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“Drew...” Anguish in her voice. “It’s not that. I just...”
“I understand,” he said again. “I don’t want to take away the first glimpse of freedom you’ve ever had. Your life has been a cage, Mina, your wings clipped. You have the restless power to soar so high and I can never be the anchor weighing you down.”
She laid her hand over his heart. “I just need some time to think. Can you give me that?”
He would give her anything. His heart. His soul.
He bowed his head and stepped away.
Warmth from her hand fading. The carriage beginning to move, taking her away.
It nearly killed him. His heart shattered into shards of glass. He saw it so clearly now. There could be no joy without pain. No reward without risk.
Love was a blind leap into the unknown. Mina might never come back to him.
But he had to give her the time she needed to make her own decision.
Chapter32
Two weeks later
Life at Great-Aunt Griselda’s house had settled into a rhythm. They went out most mornings to see the sights of London. Grizzy was feeling better every day. They’d visited every museum, attended two operas, and even watched a public debate at the London Tavern.
Everywhere they went, people whispered about Mina. No one knew precisely what had happened between her and the Duke of Thorndon, but everyone had a theory. They didn’t know whether to treat her as a future duchess or a social outcast.
Drew’s mother had already left for Thornhill House when Mina arrived back in London. The duchess must be there now with all three of her children. She’d be helping Rafe recover and attempting to uncover a husband for Beatrice among the small selection of noblemen near Thornhill.
And here Mina was in London, where she’d always wanted to live, soaking in the pleasures of the city, and it all felt empty and wrong without Drew.
She missed him every second of every day. The longing to see him again was very strong. Every morning she had to wage a battle with herself not to return to Cornwall. She’d said she needed time to think, and she did.
She loved him. She would always love him. But was it enough? Would they be able to find a way to compromise enough to be together?
“You’re being stubborn, Wilhelmina,” said Grizzy, as they worked together on her latest taxidermy diorama, a recreation of da Vinci’sThe Last Supperfeaturing brightly colored goldfinches in the roles of the twelve apostles.
“I told Thorndon that I needed time to think.”
“Stubborn and foolish. What’s there to think about?”
“Marriage is a very serious choice.” Becoming a duchess had never been the plan. Without her future in espionage she was adrift.
Le Triton was behind bars, awaiting trial for numerous international crimes. His fall had brought down a host of other criminals. Inspector Langley had visited her to tell her all of the details.
“When will Sir Malcolm arrive?” asked Grizzy. “I thought he would be back by now. Maybe he can talk some sense into that stubborn head of yours.”
Mina wondered when her uncle would return. Surely the news had reached him that Le Triton had been captured. She wondered if he’d heard anything about the part she’d played.
A loud knocking at the front door interrupted her thoughts. She dropped the wire she’d been cutting and ran to the window. “It’s Sir Malcolm. He’s here.”
She ran downstairs.
He greeted her with a nod as a servant accepted his hat and coat. “Wilhelmina, you’re looking well. Where’s Griselda?”
“Upstairs, working on one of her dioramas.”
“I just came from Thornhill House,” said her uncle.
“Thornhill?” She hadn’t expected him to go there before coming to London.
