Page 7 of Stay Here Forever

Luke gave her a watery smile. “I’m sure she would have loved to meet you, but I’ve been a widower for almost a year now.”

“Oh, Luke!” She reached across the small table and grasped his hand. Even through gloves, her touch seared through him. “I’m so sorry. Once again, I shouldn’t have inquired. I’m obviously asking you about things that are difficult.”

“It’s all right, I don’t mind speaking of her. Inez was a warm and loving person, and I like talking about and remembering her.” It was true. Though many of the memories were still painful, as he’d been too busy in the Netherlands to fully process his grief, Luke did appreciate recalling the beautiful things about her.

“How long were you married? And how did you meet?” Audrey asked the questions hesitantly, but Luke gave her a smile of encouragement.

“As I mentioned, Inez was Senhor Ronaldo’s daughter. I was working closely with him—often into the small hours attempting to find solutions that would benefit both our countries—and I got to know her a bit while she cared for us. I noticed that she took an interest in me, and one of my colleagues in the Foreign Office alluded to the potential diplomatic advantages of such a connection. I had no one else in mind for marriage, as I was focused on my work and knew I’d wed eventually, so we made the match official. It wasn’t until later, as we learned more about one another, that I grew to love my wife.”

A sheen of unshed tears glittered in Audrey’s eyes as he recalled how his marriage had come to be. “You fell in love in truth, and then you lost her.” She dabbed at the corner of her eye with her napkin and took a sip of tea, looking down as she asked her next question. “How did she die? Was it the war?”

Luke took in a shaky breath. He should have anticipated the question based on how direct Audrey had been thus far. “In a way. It wasn’t the war directly, but more the effects of it.” Closing his eyes, Luke could picture the barricades erected around the city to keep the French at bay and the desolation within their walls as the citizens suffered in the growing poverty. “The occupation was difficult, and many parts of the city became poorer and more desperate as the conflict stretched on. Inez had a heart of gold and did all she could with the wealth and privileges she still enjoyed. She would often venture into the less savory parts of town to bring food and supplies. But as conditions deteriorated, so did the health of many. Sickness began to spread throughout the city, and Inez became ill. She died because of her charity.”

Audrey gazed at him with sympathy. “I am so sorry for your loss. The things you must have seen . . . I can’t even imagine.” She gave his hand one last squeeze before releasing it. He felt the loss of the connection immediately.

At that moment, their waiter returned and set a bowl of brown bread ice in front of Luke. Grateful for the distraction, he took a large spoonful into his mouth. Bliss.

Luke was still aglow from his afternoon with Audrey as he returned to the Kent flat. Though much of their conversation surrounded heavier topics, he felt buoyed by her presence. And he couldn’t help but notice that though she seemed in a much better frame of mind today, she had decidedly kept the conversation away from herself.

Letting himself in the door, Luke was startled by Stephen’s voice.

“It’s about time you arrived,” he grunted, slouched down in one of the chairs in the small sitting room. “I was giving you space to re-acclimate, but where have you been if not out to see your own brother? When you failed to visit the townhome again today, I was forced to stop by, only to find you inconveniently absent.” He swirled the finger’s worth of scotch in his glass as he raised an eyebrow in Luke’s direction.

Chagrined, Luke walked over to the sideboard and poured his own glass before clinking it with Stephen’s and sinking into the chair opposite him.

“My apologies. I ran into an old acquaintance in the park yesterday, and we were catching up at Gunter’s just now.”

“A woman?” Stephen’s eyebrows were almost in his hairline now.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not yet ready to consider anything new. Miss Jacobs and I were simply catching up on the past years.”

“Miss Jacobs? Do I know a Miss Jacobs?” Stephen frowned as he tried to recall the connection.

“My friend Felix’s sister,” Luke offered. When Stephen’s expression remained blank, he added, “Baron Jacobs?”

“Oh, Miss Jacobs!” Stephen sat up abruptly and let out a laugh. “Brother, what on earth were you doing out with the lonely spinster?”

Lonely spinster—what on earth? “Don’t call her that,” he bit out. “Why would you use such an ugly address for a lovely woman?”

Stephen looked at him in amusement. “I forget how long you’ve been away. Everyone calls her that, Luke, I wasn’t trying to be mean. But you must admit that she presents a sad picture, constantly mooning after the love that will never be. It’s rather pathetic after all this time.”

“What are you going on about? She seemed perfectly normal to me.” But Luke quickly recalled how out of sorts she had seemed last evening when he’d first encountered her in the park and when she briefly brought up Rufus today.

“Well, she almost never goes out. And when she does, she’s still fixated on your other friend, Archer, though he hightailed it out of here years ago. Rumor has it that he’s married another, but she still seems to live under the delusion that he’s intended for her. I’m sure she’s a lovely woman, and I don’t mean to offend, but this past season she was out more with her sister, and she seemed a bit, well . . . cracked.”

Stephen looked apologetic as he conveyed how society seemed to view Audrey. Was this why she avoided discussing herself? Was it why she seemed almost a bit off-kilter at times? If Rufus left her high and dry for another, then he had a few words for his old friend should they encounter each other. He’d have to investigate this, but regardless, his heart ached for Audrey, still alone at thirty years of age and looked down upon by the ton.

Luke looked up from his thoughts as Stephen asked him a question. “I’m sorry, what was that?” He gave a sheepish grin and assumed a nasally voice. “I know I’ve been a terrible brother not coming to visit. Please tell me all about your lordship.”

Stephen chucked a pillow at him.

CHAPTER 5

Audrey closed the door as quietly as possible as she left the house, trying not to alert Felix to her departure as it would only further fuel his frustration and endless questions.

She was off to meet Luke in the park. Two weeks had passed since they unexpectedly reconnected, and in that time, they had met up almost every day.

It was glorious.