Serenity bit her lip and handed the letter back. “I’m so sorry, Luke. And then you arrived at Winters’ house, only to find me...”
He met her worried green gaze, seeing the honest care and concern there. No matter what happened in his life, he always had to be the one who stayed strong, who did what needed to be done, but Serenity had always given him permission to feel things. To be human. He couldn’t resist pulling her into his arms and burying his face in her hair, allowing himself to be weak for just a moment.
He’d wanted nothing more than to closet himself in his room last night and grieve for his beautiful sister-in-law, but instead, he’d summoned the authorities and dealt with the questions and Anne’s body. Then he’d taken the baby girl his brother couldn’t even bear to look at to Fiona, the young woman who ran the orphanage Adrian funded. Fiona had access to a wet nurse and would see the baby was taken care of until Morgan was ready. Lastly, he’d taken Morgan home, worrying about his little brother’s icy calm and anger. He’d gone home and fallen into bed near dawn, only to be awakened two hours later by his hysterical mother. Now he was haring off across the country to find his seventeen-year-old sister, fearing the worst.
But Serenity was back in his arms, after all this time. He clung to that, determined not to ever let her go again.
Chapter Two
Serenity settled nextto Lucien in a private compartment of a train headed to Dover, still stunned and confused by his reappearance in her life. This morning, she’d been going about her business as usual, and now she’d been fired and was traveling across the country with no idea where she’d end up!
She hated having to depend on him but had no choice. She had less than five pounds to her name, and she’d been let go without references. Even if she’d wanted to work as a maid again, she’d have a hard time finding a position. Perhaps she could find some sort of factory job, but she didn’t even know where to begin.
Once the porter had taken their tickets and closed the door behind him, she turned to look at the man who had once been the center of her world, wondering if she could bear talking further about what had happened to tear them apart all those years ago.
He hadn’t known of his mother’s actions. He hadn’t sent her away.
She’d been so hurt and angry for so long. How could she wrap her mind around this new information? And what use would it be to forgive him? All the reasons why they couldn’t be together in the past remained. If she let him back into her heart, he’d just destroy her all over again, and she didn’t think she had the strength to survive such heartbreak again.
He shifted under her regard, turning to look at her with so many questions in his beautiful blue eyes. His scent, that familiar medley of sandalwood and leather, surrounded her, and she wanted nothing more than to bury her head against his chest and let him soothe all the loneliness and pain of the last eight years away. His warmth and strength, the magic of those elegant hands, his drugging kisses... She could almost convince herself that the inevitable heartbreak would be worth it if only she could know those things for even a moment.
“I’ve never ridden on a train before,” she admitted, a bit nervous about the way the huge steel beast shivered and swayed beneath them as they pulled away from the station.
His eyes widened, and then he shook his head. “I love to travel by train. I’ve invested heavily in railroad stock. I’ve also invested in my friend Harry Lawson’s company, which is building automobiles. I think they’ll really take off now that the Red Flag Act has been repealed, and you can drive them on public roads. I hope to have one of my own soon, and when I do, I’ll take you for a ride.”
She shook her head and gave a little laugh at the thought of having the chance to ride in one of those expensive vehicles. “It sounds terrifying.”
He shook his head. “It’s not that dangerous; you can walk faster than the Daimler. But we are working on faster engines. Who knows how fast we’ll one day be able to go? Just think of it! To me, the automobile represents freedom. Once a decent road system is in place, you’ll be able to go wherever you want, whenever you want.”
The passion in his voice made her smile. “That sounds wonderful. Especially to someone like me, who’s never been anywhere except London and your estate in Kent.”
He sat back with a frown. “It kills me to think of you in service to someone like Roger all these years. I wanted so much more for you, angel. I would have given you the world.”
She blinked against the sting of tears, remembering all the plans they’d had. But even then, she’d known they’d never come true. His talk of investing in railroads and automobiles only served to remind her that he was one of the wealthiest, most well-respected men in Great Britain. Even when they’d met, she’d been his gamekeeper’s daughter, not someone remotely suitable for him to marry.
Not that he’d ever mentioned marriage. He’d never said he loved her, never made any promises to her whatsoever. She’d been such a fool to give herself to him.
