Ethan looked at her, their hands cold and their clothes soaked from the rain. Lily moved aside slightly making space for him and said, 'Come sit with me, Ethan. Don't leave.'
A mixture of emotions welled up within Ethan as he hesitated, wondering if...
The three of them started walking back towards the main gate. Olivia between the other two. Ethan would sometimes peek over Olivia's head to see Lily, trying to decipher through her expression what she would be thinking about his sister and his home. He didn't know why, but getting to know Lily's true opinion was what was on his mind since he first saw her at the station.
Olivia, with her keen sense of observation, couldn't help but notice Ethan's intense gaze fixated on Lily. Her eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement as she watched her brother's subtle reactions. It was quite unusual for Ethan to be so captivated by someone's presence, and Olivia couldn't resist teasing him about it later.
She exchanged a knowing look with Ethan, raising an eyebrow playfully. 'Seems like we have an interesting week ahead of us, don't we?' she whispered to her brother, making sure Lily couldn't hear. Ethan blushed slightly and responded with a shy smile, knowing that his sister had already started her own little investigation into the situation.
Andrew waved at them from a little distance. Behind him stood three female figures, who were staring at Lily, whom Lily did not recognize. Lily started to move towards Andrew, creating a little distance between her and the sibling duo behind her. Olivia pointed towards her cousins and whispered in Ethan's ears, 'Don't even think about any of them and leave them to me,' giving him a wink in return of the inquisitive look at his face.
Ethan, recognizing the mischievous glint in his sister's eyes, couldn't help but chuckle softly. He nodded in agreement, appreciating Olivia's willingness to take charge of the situation. While Lily and Olivia headed towards Andrew and the newcomers, Ethan decided to give them some space, trusting that Olivia's social skills would help ease any initial awkwardness. He stayed back, collecting all the luggage that was to be taken into the house, observing the group from a distance.
Approaching cousins, Olivia initiated a lively conversation, making everyone feel welcome and breaking the ice effortlessly. It was clear that she had inherited the family's charm and sociability.
'Lily meet my cousins. This is Sophia, Emily and Amber. They have come from Emberfield.' Olivia introduced the sisters in an order. 'And this is Lily everyone. And you have already met Andrew. They are from Eldertown.'
'Beauty really runs in their family,' thought Lily to herself. She noticed the greetings specially warm from Sophia, the eldest of the three and visibly of a mature mindset. Amber also shook her hand in a very passionate way considering she was even younger than Lily herself. In contrast, Emily offered only a brief, polite smile. She seemed of the same age as Ethan.
As they began to walk towards the house, Andrew leaned in closer to Lily and whispered in her ear, 'Emily seemed a bit put off when Ethan hurried to get you from the woods, upon their arrival. He didn't assist them in disembarking from the carriage or unloading their luggage either, which seemed to bother her.' Lily did not think much about at that time as the only thing now on her mind was how the meeting with Ethan's Mother would be.
The house as soon as it came into view was a big mansion kind of home. With it's rustic look intact. Yet it looked modern in it's own way.
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