“Thank you,” Luke said. “I hope you’re right.” Deep down, he feared that even if he found Serenity, he’d never convince her to stay.
Chapter Nine
September 1888
“I have to go back to London for a while,” Luke said, looking up from the letter that had come for him earlier in the day. He’d just arrived back to the cottage from the work site, where the walls of Hawkesmere House were rising like a phoenix from the ashes of his old life. The thought of having to leave, even for a short time, before the roof was on, distressed him.
“What’s wrong?” Serenity asked, coming to sit beside him on the worn sofa. She’d been cooking dinner when he’d arrived, and the smudge of flour on her cheek made him smile a bit as he set the letter aside.
“Boring business matters,” he told her wearily. “Adrian and Morgan have been handling things remarkably well, but there are a few things I have to be there for, and one of them has raised its ugly head.”
She bit her lip, her gaze troubled. “I’ll miss you.”
He reached out and brushed the flour from her cheek, understanding her dismay. “Don’t worry, angel. I’ll come back soon, I promise.”
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to—” She broke off and stood as Gemma came into the room. “Well, we’ll talk later. I have to see to dinner.”
As he told Gemma of his plans, he was very aware of Serenity moving around in the kitchen, and he wondered what she’d been meaning to say. For the last few days, she’d seemed a bit troubled, and he worried about leaving her if something was wrong.
“Gemma, you’ll take care of her while I’m gone, won’t you?” he asked suddenly, causing Gemma to look at him strangely. “I don’t think she’s been feeling well, and she’s seemed troubled.” He cleared his throat, a bit embarrassed at making his feelings for Serenity known to someone else but concerned enough not to care. “She means the world to me. Please, just promise me you’ll send for me if there’s any need.”
“You love her, don’t you?" Gemma said, and the pain in her eyes made him realize that she was the last person he should have asked this of. She obviously did have feelings for him, and he’d just carelessly broken her heart.
“Yes,” he said helplessly. “I’m afraid I do.”
Gemma squared her slim shoulders, clearing her pale face of emotion before adjusting her thick glasses on her large nose. “Of course, I’ll take care of her. That’s my job, isn’t it?”
Before he could say anything else, she stood and went to help Serenity with dinner. He sat there feeling like a heel but uncertain what he could possibly do to mend it.
Dinner was a quiet, strained affair, reminding him of the first one the three of them had shared. He was glad when it was over and immediately excused himself and went to his room to pack. But as soon as the house had quieted and he knew Gemma was safely ensconced in her room at the end of the hall, he crept next door.
Serenity sat up in bed, reading but tossed the book aside the moment she saw him, a glad, welcoming smile on her lips. “I’m so glad you came,” she whispered.
“How could I stay away?” he replied, sliding into the bed and gathering her against him. He hugged her tightly and pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I’m so sorry I have to go away. I wish I could just stay with you always.”
She pulled away a bit, gazing up at him, her green eyes once again troubled. “I know that you can’t. I know that summer is over and that you’ll soon have to go back to your real life.”
