Page 134 of Lords, Ladies and Love

“Then why the secrets? Why all these meetings with lawyers? And your sudden return with no explanation?”

“Lucy, there is an explanation but—” He blew out a breath.

“But you do not wish to share it with me. You do not trust me enough.” Tears shimmered in her gaze.

Christ, this was not what he intended, but he could not risk the inheritance. Not when they were so close. A day or two would be all it would take. He could go to London, check on Minerva, and be back by tomorrow. With any luck, by then he would have notice that Angel had completed her task, and the inheritance would be confirmed.

He just needed one more day.

“I trust you with my life, Lucy.”

She pressed her lips together. “Yet you cannot confide in me.” She pressed fingers to her forehead. “I thought you saw me as something else. As someone else. I thought, perhaps, that you might be willing to unburden yourself upon me, but now, I see you are incapable.”

“That’s not true.” He stood and moved around the desk to reach for her, but she backed away.

“Then tell me! Tell me why you are here. Tell me that you have no intention of going to London and never returning.” Her chin wobbled. “Five years, and you come back with no explanation and change my life…and play with my heart…and now, you will not tell me anything.”

“I will come back, I promise.”

Her gaze scanned his, and he tried to take her arm again, but she shirked away. He could swear if he only took her in his arms, all would be well, but he could not be certain. She wasn’t wrong—he’d left her, and she had no reason to believe he would be back.

“I do not know how I can believe you.” She sighed. “You hate this house. You have told me enough times. But I was fool enough to believe that you might come to love it…come to love…” She cut herself off with a sharp intake of breath.

Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. What could he tell her? “You can join me in London. Soon. I promise. I just have some business to deal with.”

“I don’t want to go to London. I want you here. With me.”

He didn’t have time for this. She was making demands that he was not even certain he could fulfill. “Lucy, I will come back for you, but I cannot guarantee we can stay here. This house, it’s…” He waved a hand.

“What? Too beautiful for you? Too rich with history?” Lucy swiped a hand across her eyes. “I have spent so long trying to look after it in the hopes you would come home and love it like I do. I wanted to make you proud.”

“I am proud,” he bit out. “Of course I’m damned proud, but you know why—”

“You are so caught in the past that you cannot move forward. I should have realized that. You have everything I ever wanted.” She motioned around the room. “And you are willing to throw it all away.” Her gaze narrowed.

He made another attempt at reaching for her, but she moved all the way to the doorway. “If we could just talk about this…”

“No, I think you should go to London.” She folded her arms. “Go and take your secrets with you.”

“Damn it, I will then.” He snatched up his jacket. If she could not understand why he had problems with this house, he wasn’t going to take the time to explain. He did not even have the time. He had Minerva to worry about.

He pressed past her and headed straight outside to have a carriage readied, heat pulsing through his limbs. What a fool he’d been—picturing some sort of future for them. Lucy would never leave this house, and he could not stay here. It was not even their difference in age or the fact he was her guardian causing the problem.

While the carriage was being made ready, he returned inside, moving quickly so as not to see Lucy. He could not stand to see her disappointed expression again or the tears in her eyes. He had not managed to make up for his neglect but instead made it worse, rushing into his feelings for her with little regard as to whether they could even remain together. As the oldest in this relationship, he had a duty, and he failed it. Yet again, he was making mistakes because of a woman.

Once his valet packed his belongings, he hastened downstairs and past the butler.

“Will you be returning soon, my lord?” Barnes asked as he handed Theo his gloves.

“Likely not,” he said tersely. Lucy wanted him gone, and he could not blame her.

He tried to keep his attention away from the house as the carriage rolled up the road, but he failed, flicking his gaze back to watch the columns grow smaller. The house would remain in view for another mile at least, and he cursed himself for notforcing his attention on the interior of the carriage. He shouldn’t care about the house. Shouldn’t want to even look.

His attention snared on a glow in one of the upper windows. Leaning out of the carriage window, he eyed it as it seemed to grow in intensity. The realization struck him like a knife to the gut.

Fire.

There was a damned fire at the house.

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