“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have been here with you, right?” said Eva breathlessly. It was the first time he had asked her about her feelings, and Eva couldn’t evade his question.
“I didn’t give you the option to opt out. If I hadn’t forced you, would you still have come away with me?”
“Yes. So, why did you want me to accompany you when you could easily have gone with Beatrix and your parents?” she asked, waiting eagerly for him to admit that he liked her just as she liked him. His hand sought hers and he threaded his fingers through hers.
“I wasn’t with her out of my own free will, Eva. Uncle Desmond has done a lot for me and I couldn’t decline when he had a heart attack and pleaded with me to get engaged to Beatrix and take over his business. It was what my parents wanted, too. There
