He just had to get through the rest of today, and then he wouldn’t have to fight temptation any longer. She would be on board theCaelianand bound for Italy. Out of his reach. And out of his life.
That thought should have been reassuring, but all it served to do was fill him with a heavy sadness. If only they had met at another time. If her life wasn’t already set as a future noblewoman of Rome, and if he wasn’t an English marquis, destined one day to be a duke, who knew what might have been? And even if their divergent paths in life were not the issue, then Gideon certainly knew of another reason to keep his distance.
He wasn’t ready for marriage.
Hadn’t learned enough about himself to be a good husband. Or a protective father, a role which would surely follow if they married. It would be selfish beyond words to offer Serafina a life with him. He still had much growing up to do.
And she is too young for me.
So many ifs, buts, and maybes. In this life, they were simply ships passing in the night. The only certainty was the duty they felt to their respective families. Duty was what counted.
ChapterFive
This was her last night in England, and Serafina was deeply conflicted as to how she felt about leaving for home. On the one hand, she was eager to return to Italy, to see her beloved family. To walk the cobbled streets of Rome once more and see familiar sights. To drink good coffee and eat fresh pasta.
But on the other hand, . . .
The Marquis of Holwell sat across the room from her, laughing at his brothers and sisters as they played, and cheated, at charades. She was doing her best to keep up with the game, but he was a constant distraction.
“Something flying. An owl,” offered Lord Matthew.
“No,” replied Lady Coco.
The youngest Kembal sibling was standing in the middle of the drawing room, holding court. From the haughty way she regarded her brothers and sisters, Serafina suspected it wasn’t often that she got to enjoy all their undivided attention.
Coco waved her arms around, making a large oval shape in the air.
“A flying balloon,” suggested Lord Richard.
The older Kembals were gathered together on one long sofa. Gideon, Richard, and Augusta all looking thoroughly bored by the evening’s entertainment. Lord Richard, who was dressed, ready to go out on the town, was the one person in the room Serafina didn’t really know. He was a few years older than her and clearly thought being with their Italian guest was a waste of his valuable time.
Coco dropped her arms. “No.”
Serafina, who was seated on the sofa opposite alongside Lord Matthew, considered herself quite clever when it came to charades, but when the clues were not in her native Italian, she had little idea as to what any of them meant. Nursing a glass of the sickly sweet orgeat, she was content to sit and observe.
This drink is one thing I won’t miss about England. I much prefer a glass of wine.
In Rome, young women were taught how to drink sensibly. To enjoy a glass of wine with supper or the midday meal and not get tipsy. In London, unmarried misses were forced to drink this terrible cordial, which made Serafina shudder whenever she took a sip.
The crash of a door being forcibly closed had her starting in her seat. Shocked, she turned toward the source of the noise.
“Go to the devil! You will serve him well,” cried the Duchess of Mowbray, from somewhere in the hall outside.
“I will but you are already seated at his right hand. Next you will want his throne!”
The Duke and Duchess of Mowbray were fighting. Again. As with every single occasion when she had been forced to witness one of their loud arguments, Serafina didn’t know where to look. She glanced at her hands. That seemed to be the safest option.
Another door was slammed. More yelling occurred.
Then, oddly, total silence.
How peculiar.
Lifting her head, Serafina slowly glanced around the room. Victoria was happily tucking into some sweets. Coco was scowling at Lord Richard. And the others were busy chatting amongst themselves. No one seemed to have paid a moment’s notice to the hubbub outside in the hall.
“We give up. What was the charade?” asked Augusta with a sigh.
Coco shook her head. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. I can’t believe that no one got it. I am the one fresh out of the schoolroom. You are all supposed to be more well-read than me.”
