16 | The Stroll

Despite the fur she was wearing, Lydia was starting to feel uncomfortable waiting in the cold of the night. After what had happened in the morning, how could she still have the courage to stay in the mansion and go out to meet Sidney at night?

If her nanny had been with her, she would have said she was going mad.

However, Lydia knew that things could not remain the same after the events of the morning. As she stroked her horse's head, moments when she was almost falling into Damian's trap filled her mind. While pushing these images out of her mind, Lydia was filled with the suspicion that she might fall into a trap for the second time.

She had started to move towards the entrance of the stable to return to her room, annoyed with her own foolishness, when a shadow that blocked the moonlight preceded her. Not understanding who was coming, Lydia was momentarily filled with fear.

"Who are you?"

After a brief silence where she could only hear the beating of her heart, the answer she was waiting for came.

"It's me, Miss Lockhart."

As Sidney stepped inside, his face lit up by the moonlight, Lydia was able to breathe easily.

"I'm sorry for keeping you waiting, but I had some things to take care of urgently. Please forgive me."

Lydia sensed something different in his voice or demeanor than usual, which fueled her suspicion. She had witnessed Sidney's wild or rude behavior before, but none of them had affected her as much as his current cold and polite demeanor.

Even though her instincts told her to leave quickly, she decided to stay, thinking that she might have been influenced by Damian's words more than she realized. Unlike Damian Darrington, Sidney Sherman had not done anything to shake her trust so far.

Moreover, the grooms who could hear her if she screamed were still around.

Noticing her prolonged silence, she hurriedly spoke.

"It's not important, Mr. Sherman. I agree with you. If you wish, we can postpone this stroll to another time."

"That's not possible, madam. There's an important matter I wish to discuss with you."

Faced with Sidney's determination in his voice, Lydia looked at him in astonishment for a while, not knowing what to say. As she replied, she still tried to appear reasonable.

"I guess the mansion isn't the appropriate place for this conversation."

Although she noticed a sudden hardening in Sidney's ice-blue eyes, it was so brief that she thought she had imagined it.

"Unfortunately, it's not."

Sidney paused before continuing, realizing the tension in Lydia's eyes, and instead of speaking, he began to stroke his horse's long mane as if trying to calm himself first.

"If I've unsettled you, I apologize. I just have a habit of hating to postpone important matters. My father told me he would discuss a serious issue with me before leaving the estate for war. You know the rest; I lost him and never learned about that matter."

Lydia felt considerably relieved as Sidney returned to his usual demeanor. Leaning her hand gently on his shoulder, she turned her eyes to Sidney, who was startled by this gesture.

"I understand you, there's no need to apologize."

The gaze in his eyes, which always reminded her of a winter lake, had warmed at this moment. Just by looking at him, Lydia felt this warmth spreading through her body.

"Will we still be able to take a short night stroll, my lady?"

Lydia hesitated for a moment. Compared to the scorching fire and tension that consumed her as she approached Damian, Sidney's gaze had warmed her and made her feel safe.

She didn't know if she could feel like this again.

"Of course, we can, my lord."

Just then, a footman appeared at the stable door, catching Sidney's attention and diverting his gaze. He hurriedly approached the footman to read the message, while Lydia waited where she stood.

When Sidney returned, the warmth in his eyes had vanished. After checking on his horse, he approached Lydia and left something in her gloved hands. In the moonlight streaming into the stable, the steel hilt of a gun gleamed.

Seeing Lydia's increasing unease, Sidney quickly explained, "For your safety..."

"But-"

"Of course, I don't mean myself. I mean, regardless, the forest can be dangerous at night. There's a risk of trespassing into the territory, whether by humans or animals. Please take it without hesitation; carrying it doesn't mean you'll use it."

Feeling guilty for her harbored suspicions against him, Lydia took the weapon without insisting further and settled onto her horse. Despite leaving the stable and garden behind, neither of them spoke until the lights of the mansion were completely out.

Lydia was the one to break the silence.

"Where is your journey taking you?"

Sidney answered without taking his eyes off the dark corner of the forest.

"I'm going to the horse farm my father left me. There are some administrative matters that need to be sorted out. And where will you be heading once the gathering is over?"

"I'll be returning to the city. I have a small house there."

"To be fair, all the houses in the city are small, Miss Lockhart. Whenever I have to stay in the city, I feel like I'm suffocating."

Lydia had managed to shake off some of the shivers that the silence and darkness of the night had brought upon her.

"Does that mean you don't visit this city often?"

Sidney answered her with a laugh.

"Unfortunately, no. Although, I would prefer to visit you at Lockhart Manor. I've heard the estate is quite extensive."

"Unfortunately, that's not possible, Mr. Sherman. The manor is under royal supervision until the true heir is determined."

"Oh, I didn't know that. I hadn't heard of any living relatives of the late baron besides you."

"Neither had I, but someone appeared claiming to be the son of my great-grandfather's son, who died in a shipwreck abroad after I lost my family."

"I'm sorry to hear that, my lady. I, too, occasionally have to deal with people claiming to be my siblings. Of course, it's not as complex as yours, and I have special methods for resolving it. Fortunately, no one has taken it to court yet."

Lydia couldn't say she liked the tone in Sidney's voice, but she chose to ignore it.

"Perhaps you'll allow me to benefit from your experience in this matter as well."

However, she couldn't help but flinch at Sidney's laughter, which was a more extreme reaction than she had hoped for, as he chuckled at her statement.

"Why not?"