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The voice of the older man echoed the emptiness they both felt. It came from too much loss and too little time for loving. ‘I’ve got it covered,’ he assured the duke briskly. ‘A local girl…’It was a necessary lie, he told himself. He’d find a way to bring Liv back.
‘Excellent,’ the duke said with obvious relief. ‘I’d say you stood a good chance if you can pull this off.’
‘I will pull this off,’ Cade said, remembering what was at stake.
‘So shall I tell them to expect your young lady at the ball?’
He was struck by a sudden flash of inspiration. ‘Why don’t we hold it here, at Featherstone?’
‘Are you sure, Cade? It would mean a lot of trouble for you…’
As the duke asked the question he was thinking of Liv glancing inside the ballroom and telling him how sad it looked. She could change that, and it might be the one challenge she couldn’t resist. ‘I’m positive,’ he said, feeling more confident about the outcome suddenly. ‘We’ll hold the ball here. I’ll tell the adjutant to set the wheels in motion.’
He finished his conversation with the duke on a positive note. Yes, he was fully recovered, and the project at Featherstone was well under way. Hosting the regimental ball with his ‘young lady’ would not only be a duty, it would be a pleasure for them both.
He cut the line and stowed the phone. This call to duty put him back in the public eye where he could lobby support for his cause. There was still a small snag to consider…Liv must be at his side for the ball, and right now they weren’t even on speaking terms.
He strode towards the barn where a week of concentrated effort had worked wonders on the Harley. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say to Liv; he’d work out the details on the way. He was sure he’d find her at home. Where else would she go?
He drew up outside the address Liv had written on her CV. It was a small suburban house, one amongst many. Curtains twitched as he switched off the powerful engine and removed his helmet. He guessed he must look pretty intimidating in this world of neatly mown lawns and ultra-clean cars. He had always been different, a maverick, an adventurer…But he could see that Liv belonged here, in this safely contained background with her ladylike ways and perfumed perfection…
He changed his mind the moment the door opened and he met Liv’s mother. ‘Mrs Tate?’ He could hardly believe the woman standing in front of him had given birth to Liv.
Liv…He could see her hovering in the hallway and guessed visitors were a novelty here. He felt his essence leave him and curl around her to protect her. He wanted her under his wing. He needed her. He swiftly refocused on the mother as she huffed with impatience. And Liv might be hovering, but she’d be no pushover—not after the way he’d treated her. ‘I’ve come to see your daughter,’ he told Mrs Tate.
The older woman clicked her tongue against her teeth in disapproval. She didn’t invite him into the house.
‘Do you mind if I speak to Liv, please?’ he said firmly.
It was the accent that swung it for him. In spite of his rugged appearance he sounded smooth and well-bred. It bought him enough time for Liv’s mother to give him the once-over before slamming the door in his face. To press home the advantage he extended his hand. ‘Cade Grant Featherstone Carew,’ he said haughtily—haughty being a first for him.
But it worked.
Mrs Tate’s face softened in a way that was familiar to him. It happened when people recognised old money talking. ‘Lieutenant Colonel,’ she said, obviously impressed. ‘Won’t you come in?’
‘I’d like to speak to your daughter in private, if I may?’
‘Of course…’ Mrs Tate stood to one side, giving him a clearer view of Liv. ‘I’ll make the front room available to you—’
‘I thought we’d walk…’ He was talking to Liv, who looked pale and he guessed that she’d been crying. Had he made her cry?
Of course he had. And her mother, he concluded. The woman was a bully. He’d seen enough of them to know. He had to get Liv away from here. The atmosphere inside the house was clawing at his throat. It cast such a shadow that even Liv’s bright light could hardly penetrate it. But she was wary and hung back. Why was he surprised? She had come from this to him by way of a disastrous marriage ceremony and back again, wasn’t she right to be wary? An overwhelming urge to reach past her mother and drag Liv out into the fresh clean air overcame him; he did hold out his hand; he did reach past her mother. ‘Liv? Will you walk with me for a while?’
She shook her head, but at least she hadn’t left the hallway and disappeared deeper into the house. He tensed, waiting to see what she would do.
It seemed half a lifetime before she whispered ‘Excuse me, please,’ to her mother, and sidled past. He noticed she took care not to touch the older woman.
They walked in silence past neatly trimmed hedges and immaculate borders until Liv turned down a narrow pathway leading to a children’s playground. Heading for the swings, she sat down on one. She had her head down with her long hair hiding her expression from him. The sound of her heels dragging on the ground was a desolate reminder of what he’d done to her. ‘Forgive me,’ he said bluntly.
Her eyes were sad as she looked at him. ‘Why are you here, Cade?’
For you—I need you, he wanted to say. ‘I need your help,’ he tempered; she’d been hurt enough.
The faintest of smiles touched her lips. ‘You need my help? Why now?’
‘Something’s come up, Liv—a chance to bring
the ballroom back to life—’ He felt a dull thud of guilt when he saw the reproach in her eyes. She was remembering the way he’d treated her after they’d made love, and she was remembering her comment about how sad the ballroom had looked in its neglected state. She knew full well he was using it as a lure.
‘I don’t understand,’ she said. ‘You want to bring the ballroom back to life for what?’
‘A regimental ball…a chance to rally support for my rehabilitation centres.’
‘And for this you need me?’ She gave him a sideways look.
‘Yes, I do. Look, Liv, I understand the way you feel.’ Ignoring her sad exclamation, he pressed on. ‘I need this one favour from you.’ Nothing could have prepared him for the way his heart lurched when she looked at him.
‘How can you ask me to come back to Featherstone with you?’
In that moment he felt her humiliation, at returning home, at leaving him—the shame, the hurt. Liv’s simple honesty had brought her nothing but pain—from her mother, from the bridegroom she’d run away from, and now from him. But still he had to press on. ‘I’m asking you to come back with me because I know you’re the one person who can swing the support I need for my returning soldiers.’
She looked at him. If he’d put it any other way; if he’d asked her for any other favour she would have had to say no. What was she to do? She had forgotten how bad it could get at home. After just one week she felt as if all the life had been sucked out of her. But she loved Cade, and going back with him would only cause her the most enormous pain. Could she ignore his plea, though?
He broke into her thoughts. ‘This isn’t about a housekeeping job, Liv. It’s far more than that. I’m asking you to join me at Featherstone and work at my side.’
