Still, it didn't matter how much she wished the evening had ended differently, it hadn't; he had turned his back on her.

“Miss Riverside?”

Startled, she jerked upright and turned around sharply.

“I didn't mean to frighten you, miss.” Jacob stood behind her with Ellie seated in his arms, nibbling on his blue shirt.

“No, it is I who should have been paying more attention.” She reached for Ellie and took the happy baby from the butler.

“I caught this little chap chewing on a leaf.” Jacob chuckled and she released a tired sigh —with Ethan on her mind lately, she was becoming a lousy nanny and who knew how many leaves the poor baby had gotten into her stomach?! “I received this a few minutes ago; a letter for you.”

“Oh?” She took the letter from him and stared at the stamp; California. Excited, she offered Jacob an appreciative nod and waited for him to retreat into the building before tearing the letter open.

She had finally gotten a reply from Matthew! Oh, it had only been a few months but it felt like an entire century since she last heard from him. Her eyes scanned the note, devouring its content like a hungry lion as she read. Matthew's wife, Sharon, had given birth to a new baby and she was named Rosie. Gretchen felt a sense of relief wash over her at the thought of Sharon's safe delivery, considering the fact that the day Gretchen left California, Sharon had fallen down the stairs and the safety of her life and her baby's, was uncertain.

However, she couldn't help but feel the familiar wave of loss and emptiness she felt when she thought of Matthew. While she was happy he had a new life and a wife who loved him, she was sad she let him slip through her fingers. She was saddened by the loneliness that awaited her and the uncertainty of her future because she knew Ethan could most likely remarry and Ellie would inevitably be snatched from her.

She paused, surprised by the feeling of jealousy that now bombarded her mind as she imagined Ellie being mothered by another woman. She didn't want to dwell on it but she couldn't help herself. Ethan wasn't going to remain a bachelor forever! Surely he'd find a wife and a mother for Ellie!

A wife for Ethan...

The thought alone filled her with dread and she hated the feeling. She tried to convince herself that what she feared the most was losing Ellie, but she knew...

Somewhere along the line of the three months she had spent in the castle, she had not only begun to enjoy Ethan's attention, but she had begun to desire it as well.

She was afraid of losing the man who stood on his balcony, staring down at her.

**

ETHAN TRIED TO IGNORE the feelings that were springing up in his heart. For many weeks he tried to ignore it but when he found himself constantly being drawn to the balcony to watch the red head sit on the grass and read a book, he knew he had a problem that could no longer be ignored.