Page 41 of The Seductive Love of a Lady
As soon as the door closed behind him, she dressed herself, ran downstairs and asked Joseph to send someone to hand aletter to the Duke of Pembroke’s stables. Then she packed the few things she had removed from her trunks.
Four grooms arrived with the cart she had asked them to bring. It was quickly loaded, with the maid’s help too.
Mary placed a note between the chess pieces and looked at Andrew’s rooms one last time. Then she closed the door, locked it and slid the key beneath it.
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Instead of a coin, Drew handed Timmy an iced bun he had bought from a baker. The young street sweep grinned his thanks for the sweet, sticky gift.
The sun seemed brighter today, the sky bluer and the grass greener, because Drew was hopelessly in love with his wife.
Loving her this morning had been divine.
He was a new man, a man who would love her as she deserved.
As she loved him.
She did. Still. Her emotions were in her eyes this morning while they made love. Her heart had been broken by his actions, but she had forgiven him.
He would apologise to her family. He needed them on his side to make this work. Surely, they would stop objecting if they knew he loved her. Perhaps he ought to stand up in the middle of the lion’s den and tell them all they were wrong, that he did love Mary and it had never just been because of her money. He tipped his hat to Joseph who was speaking with another resident.
He laughed as he ran upstairs, and swung around the banister onto the landing. The world was a good place with Mary in it. Caro would be proud of him.
He turned the door handle but it was locked. He pulled the key from the pocket of his riding coat, slotted it into the lock and opened the door. ‘Mary…’ The room was different; her writing desk had gone.
She would not have left… They made love…
He turned to the bedchamber. Everything of hers had gone, apart from the dent hollowed in the pillow where she had slept, and where…
Why did she let me do it?
He walked to the bed, picked up her pillow and held it to his face, smelling the scent of her hair.
She left.
There was nothing he could do. It was over.
He went to the decanter and poured himself a drink to numb the pain that clasped at his heart. The neck of the decanter chimed against the rim of the glass as his hand shook.
Nausea twisted in his gut as he drank the brandy like water.
What had the sex this morning been about? A goodbye gift?
He drank a second glass. Then poured a third and faced the room.
A letter stood balanced among the chess pieces.
His heart dropped like a ton weight. He crossed the room and picked it up.
For her to have cleared out so quickly, her exit must have been arranged with Pembroke’s help.
Then why the hell had she let him touch her this morning?He thought this morning was a new beginning, not the end.
He was only worth a couple of sentences of hurried script.
I cannot stay. I have lied to my parents for you since I met you. I cannot carry on living with lies.
Goodbye.
