“My word.” Her mother opened her mouth to say something else, but Maddie didn’t wait for her reply.
Satisfied to have shut her mother up, she hurried out of the dining hall and along the passageway, chasing Hector. He marched towards his cabin, stepping aside every time he met someone.
“Hector.” She took his arm, and he stopped. “I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t turn around.
“Hector.” She stepped in front of him.
His eyes were a storm of sorrow. He seemed so lost her throat tightened with a lump of emotion. As more passengers walked past, she held his hand and led him to his cabin. His pain didn’t need more witnesses.
Once they were inside his cabin, she faced him. “I’ve always known my mother was cruel, but what she did to you is unforgivable. I keep discovering new layers of her depravity.”
“Am I insane?” he whispered. Tears hung on his eyelashes. “Did the island damage my brain?”
“No.” She cupped his cheeks, following an instinct that came straight from her heart. “Don’t listen to my mother. She’s the insane one. Tell me about Thomas.” She stroked his face. “Tell me everything about him.”
He rubbed his chest, his gaze lost. “Thomas was my friend. I spent days with him. I gave him pieces of fruit he’d eat from my hand. He would perch on a tree next to me when I chopped wood or on my shoulder when I searched the forest for berries. At first, he didn’t trust me, but then he sought my company as much as I did his. The decision to leave him on the island broke my heart. Talking to him kept me alive. It made me feel better. I needed him, and I left him behind.” His voice broke.
She hugged him, and he shivered. “You did the right thing. He would have died on the raft, and even if he survived, he would have died in London, so far from his warm climate. Taking him with you would have been unkind. You proved to be selfless by letting him go. Now he’s happy on his island.”
“I feel like I’m going mad.” He shook with each breath.
“No, you aren’t.” She held him, although he didn’t lean against her. He’d crush her otherwise.
“I should have stayed on the island.”
“No. You did the right thing.” She took his face again, needing to see his eyes. “You were brave to leave, and I’m glad we’ve found each other again.”
He wiped his face with the sleeve of his jacket. “You’re the only ray of sunlight in my life. If you weren’t here now, I don’t know what would happen to me.” He was too honest to be a member of London’s ton.
“You’re strong, Hector. Don’t doubt it. And you aren’t mad or a savage. When we’re in London, I’ll be by your side whenever you need me.”
Yes, she made a huge commitment while she didn’t know anything about helping a castaway deal with society. But she wouldn’t leave him alone.
He turned serious. “I don’t want to cause you trouble. In a few days, I’ve caused you to argue with your mother more than once.”
She chuckled. “Trust me, you aren’t the cause of my constant arguing with my mother. It’s a natural occurrence.”
He laughed, and gosh, the deep, warm sound was intoxicating. “What if the people in London agree with your mother? I don’t want to be locked up in a hospital.”
“We won’t allow that.” She hitched a breath when he brushed his lips against her inner wrist.
He froze as if realising what he’d done, but she didn’t withdraw her hand and he didn’t step away from her.
“You should leave,” he whispered.
“I don’t want to.”
He kissed her wrist again, keeping his stare on her face. A fierce longing burst within her with such strength she tottered on her feet.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, brushing his lips against her skin again.
“No.” There was no hesitation in her voice.
He dipped his head and paused one inch from her mouth. His warmth reached her already heated skin and caused her lips to burn. She could easily slip her hand out of his and leave, but she wouldn’t. She edged closer to him, feeling as if she stood on the top of a cliff, ready to plunge into the sea below.
Only a veil of air separated their mouths until he inched further and kissed her. The softness of his lips caused her inner muscles to clench with a sudden ache. It was the gentlest of kisses, merely a brush, but the effect within her was far from gentle.
