Luke couldn’t seem to step away fast enough. “My what?!?” Clara asked in disbelief, her mouth gaping open.
“The Duke of Preston,” the butler said, equally shocked. “He believes you are his intended.”
“But I am not!” she insisted. Luke was now several yards away, his eyes frozen to the ground. “Luke, I am not engaged to him.” Her words were earnest and forceful, but Luke didn’t move. “I promise,” she ran to him, attempting to place a consoling hand on his arm. He stepped out of reach.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There’s nothing to tell! He proposed, I said no!”
Luke scoffed. “Sounds familiar.”
“That is not fair!” she pleaded, “You know I-”
“No I don’t, Clara!” Luke argued back. “I don’t know anything! I don’t have the slightest idea how you feel for me or why you refused me. I don’t know if you love the duke or me or someone else. I love you, Clara. I have loved you forever, but I feel so stupid. All this time, pining for you, when you have never even seen me as an option.” It was by far the closest Luke had ever come to sounding angry, but the hurt was also so prevalent in his voice, it didn’t sound threatening, just sad.
“I have been meaning to tell you-” She was interrupted as John entered the ballroom, his eyes wide with surprise. Behind him Mother stepped in on the arm of the Duke of Preston.
Lord Gallant smiled brightly in his expensive black suit. As always, he exuded confidence. “Lady Clara!” he called in greeting, “I have missed you!”
“That is the Duke of Preston?” Luke whispered to himself. He sounded defeated.
“Isaac!” Clara yelled in exasperation, “I am not engaged to you!”
“We should give them privacy,” Lady Merritt softly suggested, ushering John to the doorway.
“Luke-” Clara turned to him, hoping to better explain the situation. But Lord Maxwell was already gone.
“You are not leaving!” John insisted as Luke frantically threw his clothes into his travel bags. “She is not engaged to him.”
“I need to check on my tenants,” Luke answered in a flat tone.
“They can wait another day!”
Luke froze, a poorly folded shirt in his hands. “He is so young,” he mumbled, “and rich, and handsome. He is a duke, for heaven's sake! She should be with him!” He shoved the shirt in his bag. “I have nothing to offer her.”
“That is not true. You are plenty well off, and more importantly, you love her!” John argued. “You would cherish her every day of her life, just as you always have.”
“And where has that gotten me?”
“She loves you, too!” John refuted. “I have seen it! She does! And I am her guardian. I will not agree to anyone but you. You two are meant to be together!” The earl was full of determination, but Luke felt himself giving up the battle.
“It’s over, John,” Luke tossed more clothing into the bag. “I need to go.”
“But not like this. At least speak with her.”
“I do not have anything to say. I have offered her everything. Lud, I have given her everything, but she doesn’t seem to care.” He closed his luggage. “If she wants me, she knows where to find me.”
John sighed irritably. “At least give Mother a proper goodbye.” He lifted one of the bags off the bed, carrying it with him to the room’s exit. “It is going to be strange without you here.”
“You will get used to it,” Luke assured him, throwing his last items into the second trunk.
John paused in the doorway, leaning against one side of the frame, with his hand resting against the opposite side. “Before you leave, I must thank you,” his voice was somber, “for everything—Spain, work, Clara. I could not have done it without you.”
“You could have,” Luke said matter-of-factly, but it really wasn’t fair to take his frustration out on John. He took a deep, calming breath. “It was easier doing it together, but you were born to be an earl, John, and your father trained you well. You would have done just fine without me.”
“I would not have had the slightest idea how to help Clara,” John countered. “You are the only one who understands her.”
Luke shrugged.
