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He wouldn’t let that happen. He would find a way to prove that he loved and trusted her.
The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on him. All those years ago, he’d been the one to run away when he couldn’t deal with the way things had turned out with his family. But now he was staying and was forced to watch the one person who meant more to him than any other threaten to slip away.
He’d acted in haste and youthful anger then. There was no anger now, neither on his part nor Amelia’s. But there was hurt. He’d give her the time she needed, but not too much time. Then he’d head to London and make sure she returned home with him, this time as his wife. He couldn’t imagine a future without Amelia by his side, and hewouldmake that happen.
Chapter 36
He lasted one weekat Brock Manor before the quiet and emptiness threatened to drive him insane. Mrs. Brambles seemed to sense his loneliness, attaching herself to his side and finding a comfortable place to sleep in whatever room he occupied. Or perhaps she missed Amelia as well. Cats were supposed to be aloof creatures, but that wasn’t the case with the gray tabby who shadowed him after Amelia’s departure.
On the morning of the seventh day, he turned to Mrs. Brambles, who was doing an admirable job of pretending to sleep in the middle of his bed while he paced the floor of his bedroom.
“I’m going to get her back.”
Mrs. Brambles opened her eyes, fixed her gazed on him for several seconds, and then gave a soft, urgent mewl.Why are you still standing there then?
“Right.” John held out his hand for Mrs. Brambles. She rubbed her cheek against it, offering her support for his course of action, before settling back into a ball. Her purr of contentment was all the approval he needed.
He’d wanted to jump onto a horse right away, but the trip to London would be too long on horseback, even stopping to change mounts at posting inns along the way. In the end, he paced for another hour while the carriage was readied and Oliver packed a small trunk with what he deemed to be essentials.
But Amelia was the only thing he needed.
With a quick reminder to the staff to look after Mrs. Brambles, John swung into the carriage. If he’d thought the trip out to the estate was long with Markham insisting they stop at every inn along the way, he soon realized that was nothing when compared to this one.
The sun had already set when his carriage reached the Overlea town house in London. The door swung open when he approached.
“Good evening, my lord,” Overlea’s butler said with a small bow.
“Sommers. I hope my sister is at home?”
“Of course. Would you care to wait in the drawing room while I announce your visit?”
John nodded and headed in that direction. Louisa had always been organized, and he had no doubt she would have asked the staff to prepare the bedroom he’d used when he was in residence the last time he’d stayed. He couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that Amelia was here somewhere and prayed she would come down with his sister. Or instead of her.
“John.”
He’d been pacing, and at the sound of his sister’s voice, he turned to face her. Disappointment crashed over him when he saw she was alone.
She moved to the settee, patting the seat next to her. He joined her, letting out a harsh breath.
“I didn’t know when to expect you. You didn’t send word, and Amelia refused to discuss your relationship. Did something happen between the two of you?”
As always, Louisa couldn’t stop mothering him. When he was younger, he’d chafed under her concerned gaze, but today he welcomed it. Just one more way in which he’d changed over the years.
“It seems I cannot stop from acting first and reconsidering afterward. I fear I’ve made a mess of my life.”
Louisa tilted her head, gazing at him in confusion. “I don’t think that’s true. Amelia is a wonderful young woman. You chose wisely with her. It’s clear to anyone who sees the two of you together that you care about one another.”
“I love her, but I don’t know if she feels the same.”
Louisa let out a soft sigh. “You didn’t tell her.”
“I wanted to… I was going to, but then we had an argument. Before I could apologize for assuming the worst, she’d made plans to leave.” He ran a hand through his already unkempt hair. “I didn’t know she was leaving with you that morning.”
Louisa placed a hand on his knee, squeezing it briefly. “I thought something was wrong that morning, but I assumed it was because you didn’t want her to leave. Amelia told us that it would curb gossip if she left Yorkshire. I didn’t know she hadn’t spoken to you about her plans.”
John stood and paced away from his sister. “She didn’t.” He turned to face her again. “Can you have a footman fetch her? I can’t wait a moment longer to see her.” He shook his head, realizing he didn’t want to wait even that long to see her again. “No, just tell me where she is right now and I’ll go speak to her.”
“She isn’t here.”
