“I thought about you, too,” she breathed, wishing that so many of those thoughts hadn’t been angry ones. As the day had progressed, she’d become more and more certain that he truly hadn’t had anything to do with what his mother and stepbrother had done to her. That made the time they’d spend apart even more of a tragedy.
“We’ll figure this out,” he promised. “I’ll make it right. I’m just so tired. Losing Anne, Morgan’s grief, Allison’s kidnapping, finding you... Everything is all blurred together, and I’m so afraid of making another mistake.”
Her heart bled for him. He always took so much responsibility upon himself, always thought he had to be strong for everyone else. She rubbed her hand across his broad chest, wishing she dared reach beneath his shirt and touch his bare skin. “I’m here,” she whispered. “You don’t need to worry about any of it right now. Just get some rest. We’ll talk in the morning.”
He sighed deeply, and before she could say anything else, he was snoring softly, fast asleep. She blinked against a fresh sting of tears, feeling blessed that he still trusted her enough to fall asleep so easily at her side.
Chapter Five
June 1888
Serenity sat upon a low stone garden wall a few hundred feet from what had once been the ruins of Luke’s family home, watching in fascination as her new friend rushed around, arms full of plans, talking earnestly with the workmen. The old rubble had already been cleared and the new foundation was underway. Luke had been staying with her for a few weeks now, and her life had changed just as dramatically.
She no longer had to worry about where her next meal was coming from, as he’d generously stocked the cupboards with the best the nearby town had to offer. He’d had the workmen spend an entire day fixing all the things on the cottage that had needed attention. Though her father still hadn’t returned, Luke had made inquiries about him, and she felt that he would bring him home to her soon.
Luke.
Heat rushed to her cheeks at the thought that she was now on a first-name basis with a man. An earl, no less!
As the weeks had gone by, their relationship had grown into the deepest friendship she’d ever known. She’d learned that even an earl had things in his past that haunted him. She knew his stepfather had been abusive, his mother negligent. He loved his younger brothers and baby sister, but the responsibility he felt for them weighed heavily on his shoulders.
The fact that he’d shared the things that bothered him with her made her feel something she couldn’t quite put a name to. She feared she was beginning to fall in love with him, which terrified her.
Though he’d been incredibly kind and wonderful to her, she couldn’t let herself read too much into it. He was a bloodyearl. So far above her in society that she could never,everexpect that anything would become of the sweet romance building between them.
Yet the little cocoon they’d created for themselves at the cottage had made her believe that perhaps the fairytale could come true. Perhaps she could be the one who captured this beautiful man’s heart...
With a sigh, she gazed at him, committing his lithe handsome form to memory as he moved from place to place, gesturing wildly with his hands, his passion for his new home palpable as he tried to illustrate his dreams to the workmen. For just a moment, she let herself imagine what it would be like to live in this beautiful house with him when it was done, to be his countess. He would always be kind and supportive; he could introduce her to so many new and different experiences. Already, they’d spoken of travel and plays and exotic foods. Every conversation she had with him opened her eyes to things she’d never even known existed.
They were on the brink of a new century, and Luke had convinced her this was an exciting time to be alive. Things were changing so rapidly, she could almost believe that the strict social class system might someday be a thing of the past.
Lost in her thoughts, she didn’t notice Luke had approached until he jumped up upon the wall beside her, grinning. His forehead glistened with sweat, and he pushed his damp hair out of his eyes. “You brought me lunch?”
She nodded and gestured to the basket near her feet. “I thought you’d like to take a break.”
“I would,” he agreed, his blue eyes dancing. He jumped back down and picked up the basket, pointing up toward the ominous black clouds that had gathered above them while she wasn’t paying attention. “It’s about to rain, and I know a place we can go until the storm has passed.”
