Terrick chuckled, and his baritone voice did silly things to her stomach. She folded her arms across her middle.
“I haven’t,” he said, “but I realized today what I’m missing.” He glanced around the land, and then up at the sky, and finally resting his gaze on Bella. “How could I ignore the beauty that God has created?”
Butterflies danced in Bella’s stomach, and she wished they would stop. They were definitely not hunger growls, since she’d already eaten. So why was her stomach acting this way?
“You do have a lovely estate, Mr. Wentworth.”
He shook his head and limped closer to her. “No, please don’t call me that. Call me, Terrick.”
“All right, I will.” Bella noticed her breathing had become ragged all of a sudden, and warmth was spreading all over her. Once again, she’d never had these kinds of feelings before. She prayed she wasn’t catching an unknown ailment.
Terrick looked at his sister and grinned. “And who do we have here? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
Anastasia laughed and playfully swatted his arm. “You’ve seen me in a dress.”
“Yes, I have, but you were a little girl then, not a young woman.”
Anastasia’s cheeks grew pink. “What do you think?” She held her arms out and twirled around once. “Do I look like a lady now?”
“Indeed, you do. However, it’ll take longer for you to start acting like one.”
Anastasia rolled her eyes. “No, it won’t. I’m sure Bella will be an excellent teacher for me.”
Terrick’s gaze moved to Bella again, and just like before, warmth filled her belly. Something must be wrong with her. Either that or the man’s presence was making her uncomfortable again.
“I agree. Bella is the only one I trust with your care.”
A different feeling filled Bella’s chest. Dare she say pride? But the way Terrick’s gaze looked over her made her feel invincible. He made her feel... worthy.
She shook off the thought. “Thank you. I’m happy to help your sister in any way I can.”
“All right.” Anastasia clapped her hands twice. “Socializing time is over. It’s time for my lessons.” She motioned toward the house. “Shall we return?”
“Yes, we shall.” Bella gave the girl a nod, acknowledging her proper speech.
As they headed back toward the manor, Bella noticed out the corner of her eye that Terrick kept looking her way. She realized he wanted her to remember, but she still felt there was so much more that she needed to know first. And of course, it needed to start with why Garrett thought she’d been abducted. Perhaps she should invite him to dinner one night so that he could tell her what he knew.
She quickly pushed away the foolish notion. Inviting him for dinner would only encourage him more, and she didn’t want to do that.
For the next few hours, Bella instructed Anastasia on table etiquette and the dos and don’ts for ladies. It had always irritated Bella that the ladies were required to be proper, but the men had their own set of rules. Then again, not all men were like Garrett.
“Bella? Can we stop for now? My mind is tired.” Anastasia slumped in her chair, which definitely went against what she’d just been taught about how to sit.
“Fine.” Bella sighed. “Is there something else you’d like to do?”
Anastasia glanced around the dining room, where they were sitting for their lesson. A few seconds passed before her eyes brightened, and she looked at Bella again. “Yes. I think I should take you on a tour of the manor.”
Bella’s hopes lifted. “I think that would be wonderful.”
As Anastasia gave her a guided tour, Bella hoped to see some spark of recognition. She wanted to believe she knew his family, but her mind remained blank. Not remembering made her even more anxious to learn about what had possibly happened to her when she was sixteen. Her mother’s death couldn’t have upset her so much that it took away her memories, could it? Yet, that was the only explanation she could come up with.
They walked from room to room, and she half expected Terrick to join them, but as they finished the tour, disappointment washed over her. Whether it was from him not being with them or because taking a tour hadn’t accomplished anything.
Anastasia chatted about the house and explained how the Wentworth family obtained it when her great, great, grandfather won it in a card game. Bella laughed over the girl’s rendition of what probably had happened all those years ago. Their walk ended with them outside again, and Bella noticed the sun was on its way down. Soon, she’d have to return home, because riding back in the dark was not an option. Neither was staying the night. Her father needed to know she hadn’t abandoned him.
“Bella,” Anastasia said, breaking the brief silence, “forgive me for being nosey, but...” The girl stopped and stared at Bella. “Do you remember anything about being abducted when you were around my age?”
Bella’s mind stopped, and her heart pounded faster. “Not one thing. Why? What do you know about it?”
“Just what Terrick told me.”
“And what was that?”
“He said that you had gone missing one day. The whole town was worried sick, and your father and brother searched all day. Terrick said he’d never prayed so hard in his life for your safe return.” She nudged her elbow against Bella’s and waggled her eyebrows. “My brother was the one who organized the search parties. Anyway, someone recalled seeing you with an older man, leaving town.”
Bella’s breathing sped faster as if she was reliving it without the memories. It was as if her body felt the confused panic, but she couldn’t remember one thing about it. “An older man? Did they know him?”
Anastasia shook her head. “I don’t think so, but I don’t know.”
“Then what happened?”
“The next morning, you were found in the woods.” She pointed toward the woods they were walking toward. “You were
