.
I finished chewing the bite that was in my mouth. It was so tender and juicy and practically melted betwe
en my teeth. Unfortunately, I wasn‘t in the mood to appreciate the deliciousness.
I forced myself to swallow so that I wouldn‘t look rude to my host, and answered, “I like to crochet.”
Certain aspects of my life were secrets that I would have to hide from everyone, but it was surely safe to
share what my hobby was,
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“That‘s amazing,” he said. “Are you working on something for the baby?”
“I was…” I said, a forkful of mashed potatoes poised in front of me. “But I lost it.”
I learnt how to knit in the Drogomor pack…
Soren noticed my mood change, and said comfortingly, “I‘m sure you can make another one in the future.
he switched the topic, “By the way, that is a lovely necklace you‘re wearing. Where did you get it?”
Suddenly, I felt my blood run cold. My fingers went to my necklace, and I absently rubbed the jewels
between my thumb and first finger.
I didn‘t know how to answer him.
I wasn‘t ready to talk about Ethan–not even a little bit.
“I got it from
a friend,” I stammered.
“Oh, I‘m sorry.” Soren said, his eyes slightly wider than usual, and
his smile went away. “I didn‘t mean to pry.‘
“No, no, it‘s okay,” I told him. “It‘s fine. I‘m just. I was just afraid that it was going to be taken when I was ro
“I can absolutely understand that.” Soren stopped eating and looked at me. “However, no matter how valu
safety.”
He was right; I couldn‘t argue with that.
However, it was the only bit of Ethan I had left, other than my memories.
Soren could tell I didn‘t want to continue to talk about the necklace, so he concluded, “Well, no matter wha
be alone again.”
I stared at him for a moment a little nervously, not sure what he meant. Did he expect me to stay here fore
“Nothing is more precious than the little life in you.”
He meant the baby. I laughed at myself for my overreaction.
“Right,” I said. “Of course.”
Soren laughed, too. He clearly read on my face what I was thinking.
“Hey, don‘t get me wrong, I‘d love to have you stay for longer. It‘s nice to have such a beautiful… listener.
on. You‘re welcome to visit me after you settle down.”
I was a little embarrassed, but I was glad to hear him talking about my eventual departure–
not because I wanted to leave, but because it made me feel less dependent upon him.
“Soren, you‘ve already helped me a lot. I don’t want to be a burden to you.”
“You‘re not a burden, Ro. Anyone who could ever think of you as a burden needs to get
their head checked. You’ re a blessing. Just knowing you has enriched my life.”
I could hardly bear his genuine expression. “Well, I‘ll do what I can to help you, Ro. Not only do I still feel a
you, but now that I‘ve gotten to know you, I feel like we‘re friends, and I like to help my friends.”
He smiled at me, and I felt a warmth spread through me.
Yes, Soren was a good man. He was sweet and considerate, and he knew how to treat
the ones he cared about well.
But how could I be around someone who constantly made me think of Ethan?
“I appreciate it,” I replied softly, as a polite guest would say.
“Great! I’m gonna be around for a few days. Maybe we can hang out together, get to
know each other a little better. If you feel up to it.”
I looked at his sincere smile and found myself in no position to say no.
“I think I‘d like that.”
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