There was no mistaking the voice, the deep accented tones that had briefly held in their thrall. Despite it all her heart sped up at the simple sound of his voice, thumping nervously in the confines of her chest. “Mr. Delaney.” Nimiane greeted politely, her quiet voice seeming to fill the air between them as his gray eyes regarded her. What ever was he doing here? Nimiane’s mind tumbled and tripped with thoughts as she tried to maintain a demeanor of calm, despite her stomach leaping and her heart’s unsteady beating.

It seemed in impossible that after a month Shawn Delaney would return to her doorstep, for surely that was the only place he could have been headed down this path. He looked almost as haggard as Nimiane felt herself. Lines etched into his forehead and his eyes more gray than blue. Nimiane wasn’t sure what to make of all of this and at his comment she could only nod before remembering herself.

“Certainly.” Her own voice agreed tentatively, barely more than a whisper. They were “Would you like to speak inside?” She added, remembering to make her tone just a tad louder. Trying to remain polite despite her own confusing turmoil. How could she be happy and desolate to see him again? How could hope still build in her chest at the sight of him? There could be nothing more, surely he only wished to speak with her to say she’d never see him again. He could have left well enough alone in that case, she would have understood. But his appearance despite that only made her hope that he was like one of the gentleman in her stories, in the stories of the girl’s she heard and thus left her warring with herself.