“Still dark themes?” Adrian asked, nodding toward Hannah. “Or have you started on a portrait of your little angel yet?”
Morgan gazed at his children but didn’t seem to be seeing them. “I’ve just been painting fire... the house burning the night Father died. And the tower, where Winters fell...”
Adrian swallowed, all the old fears and regrets immediately surfacing at his brother’s words. “What’s brought this up?” he asked, trying to force the emotions down. “It was so long ago.”
Morgan shook his head. “I have no idea. I’ve just been having a premonition that something horrible is about to happen.”
“I’ve felt it, too,” Adrian admitted. “I think it’s because Roger has resurfaced in our lives. Sometimes I think there must be a confrontation between us, and I doubt both of us will walk away from it.”
“I wish you could just let it go,” Morgan said quietly. “I worry that something horrible will happen if you keep taunting him as Prometheus. From everything you’ve said, I am certain he knows that it’s you. I wish you would stop for a while, give up the mask, and try to just enjoy your new wife.”
Adrian sighed and shoved a hand through his hair. “I know you’re right. It’s hard though. I just can’t let the past go. I can’t let him get away with it, and I can’t let him keep hurting people.”
Morgan shrugged and pushed to his feet, forcing a smile. “You’re the one I don’t want to see hurt. Shall we all go in to dinner?”
Chapter Twenty-Three
By the time Vanessa’slittle family tumbled into the coach later that night, they were all ready for bed. Gabriel had played himself into exhaustion, and the vehicle had barely jolted into motion before he laid his head in Vanessa’s lap and fell fast asleep. She stroked his dark hair, tears stinging her eyes as sheer happiness overwhelmed her.
Adrian leaned toward her, his fingertips brushing her cheek as he must have caught a glimpse of her tears in the streetlights. “What’s wrong, my darling? I thought you enjoyed the evening.”
“Oh, I did,” she whispered, smiling up at him. “It was wonderful.”
“Then why are you crying?” His voice sounded so puzzled, she burst out laughing.
“I’m so happy,” she told him. “I’ve never had a night like this one, where I actually felt as though I was part of a family. All my life, I’ve wanted this.”
“I’m glad you had a good time.” He leaned back in his seat, staring at her in the flickering light cast by streetlights. She sensed he was still confused and sought a way to explain it to him better.
“I know you think that I married you for money. I know I deserve that, but it was never money I wanted. It was security. And when I was with you, even when you were Prometheus, you made me feel safe. You made me feel part of something. And tonight, when you allowed me into your life... into your family... even in my wildest dreams it wasn’t this wonderful.”
He shook his head, the ghost of a smile tilting his lips. “It was just a family dinner.”
“For you!” she said, knowing he still didn’t get it. “For Gabriel and me, who have never been part of a real family, it was so much more.”
“I suppose... I’ve taken this for granted, haven’t I? I’ve always thought myself alone, but I’ve never been truly alone, not in the way you’ve been.” He ran a hand through his hair in agitation. “My brothers have always been there, my little sister, my niece and nephew.”
