He hugged her tight, then reluctantly let her go. “I’ll go with you. I’ll help.”
She stared at him with those beautiful teary eyes, and the trust and love he saw there made him feel even more guilt and doubt. He wasn’t worthy of so much love. He knew that he’d eventually disappoint her.
* * *
JANE HELD JULIAN’Sletter in her trembling hands, tears streaking her cheeks as she forced herself to read it one more time.
Dear Jane,
I’ve been called away to London. I won’t be there for your father’s burial. Know that my thoughts and prayers will be with you.
I’m so sorry.
Julian
She kept thinking she was missing something, that she’d somehow misinterpreted what he’d said. Only yesterday, he’d held her so tenderly and promised he’d be there for her no matter what.
What could be so important that he’d leave her when she needed him most? Her first thought had been to worry for him, to hope something hadn’t happened to Ethan, the only family member he had left, but in her heart, she knew that wasn’t true.
He’d run away.
Though he’d stood by her side all day yesterday, she’d sensed the restlessness in him, the fear. He’d said and done all the right things, but there had been something cornered and rebellious in his gaze. As though her father’s death had stripped him of his choices. She knew he felt as though he had to marry her now, and that obviously terrified him.
Why?He was her best friend, the one person she’d always felt understood her. Their relationship had been so simple, so precious. She couldn’t help but feel hurt and betrayed by his actions. She wasn’t trying to pressure him into marriage. She just wanted him to be here for her while she laid her father to rest. Was that too much to ask?
A sudden surge of fury consumed her, and she ripped the letter to shreds, letting the pieces fall to the floor. Her father was gone, and the creditors were already nipping at her heels. A distant cousin was set to take the title and everything that had been entailed. All she’d have left was the London townhouse, but she knew her father hadn’t left her enough money to maintain it for long. Before his death, the marquess had gambled away most of his fortune, including her dowry, always convinced that he’d win it all back. If not for a small inheritance from her maternal grandmother, she wouldn’t make it through the year without having to impose upon some friend or distant family member to take her in. She could probably go stay with the Duke of Clayton, her mother’s brother, and be a companion to her cousin Natalia, but though she and Natalia were close, she would hate that. The last thing she wanted was to be a burden.
She’d thought she could count on Julian, but it was becoming clearer to her by the moment that the only person she could count on was herself.
Straightening her shoulders, she dried her angry tears and lifted her chin. Somehow, she’d find her own way, no matter what that entailed. And above all else, she promised herself to never believe in a man again.
Chapter One
Seven Years Later
London – June 1867
