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As always he studied her with that anxious, searching gaze before he forced a smile to his lips.
“I thought I might find you here, pet,” he said as he walked to join her upon the window seat.
“Good morning, Father.” Her brows arched at the sight of the new gray jacket and breeches she had ordered from the local tailor. “You are looking very smart. Are you going to the village?”
“I do have a few errands that I must deal with this morning and then I am joining the magistrate for luncheon. We often meet at the pub for a game of chess and a few pints.”
She leaned back, her eyes wide with surprise. “The magistrate?”
Josiah smiled wryly at her shock. “Since you’ve been gone I have discovered that Harper is not a bad sort. Certainly he is the only one in the village capable of giving me a decent game of chess. And since I have given up my career as the Knave of Knightsbridge, I no longer have need to consider him my enemy.”
“Good heavens. You have retired your role as highwayman?”
His smile slowly faded, his pale countenance showing every one of his years as he gave a nod of his head.
“Yes.”
Raine reached out to lay a hand on his arm. “Why? You were doing such good.”
“But at what cost?”
“I do not know what you mean.”
“I mean, that I was blinded by my own arrogance,” he said with a sigh. “Even if I did manage to offer a bit of assistance to my friends, I was an idiot to risk my neck when I knew that I was all you have left in the world. And even more an idiot to ever allow you to put yourself in danger.”
Raine abruptly realized how her father must have tormented himself after her disappearance. The lingering pain was etched in the lines of his face and in the depths of his eyes. He clearly blamed himself for all that had happened.
“You did nothing,” she said firmly, her fingers squeezing his arm. “It was my decision to become the Knave of Knightsbridge.”
“Only because I left you no choice. You could hardly stand aside and watch me hang. No. I have not been a good father to you, pet.”
Raine’s heart twisted at his words. “Do not say that.”
“It is true.” His expression hardened as he covered her fingers with his own. “After you were taken from me I swore an oath I would do better. And I intend to keep that oath.”
“Oh, Father,” she breathed, reaching up to lay a soft kiss on his cheek.
“I do love you, Raine.”
She smiled at his gentle words, a portion of her aching heart easing as she gazed tenderly at her father. Perhaps Philippe would never return her feelings, but she had a home and a family who cared for her.
It was more than many women had.
“And I love you, Father.”
His hand tightened on her fingers. “You must know that there is nothing I desire more than to see you happy.”
She gave a small jerk as she tugged her fingers from his grasp. “I am happy,” she muttered.
Josiah gave a click of his tongue. “Raine, I may be old, but I am not completely blind. I see the shadows that lurk in your eyes. That bastard hurt you and you are still hurting.”
Her lips parted to deny the claim, only to close at her father’s steady gaze. What was the point in lying? She was not nearly a skilled-enough actress to conceal her aching heart. All she could do was assure him that she did not intend to become a tedious companion.
“I cannot deny that he broke my heart. Or that I miss him,” she said, her voice carefully bland. “But, I am not silly enough to devote my life to pining for a gentleman who has no doubt forgotten my existence.”
“Good.” Her father’s smile returned, a sly glint in his eyes. “Then perhaps you will join me in the village. The magistrate always manages to casually inquire when you might return. You made quite an impression on him.”
Raine resisted the urge to shudder. The magistrate had been a perfectly nice gentleman, but she had no romantic interest in him. She had no romantic interest in any man.
