AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“On the deck of the ship. I swept her into my arms. You would have approved, it was a grand romantic gesture.”
“Did you say anything?” Beatrice asked.
“He told me that he was going to marry her,” Rafe said.
“On the deck of a ship, with everyone watching?” Beatrice hit Drew’s arm with a small fist.
“Ow. What was that for?” Drew asked.
“I never thought I’d say this, but you’re an impulsive idiot and you should have shown some restraint and control. That was the absolute worst thing you could do, can’t you see that? It wasn’t a proposal, it was a command.”
“I thought that I was being romantic and impulsive. Mina’s the one who told me I needed to lose control every now and then.”
“There’s a difference between being romantically impulsive and taking away a woman’s choice. For a woman like Mina, that’s tantamount to a declaration of war. You kissed her in front of everyone. Said you were going to marry her. You took away her freedom to choose.”
He began to see why it had been so very wrong. “Oh my God. I’m an idiot. I have to go to her. I have to explain.”
Beatrice moved to the window. “You’d better hurry. She’s talking to Inspector Langley. He’s leaving soon—he said he wanted to leave at first light.”
Drew didn’t wait to hear more. He was out the door and racing down the stairs.
“And don’t come back until you’ve patched things between you,” Beatrice’s instructions trailed after him. “And don’t forget to get down on your knees and grovel.”
“Mina,” Drew shouted as he ran. “Wait!”
Mina paused outside the door of Langley’s coach. Everyone else was already inside.
“You’re leaving?” he asked when he reached her side.
“Inspector Langley will see me safely home. Don’t come any closer, Drew.” Her voice was sharp and cold as the sea air. “I can’t think when you touch me.”
“Mina, let’s go inside and talk.”
“No more talking. No more kissing. I have to leave.”
“What’s wrong, Mina?”
“I need some time to think.”
“But you love me,” he said. Wrong thing to say. It was all coming out wrong. He was cocking it all up again.
He’d driven her away, and the worst of it was that he couldn’t plead with her now. They were outside of a carriage filled with people. Any attempt he made at explaining himself would have an audience and she would see it as yet another infringement on her freedom.
He had to allow her to leave, to be free. She’d taught him that.
“I can change, Mina.”
She turned away. “Drew,” she whispered, her voice catching. “Maybe it’s not enough. You can’t be my reason for living. I need... I need to know who I am, what I want, if I’m not going to become... if I’m not like my mother.”
He longed to sweep her into his arms again, kiss away all of these doubts and fears, but Beatrice had been right. He had to let her go. If they were meant to be together, they would find a way... but it would take time. Patience.
Sacrifice.
Everything in him wanted to beg, to plead with her to stay.
Fall on his knees before her and grovel.
“I understand,” he said, his heart going cold as ice. “You want to make your mark on the world.”
