Page 92 of Touched By a Traitor
Tears welled in Charlotte’s eyes as the full impact of Andrew’s actions washed over her. This man, who had once betrayed her trust, had not only brought her tormentor to justice but was now willing to uproot his entire life to follow her across an ocean.
“Your company,” she began, her voice thick with emotion. “Your life in London—”
“None of it matters without you,” Andrew said softly, closing the distance between them. “I’ve realized that my empire, my wealth, my status—they’re hollow achievements if I don’t have you by my side.”
Charlotte felt the walls she had built around her heart begin to crumble. The man before her was not the same person who had hurt her so deeply. This Andrew was humbled and unafraid to lay bare his vulnerabilities.
“I don’t expect your forgiveness to come easily or quickly,” he continued, his voice rough with emotion. “But I’m prepared to spend every day loving you the way you ought to be loved and become the partner you need.”
As Charlotte gazed into his eyes, she saw the depth of his commitment to right his wrongs. The realization that Andrew was willing to leave behind everything he had built, to start anew in a foreign land, all for the chance to rebuild what they had lost—it shook her to her core.
For the first time since their estrangement, she allowed herself to imagine a future where love and trust could flourish once more.
*
As the nightdeepened, Charlotte found herself adrift in a sea of sleeplessness, her thoughts an endless stream of conflicting emotions. The knowledge that Andrew was aboard, a mere whisper away, his presence both a balm and a torment, consumed her. His determination to journey alongside her for the fortnight ahead stirred a dangerous elation within her heart, one she knew she ought to temper given the wounds of his past betrayal.
His absence from the dining room, where she had observed fellow passengers embarking on their own odysseys of family reunion or fresh beginnings, puzzled her. For a man so intent on earning her forgiveness, his scarcity seemed a curious strategy indeed.
At last, unable to bear the restless confinement of her cabin any longer, Charlotte arose. With careful movements, she donned her pelisse and bonnet, steeling herself against the night air. As she ventured onto the deck, she found the world shrouded in an inky darkness, the moon havingabandoned its post in the sky. Only the faint, flickering beacon of the wheelhouse offered any respite from the overwhelming blackness.
Gripping the railing with tentative fingers, Charlotte made her way to the lower deck, each step a small victory against the ship’s gentle sway. As she reached her destination, the icy caress of the wind against her cheeks brought with it a sense of exhilaration, a reminder of the vast unknown that lay ahead, both in her journey across the ocean and in the uncharted waters of her heart.
“Charlotte?”
She yelped in surprise. “Andrew?”
A shadow emerged from the darkness near the wheelhouse, and as he drew closer, his face became visible, a few feet away from her own. Charlotte’s heart soared with joy, only to plummet when a second shadow materialized beside him, the silhouette of a woman.
The shock must have registered on her face for he hastily introduced the shadow. “This is Lily, from Madam’s program. In fact, there are half a dozen ladies traveling from the program.”
“Hello,” Charlotte greeted the woman, her voice uncertain. “I remember your name, Miss Bailey. I arranged for all of you to travel on another ship two days earlier. What happened?”
Charlotte used the woman’s last name deliberately to show Andrew the propriety of addressing a stranger. He wasn’t in Madam’s parlor. He was in the presence of his wife, for goodness’ sake.
“There wasn’t enough room on the other ship, so I offered to bring them on this one,” Andrew said.
“I see… You had more than one reason to be here, then,” Charlotte said, disappointed and angry.
He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice when he spoke. “I had only one objective. The other was a coincidence. I didn’t plan for the other ship to be overbooked, after all.”
That still didn’t explain why her husband was alone with a woman in the middle of the night.
“We were just discussing our plans,” Andrew said, as if to read her mind. Charlotte remained silent, waiting for further explanation.
“If I may,” Lily began, “I’m in danger, Miss Morton. Mr. Creswell and I were discussing a safe place for me to stay once we arrive in the United States. He has kindly offered for me to stay with him.”
The unexpected statement forced Charlotte to ignore the fact that the woman didn’t know she was his wife. Her eyes darted to Andrew. “Did he?” she said with enough chill to freeze his bollocks.
“Yes. He said he’ll have guards to look out for my husband who’ll surely discover I have left for America. I have no doubt he’ll come looking for me.”
And why would he need to be there if she had guards with her? The question burned in Charlotte’s mind.
“Lily, I mean Miss Bailey, won’t be the only woman there,” Andrew added hastily. “Cynthia and Molly will be there also.”
Charlotte fixed him with a glare, though she doubted he could see it in the darkness. She hoped, however, that her withering disapproval would somehow radiate through the night air. “So… you’ll have three women living with you…”
Andrew rubbed his chin, looking sheepish. “It looks that way. The other two ladies are more temporary until their lodgings are ready. Miss Bailey might be more long-term until her husband is apprehended.”
