Especially when she was on the back foot like she was right now.

Heidi glanced between both me and Miles with venom in her eyes. “Yeah, I was. I should have known what I’d find when I came here.”

How dramatic of her.

“Should I ask?” Miles set the basket full of fresh, buttered bread that gave off the most delicious aroma next to the huge pot of soup.

“No. I wouldn’t bother,” I responded.

“I’m going to.”

“Of course you are.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” I picked up an empty bowl and ladled soup into it until it was full, then held it out to him. “She’s spent her entire life hating me because I was born Lady Gabriella Hastings and she wasn’t.”

The truth of the words lifted a boulder’s worth of weight from my shoulders.

That was it.

She hated me because of who I was—because of who I was born.

Yet she didn’t know who I was, because she’d never cared to get to know me.

A little bit like Miles, hm?

Miles cradled the soup bowl, watching me carefully. “And that doesn’t bother you?”

I waited a moment until I answered. “No.”

“It doesn’t?”

I raised my gaze until it locked onto his. “I just realised she’s spent her entire life hating me without ever truly knowing me. If someone doesn’t care to get to know me, then why on Earth should I care about their opinion of me?”

“I—” Miles stopped himself, and something flashed in his eyes, something that looked an awful lot like reticent understanding. “I think that’s an excellent point.”

“Thank you.” I smiled. “I completely agree. Now eat your soup before it gets cold. We aren’t done here yet.”

***

“Gabriella? Can we talk?”

I buttoned my coat and peered over at the figure emerging from the light of the church’s back door. “I can’t think of anything I’d like to do less,” I admitted, returning my gaze to the sky to scan the weather.

It had finally stopped raining. Hopefully Dad and Aunt Cat would get home tonight, or at least tomorrow morning.

“You’ve been talking to me for the last three hours.”

“I didn’t have a choice. Besides, asking you if there’s more bread and telling you that’s enough pepper in the soup is hardly a scintillating conversation.”

Miles wrapped his arms around his body. “Two minutes? Please?” He glanced around the parked cars. “Where’s your car?”

“Caleb brought me.”

“His car isn’t here. You know that, right?”

“Oh, shoot!” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “He took his grandmother home, and it looks like he forgot to come back for me.”

“Let me take you home. The road wasn’t as bad as we thought after the rain let up so I was able to take myself home.”

“I’ll get a taxi.”

“You’re being awfully stubborn.”

“Now you know how I’ve felt for the last few months trying to talk to you!” The words left me a lot harsher than I intended.