MORGAN STOOD BACK,hands on hips as he surveyed his latest mural. The boys in this room had requested Camelot. On one wall, he’d painted the castle, banners billowing in the breeze. Another wall displayed the Sword in the Stone. Yet another, the Lady of the Lake. Tomorrow, he’d finish up with the Round Table.
He stretched his neck, utter peace filling him. Having been born into a wealthy titled family was both a blessing and a curse. He did not have to work for a living. The earldom saw to all his needs, providing him with a yearly income that was more than adequate. Many of his peers wasted their days gaming, whoring, and indulging in all manner of vices. He’d come to believe that too much free time, having no purpose, was not all that the lower classes probably thought it was. All his life, he’d been searching for... something. And for the first time, he felt like he’d found it. Brookhaven filled his soul on so many levels.
And Fiona filled the rest of the emptiness inside him.
Last night had been everything he’d dreamed it could be, and he couldn’t wait to see her again.
He smiled and finished putting away his supplies, glancing at his timepiece to make sure he hadn’t stayed working too late again. It was just about suppertime, and his children would be with the others in the dining room. He was hungry himself, but he’d rather steal a few minutes alone with Fiona.
With a jaunty step, he made his way down the stairs to her office, finding her bent over a stack of ledgers, as always. He stood in the doorway for a moment, admiring her. She truly was lovely, in every sense of the word. He admired her dedication to the children immensely, and even now, with her wild hair slightly askew and her face smudged with ink, he found her beautiful beyond compare.
She finally glanced up, but instead of the pleasure he’d expected to find, wariness haunted her wide green eyes as she took off her reading glasses and set them aside.
“What is it?” he asked immediately, stepping farther into the office and shutting the door. “What’s wrong?”
Pushing back from her desk, she ran her hand over her face with a sigh. “I’m glad you came in here. I’ve been meaning to find you all day.”
He walked over and got between her and the desk, leaning on the edge and staring down at her, a sense of foreboding filling him. “Have you changed your mind?” he asked softly, feeling as though he already knew the answer.
She said nothing, nervously shifting a few of the piles of paperwork around.
“I want you to be my wife,” he murmured at last. “But I don’t want to hurt you or push you into anything you’re not ready for. You can take all the time you need.”
“Thank you,” she said, blinking away a fresh sheen of tears.
“Shall we go and join the children for dinner?” He pulled slightly back and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, filled with disappointment. He’d thought that they’d solved everything last night, but now, he could see that they hadn’t. Would he ever be able to prove to her that her past didn’t matter?
* * *
FIONA NODDED, DASHINGaway her tears and finally letting him go. She’d tried so hard to find the courage to tell him the truth, but in the end, she couldn’t do it. She appreciated the reprieve he was giving her, the chance to gather her wits and think over everything that had happened.
Still holding her hand, he led her through the house toward the dining room, only releasing her when they entered the huge room, which was filled with children and laughter. The look of sweetness and concern he gave her melted away the last of her fears. He was so good, so beautiful and kind. How could she not love him?
His children clamored for his attention, and he went over to say hello to them while she forced herself to once again become the headmistress of the home, taking her place at the head of the table as the children peppered her with questions and the cook served her a heaping plateful of food.
Morgan took a chair at the foot of the table, and she gave him a sudden bright smile. If she never told him the truth, this could work. All she had to do was lie about her entire past, and she might just get everything she ever wanted.
As quickly as the thought came, she knew how ridiculous she was being. Adrian knew the truth, and despite the deep friendship between them, Morgan was Adrian’s twin. Adrian might care for her, but he’d never allow his brother to marry her without telling him where he’d found her.
No, there was no way she could do that to Morgan. She could never allow him to hear about what she had been from his brother.
As the meal progressed, she found her gaze drawn to him and his children repeatedly, her heart breaking. She didn’t know what to do. Telling Morgan about her past would surely ruin things but keeping her secret would as well.
The only solution seemed to be to break things off with him now, before it got any harder. At least then, she would be in control of it. At least then, she wouldn’t have to watch the love and desire in his eyes turn to disgust.
Mind made up, she waited until after dinner and then asked to speak to him alone again.
He raised an eyebrow, seeming to sense her change in mood. “Of course,” he said softly as he followed her back down the hall to her office.
She waited until they were safe in the office and the door had been shut behind them before turning to face him. “I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”
“What?” He looked as if she’d slapped him, and she felt a moment of doubt. How could she justify hurting him to save her own heart? She wanted to go to him, to take him in her arms and tell him she didn’t mean it but knew doing so would just postpone the heartache for both of them. No, she had to do this. She had to be strong.
“I’ve thought about it all day, and I just don’t think that this is what I want. You’re very kind to have considered me in that way, and I do thank you, but in the end, I feel my priority has to be Brookhaven. I don’t want to leave here to go live in some Mayfair mansion. I like my little room in the attic. I love the work I do here, and I could never be what you need.”
“I understand your love for Brookhaven,” he said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I’d never make you leave it. But wouldn’t you be just as effective if you slept in a comfortable bed every night? If you had a little time to yourself?”
He was probably right, but she couldn’t let him sway her because this wasn’t really about Brookhaven at all.
