He did wish she would stop pretending not to see what was clearly in front of her. She was by no means obtuse, though at times she seemed to wilfully misunderstand him. Was it fear, disinterest, or perhaps even dislike ? She was so very hard to read.

Certainly he had been overt in his pursuit of her affections. Yet she still showed only a polite interest. She made certain never to be alone in his presence. And on the rare occasion it had happened that they were alone together, she made certain to keep a healthy distance between them.

He struggled to believe it to be fear of all men. After all, she was the only daughter in a family of five children. She had an easy friendship with many of her brothers’ friends. But if it was a fear of him specifically, he could not figure out why. He’d never been unkind.

Perhaps he had been too persistent in trying to commandeer her heart. Perhaps a less straightforward approach would be necessary.