Page 106 of Four Promises to Love

“There’s nothing you could have done to prevent this,” he said.

Finn’s eyes filled. “Tansy could have been hurt. If you hadn’t been there⁠—”

“She is safe, and you protected her too. As did Keane and Duffield. As will my family—once we get everyone safely to Bottoms House.”

She drew a shaky breath—and nodded.

Before Owen could savor the small victory, Caleb stumbled into the parlor. His flushed face and glazed eyes betrayed that he’d been in his cups. His jaw slackened as he took in the ruins of the room.

“What in blazes happened here?” he slurred.

“Tansy was abducted by strangers,” Finn said crisply. “Luckily, Lord Owen and Misters Keane and Duffield were able to foil the brutes, who left with their tails between their legs. The damage you see before you was likely a part of their random, destructive spree.”

Caleb cursed. “You know bloody well that this was⁠—”

“A horrid, random incident,” Nell cut in hastily. “Poor Tansy is quite distraught.”

Tansy chose that moment to wake and let out a wail.

Caleb quieted at the girl’s noisy weeping.

“There, there, princess.” Duffield offered another handkerchief from his apparently inexhaustible supply. “You’re safe now. No one can hurt you.”

Tansy bawled louder.

“You’ve upset Tansy,” Finn said to Caleb. “A word in private, if you please.”

She swept out of the room. Caleb glowered at her retreating back but stumbled after her.

A few minutes later, Finn returned alone.

“Caleb has made up his mind to stay,” she said. “But the rest of us will go to Bottoms House.”

Later that night, Owen lay in his cot at the cottage, his hands pillowing his head. He was watching the shadows on the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Even knowing that Finn and the children were safely tucked away in the manor did not ease his restlessness. The tussle with the cutthroats had stirred his demons. When sleep claimed him, he knew he would dream of the past—which was probably why he was resisting it.

He’d returned to the cottage so that no one would hear him in the throes of a nightmare. Seeing Finn throw herself headlong into danger had smashed his equilibrium. While he admired her courage and loyalty, her lack of care for her own safety terrified him. He didn’t know what he would do if he lost her…wasn’t sure he could bear it.

Doubts gnawed as he contemplated how happy they’d been at the fair. Being together had felt so blissfully normal. He had felt normal—like any gentleman courting the woman who held his heart. Yet within moments, delight had morphed into disaster, and the feeling of being powerless in the face of chaos felt all too familiar.

Am I a harbinger of disaster? Am I cursed to bring pain and destruction to those around me? Why does devastation follow wherever I go?

He stared at the shadows creeping over the beams and wondered if his love would prove to be a burden rather than the gift he’d intended it to be. Was being with him in Finn’s best interest? Would she be better off with a man without his past? A fellow who wasn’t damaged, who could offer her love that was untainted and safe⁠—

The knock made him start. His heart thudded as he dragged on a nightshirt and went to open the door. Sure enough, it was Finn, clad in a voluminous flannel wrapper. Her hair streamed over her shoulders, and her eyes were luminous in the light of the lamp she carried.

“I hope you weren’t asleep⁠—”

Before she finished her sentence, he pulled her inside. He set down her lamp and took her into his arms. He kissed her, and as her taste and warmth washed through him, he realized how badly he’d needed this. This reassurance that his love was safe and whole.

He buried his face in her hair, breathing her in.

“I guess you don’t mind my late-night visit.”

He lifted his head, looking into her smiling eyes.

“I always want to be with you,” he said. “I am glad you are here.”

“I was missing you.” She fiddled with his collar. “Why didn’t you stay in the manor?”