Page 71 of The Lady Tempts an Heir
He waited an hour, thinking that perhaps she had managed to return to the drawing room despite her tears and finished the evening with the others. But when he checked, her room was still vacant. He returned twice more throughout the night, and even took a few tours of the house, but short of knocking on every bedroom door, he didn’t know how to find her. The poor maid he’d come across on one of his outings had seemed frightened by his query.
Dawn came and went as he waited in her room. Finally, he had no choice but to accept that he wouldn’t get to talk to her alone again before he left.
The morning was cold and gray with the promise of snow to come. Max dressed in sharp, efficient movements, eschewing the efforts of Farthington’s man, who gave him a look of disapproval as he delivered a steaming jug of water.
“We should have shaved youbeforeyou dressed, sir.” The man took a place inside Max’s bedroom door like a sentry awaiting his orders.
“I’m capable of dressing myself, Howard.”
“Yes, you are, sir.” However, he made no move to leave.
Rolling his eyes, Max leaned forward to better see the mirror and tilted his head back. The razor trembled in his hand, and he grunted as he nicked his neck.
“Allow me, sir.” Howard reached forward, divesting him of the razor. The man continued to make quick work of tidying the line of Max’s beard.
Max hadn’t slept at all. He was tired and cranky, near despair with the knowledge that he was losing Helena and there was nothing he could do about it because he had to return to New York and face the labor strike that was almost certainly waiting for him.
“Are you almost ready?” Papa said from the door.
Howard adeptly stepped back as Max turned his head. “Yes. Have you been down to breakfast?”
Papa frowned at the unexpected question. “Eggs and kippers. Did they not bring you a tray?”
“Was Helena there?” he asked, ignoring the question.
“No, I don’t believe she was. Why?” Then his frown deepened. “Have you quarreled?”
“I wanted to see her before I left.” Finished with the shave, he quickly thanked Howard, who gave a cursory bow and left. Then Max picked up the washcloth and held it to the nick to stanch the trickle of blood.
“I’m sure she’ll come out with the others. They’re prepared to see you off with the pomp befitting a son of the house.”
“I’d like a moment alone with her.” The blood flow seemed to have stopped, so he tossed the cloth aside and took his coat from the hook where Howard had left it and shrugged it on. His trunks had already been taken out of the room when his breakfast tray had arrived. It still sat untouched on the table.
Papa took his watch out of his pocket. The gold chain caught the light. “There’s not much time for that. Your trainleaves in a half hour. It will take nearly that long to get to the station.”
“Dammit.” He couldn’t stop the increasing feeling of urgency that had made itself known throughout the morning. “Then I can take another one.”
“Perhaps, but you’ll risk missing your ship. You have to get to New York. You’ve already delayed enough as it is. With the threat of a strike hanging over us, it might already be too late. I only agreed to this little sojourn because I cannot overstate how important it is to have Farthington on our side. This marriage must happen, so if you quarreled—”
“We are fine, Papa.” He yelled without meaning to, but he was tired of this charade. “Helena is to be my wife, and nothing will stop that.” If only he could make the woman herself believe that.
Papa nodded with satisfaction. “Good to hear. You have done well, my boy.” He patted him on the back. “Your mother is waiting to say goodbye.”
Giving himself one last glance in the mirror, he followed Papa down the corridor outside and down the stairs. His sisters were waiting at the bottom with hugs and well-wishes. August’s eyes asked the question she wouldn’t put voice to: Had he made things right with Helena? He couldn’t answer, so he gave a quick shake of his head and spent the next few minutes saying goodbye to Evan and Christian. His mother came downstairs when he was finished, taking up several more precious minutes of his time. It’s not that he didn’t want to properly say goodbye to her, but that he needed to see Helena. He needed to let her know that he wouldn’t give up on them.
His desperation reached a fever pitch when the small group finally made it to the entryway only to find Lord and Lady Farthington standing there alone. He managed cordial goodbyes before he asked, “Where is Helena?”
“Outside, I believe,” said Lady Farthington with a kind smile.
Max stepped through the open door to see the carriage already waiting for him and loaded with his trunks. Helena stood at the top of the steps with her sisters on either side of her. She didn’t look at him, instead keeping her gaze straight ahead.
“Good morning,” he said to Penelope, the sister closest to him.
“Goodbye, dear Maxwell. It was lovely to meet you,” she said. Christine joined in, but Helena was suspiciously silent.
“Goodbye, Helena,” he said as his family and her parents joined them on the steps.
“Goodbye, Max.” She offered him her hand, the pleasant facade she often wore firmly in place. It couldn’t hide the sadness she felt, however. Her eyes shimmered with it. He kissed her hand with regret as everything inside him said that this felt all wrong. She should be coming with him. They should not live an ocean apart.
