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She gave her head a shake. It couldn’t be… It was too soon. She had to find her gallant savior. “But—”
“Today. It may already be too late. He plans to quit London as soon as possible. I’m going to have to delay him for at least another day if you’re to arrive in Yorkshire before him.”
Disappointment settled over her, but ever practical, Amelia pushed the emotion aside. There would be no fairy-tale endings for her. Not that she’d expected it in the first place. But it seemed her brief adventure in town had come to an end.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was soft, sympathy shining from his pale blue eyes. “But we both know this is for the best. Perhaps you can visit another time, once your position at Brock Manor is secure.”
She stretched her hand out across the table. He did the same and engulfed her hand in his, giving it a quick squeeze before releasing it again.
“Will I see you before I leave?”
He shook his head. “I’ve taken the liberty of asking the staff to begin packing your belongings. When I finally meet the elusive new marquess, you should already be on your way home.”
“Of course.” She swallowed her disappointment. Clearly the Fates hadn’t changed their minds about her lot in life. But her dreams would live on in her novel. Her heroine would have the fairy-tale ending that wasn’t meant for Amelia.
Chapter 3
Leaving town was more difficultthan John had imagined, and not because of the headache that he normally suffered after a night spent drinking. No, the problem had been Mr. Markham, the ancient solicitor to the Lowenbrock marquisate.
John had first learned of his change in status three years ago, while away fighting Napoleon. Time might have passed, but he found it impossible to believe he was now a lord. A marquess, no less. The irony was striking. He’d left England without a penny to his name, relying on an old family friend to help him secure a position in the British army. And now he was a member of the landed gentry.
He’d come to terms a long time ago with the sacrifice the older of his two sisters had made when she’d decided to wed the head of the family that had ruined theirs. It hadn’t mattered to him when he was only eighteen that the Marquess of Overlea hadn’t been involved in the events that had led to their family living in poverty.
Louisa had sent him several letters, attempting to reassure him she was happy in her marriage, but she couldn’t be trusted to be entirely truthful with him. She’d always tried to shelter him and Catherine. But his younger sister had never glossed over facts, and Catherine had insisted Louisa and Overlea were in love.
John had seen for himself that the man treated her with affection and catered to her in almost all things. It had shocked John to see the once-aloof stranger he’d met only briefly before the marriage now content to show a softer side of his personality before others, but he’d soon come to realize that Catherine’s reassurances were true. Overlea loved his sister.
He’d worried when news had arrived that Catherine had wed the following year. A friend of Overlea’s whom John had met after Louisa’s wedding. The man had seemed nice enough, but Catherine was still so young, and he feared for her happiness. He’d been content to be proven wrong in that matter as well.
Ten years had passed since he left England, but it might have been a lifetime. Overlea had done what he, John, had been unable to do when their family tottered on the brink of complete ruin. He’d swept in and saved Louisa and Catherine, setting the stage for their future happiness. And he’d wanted to save John too, promising to fulfill John’s dream of attending Oxford.
John had given up that dream when he’d enlisted and now found himself a lord in his own right and no longer reliant on the charity of others.
The stage was set for his own salvation. A future he’d never imagined for himself. But of course, it hadn’t been as simple as meeting with the Lowenbrock solicitor and setting off that day for his new estate. What he’d thought would be a straightforward meeting with Markham had turned out to be a complicated ordeal that had delayed his departure for two days. The solicitor had paperwork he insisted John had to sign before leaving for Yorkshire. Given that the elderly man had tracked him down almost three years ago and requested he return to London to assume his new responsibilities, it was baffling that all the documents hadn’t already been prepared. Perhaps the forgetfulness that came with old age was finally taking hold of the man. He was at least sixty years of age, though John wouldn’t be surprised to learn he was approaching his seventies.
Of course, his sisters had been ecstatic to hear he’d be in town a little bit longer. He was staying with Louisa and Overlea, but Catherine and her husband, the Earl of Kerrick, seemed to have made the town house their second home. And with his nieces and nephews, the place was bedlam. He kept waiting for some indication that his brother-in-law was annoyed by the constant noise, but the man seemed to revel in family life.
This time John wouldn’t be leaving in the dead of night. No, this time the entire family was present to see him off. It was the third morning after he’d said goodbye to his friends and, good or ill, he was anxious to see what his new future would hold.
Louisa drew him into a tight hug that would have had him squirming when he was younger. But he would miss her as well, and he returned the embrace with abandon.
She finally drew back after what must have been a full minute. Unshed tears brimmed in her gray eyes as she clutched his hands. “You haven’t been here long enough to make up for all the years you’ve been gone.”
He gave her hands a squeeze before releasing them. “Well, I’m in England to stay now. When things are settled at the estate, I’ll invite you all. We’ll get sick of each other soon enough then.”
Catherine gave him a fond smile. “Never.” Her head tilted to one side, and she lowered her voice. “I’ve missed you. After that last argument we had before you left… Well, I’m glad you survived your time fighting Napoleon. I can’t even begin to imagine what you’ve been through.”
Louisa frowned at the reminder of how he’d escaped into the night on the day of her wedding. “Disappear like that again and I’ll come after you myself.”
A stab of well-deserved guilt speared through him. The anger he’d felt toward his eldest sister all those years ago had long since disappeared. He knew mere words could never make up for the hurt he’d caused her, but he needed to say them. “I owe you an apology for how I treated you all those years ago. My behavior was selfish. I should have spoken to you first before leaving.”
Louisa reached for his hand, almost as though she were afraid to let go. “It was a stressful time. Papa had just passed away, and we were struggling to stay afloat.”
He took a deep breath before replying, holding back the anger that threatened to surface. “Catherine told me about Edward Manning’s proposition and why you had to go to Overlea for help.”
Louisa’s face twisted into a slight grimace. “I hoped you’d never learn the truth.”
“Why, because you thought me young and foolish enough to challenge him to a duel? If that was your fear, it was a valid one. I would have done exactly that and probably gotten myself killed.”
