Eleanor stood frozen before the portrait. The resemblance was unmistakable the tilt of her mother's chin, the soft curl of her hair. But what unnerved her most was the way Reginald Ashford looked at her in the painting. Not like a brother-in-law. Not like a distant friend.
Like something else.
She turned slowly to Thomas. "How could no one know about this?"
He shook his head. "Servants gossip. But that?" He motioned to the portrait. "That was hidden on purpose."
She reached for the dusty trunk beside it, flipping the rusted latch. Inside were letters, wrapped in yellowed ribbon. Her mother's handwriting. Reginald's name.
Eleanor's fingers trembled as she unfolded one:
My dearest Reginald,
They will never understand. I fear they will judge me, and Eleanor… she must never know. But I cannot regret you, or what we shared…
She dropped the letter as if it burned.
Thomas moved beside her, quiet. "I didn't know."
"Neither did I."
They left the attic in silence, the door creaking closed behind them.
Later that evening, Eleanor stood on the balcony outside her chambers, watching the stars shimmer above Ashford Hall. The truth had cracked open a door inside her, one that had remained sealed since her mother's death.
Thomas joined her quietly, offering a glass of wine. "To secrets," he said dryly.
"To surviving them," she replied.
They stood side by side, words lingering just out of reach.
Finally, she spoke. "Why did you stay here after the war?"
Thomas didn't look at her. "I had nothing to return to. My family was gone. And… your uncle gave me a purpose. Guilt, perhaps. I think he needed someone who wouldn't ask too many questions."
"But you're asking now."
He nodded. "Because you are."
She turned to him fully. "You don't have to protect Ashford Hall anymore."
His eyes met hers, a flicker of something warm unspoken passing between them.
"Maybe I want to protect you," he said softly.
Eleanor didn't answer, but her heart stirred for the first time in years.
Whatever secrets Ashford Hall held, she wasn't facing them alone anymore.