The Iron Colonel grunted.
“I shall need to pack.”
“We leave by the end of the week,” he answered firmly, keeping his attention fixed on the white soup, a concoction of almonds, chicken stock, and cream.
“But Edward?” Aunt protested.
“He will convalesce here very well without us, and a physician may visit occasionally. I see no reason to prolong our stay.”
He leveled me a scathing look. “And I daresay you two will pack light. I won’t be bothered with transporting fripperies.”
This was a glimpse into my cruel future ... my very long future, a prisoner of Seven Oakes, banished to a lonely tower with likely no telescope to occupy my oppressive thoughts.
Could I really return to that estate, where the wind howled against the stones and rattled the windows?
Could I bear seeing the man who wished I had never been born day after day?
Panic clawed its way up my throat as my spoon slipped from my grasp, dropping onto the snowy tablecloth.
Later that evening, one of the servants informed me that Sebastian had retreated to his room and begun packing his things. Freddy had gone to visit with Edward and no doubt pass on the news of Grandfather’s latest edict.
The townhome lay in oppressive silence as I paced back and forth in the massive library. The fire in the grate had burned low.
I faced a momentous decision as I debated my bleak future if I stayed in England. I would not go back to Seven Oakes. I could no longer endure the isolation of the countryside, no matter how brilliant the night sky. Nor could I stand to remain in London, where every base fortune hunter would use me while the brightest of society rejected me.
What, then, do you wish for me to do?I pleaded with God. Why would He not give me a sign as He had for Gideon with the fleece?
The sound of heels descending the stairwell brought my attention to the open door.
Sebastian stood just outside the doorway, his posture rigid. There was exhaustion in the line of his shoulders, a heaviness in the way he carried himself.
For a moment, I could not speak.
To my relief, he entered the library, as if drawn by an invisible string.
He had offered to help me find my mother. As my situation indicated, he proved my only reasonable path. Not Lord Chudley, nor Lady Ashford’s bluestocking society. Not even Caroline Herschel offered a practical solution out of my darkness. My brother would take me under his wing. But Grandfather would likely cut off his inheritance if Edward sheltered me and offered freedom. I couldn’t force my brother into such a predicament—especially if he now admitted his love for Freddy. They would need a home and an income of their own.
Besides, India waited, ever alluring—promising answers to questions I had long fretted over during the midnight hours.
Was marriage to Sebastian the path I ought to take?
I had spent so long assuming the worst of Sebastian Sinclair. Believing him selfish, calculating, determined to have his way at any cost. I had feared I was only a means to an end—another piece of his inheritance to be secured. But...
I had grown to love him as well.
For once, words fled me as he stood before me and I considered how to accept his earlier proposal.
My fingers trembled slightly as I reached for him, the movement unthinking, unbidden.
I felt the warmth of his hand beneath mine, the solid strength of his arm. Slowly, my touch drifted higher, my fingers tracing lightly over his sleeve, then resting against the center of his chest.
His heart pounded beneath my palm.
A breath shuddered through him, and his mouth parted, as if he, too, had no defense against whatever was happening between us.
“Sebastian Sinclair,” I said, my voice barely more than air. “You are a singular gentleman, and I am grateful for how you’ve helped Edward. How kind you’ve been. You’ve proven yourself far more than I everimagined. I have been so quick to misjudge you, and yet ... you are one of the few who have stood by me.”
For once, he had no ready quip, no teasing remark. He lifted a hand and cupped my face, his thumb grazing the curve of my cheekbone with aching tenderness. I did not pull away.
