AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sally’s expression changed from one of distress to one of anger. He could not tell if the maid was angry with him, but the knot of dread tightened, and his suspicions multiplied.
Rowena looked up at him, and his heart instantly broke. The pain in Rowena’s eyes tore at his insides, and he hurried toward her. He was just reaching into his pocket for his handkerchief when Rowena put up her hand, signaling for him to stop.
“I wish to call off our engagement,” she said, sobbing and burying her face in her hands again.
Andrew’s heart sank. For such a sudden change to have taken place in Rowena, from the time they shared their dance until that moment, he knew he was right about what must have happened. Rather than stopping, as Rowena had indicated, he stepped closer, pulling his handkerchief from his pocket as he had intended, but holding it out to her, hoping she would take it.
“I wonder,” he said with dry bitterness. “Has your decision been influenced at all by my mother?”
Rowena lifted her head, surprise briefly taking over her tears. She opened her mouth, promptly closing it again. Tears streamed down her cheeks and her lip trembled. Her hesitation to respond told him he was correct. Andrew waited, hoping she would tell him what his mother had said to her.
“It is for the best if we part ways,” she said, her voice breaking. “Please . . .”
Andrew didn’t need to ask her if it was what she truly wanted. As he stared at her reddening blue eyes, he could see, even as she spoke, her heart continued to break. His gorge rose; he’d had more than enough of his mother meddling in his life. And more than enough of denying his feelings for Rowena.
“You are wrong, darling,” he said, kneeling at her side and taking her damp hand in his. It was a bold move to use the endearment, but he was desperate to get her attention, to get her to hear what he had to say.
Rowena once more looked up at him, clearly shocked by it, but she took the handkerchief from him timidly. Sally’s expression changed from anger to wary curiosity, and Andrew seized his opportunity.
“Darling?” she asked with a confused, emotion-filled voice.
Andrew nodded, offering a small smile.
“Yes,” he said, staring deeply into her eyes. “I understand that I initially proposed a marriage of convenience between us. But, Rowena, I must confess something to you. Us meeting and getting to know one another has changed my life - for the better. In ways I fully believed were utterly impossible.”
Rowena hiccupped, but her sobs subsided at last, though tears still fell. She was now staring at him with wounded but curious eyes.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
Andrew took a deep breath. It was time to be as honest as possible with Rowena. He didn’t know how determined she was to break off their engagement. But he knew that, if he was to ever have a chance at keeping her, this was the time to tell her everything.
“It’s a long story, darling,” he said again, this time simply because he enjoyed the way it felt rolling off his tongue. “My father was a very hard, cold man. All my life, he was controlling and extremely selfish. As you might imagine, that took its toll on all of us in my family. Including my mother.” He paused, taking a deep breath. He was angry with his mother, but this was not the time to deal with that issue. “As such, my father’s behavior and emotional detachment hardened my mother in many ways. She really has a good heart. She just has a unique view of the world, largely because of my father.”
Rowena first nodded her head, then shook it.
“She told me that I must call off our engagement,” she said. “She said that if . . .”
Andrew held his breath again, hoping Rowena would finish her sentence. But instead, she bit her lip and shook her head.
“Forgive me,” she said. “Please, continue.”
Andrew sighed. Even though it was no surprise, it was still unpleasant to hear confirmation that his mother was responsible for Rowena’s distress and decision to end their engagement.
“I have spent my entire adult life building walls around myself,” he said, clearing his throat. It was difficult to talk about such things, but he needed Rowena to understand. He needed Rowena to know him. “Around my heart.”
Rowena’s pain began transforming into sympathy. She seemed to be considering what to say next. At last, she simply gave him the ghost of the smile he had quickly come to love so dearly.
“It is all right,” she said. “You need not rush to explain anything to me.”
Andrew nodded.
“But I do, Rowena,” he said softly. “You need to know that, after my father died, I made a vow. Several, in fact. But two of them were the most important. The first was that I would never marry. I could not allow myself to treat my wife the way he treated my mother. And the second . . .” He paused, struggling to collect himself. “The second was that I would never continue the Elsbrook bloodline. I would never produce heirs because I refused to be the kind of father that he was to my sister and me.”
Rowena’s eyes widened. Andrew gave her a moment to take in what he had said. He suspected she was thinking about his insistence that he would never push her to produce an heir.
“Then, why did you ask me to marry you at all?” she asked.
Andrew sighed.
