Page 26 of Lady Gambit
He stopped when they were a foot apart but remained as silent as the grave. His dark, unreadable eyes searched her face. There was no flicker of disappointment. No flare of anger. No flash of blame.
“This is my fault,” she said, her voice a ghostly whisper.
“None of this is your fault.” Aaron reached for her, hauling her into his muscular arms and embracing her tightly. “You’re not to blame.”
In this rare display of affection, she rested her head on his broad chest and let her love for him chase away her fears. This was the first time she’d felt the physical warmth of her brother’s love. It would likely be another sixteen years until she felt it again.
“I’ve done everything in my power to keep you safe, to make you happy, but it’s not enough,” he said, inadequacy marring his tone.
She looked up at him, about to bury her feelings and wear her usual mask, but she could not lie to him anymore. “You did what you thought best. You’re the man I admire most in this world, but sometimes it’s hard to talk to you.”
Aaron’s heavy sigh echoed through the room.
“I needed to know if my parents loved me,” she confessed, not caring if the men watching thought it sounded pathetic.
“I was only trying to protect you.”
She held his gaze, her throat tightening. “I need to know who I am. I need to know why they abandoned me. Was I not good enough to keep?”
Mr Flynn stood abruptly and went to pour himself a drink. He stared at the row of crystal decanters, lost in his own thoughts.
Aaron released her, straightening to his full height. “You’re my sister. You are Delphine Chance. Nothing will change that. But I’m losing control of our family and don’t know what to do.”
“You can begin by being honest,” Mr Daventry suggested from his comfortable seat on the sofa. “You can hope that the love and respect you’ve earned over the years will always keep those you care for close.”
She cupped Aaron’s cheek. “We will always be kin. I merely seek answers. A way of bringing an end to the confusion.”
He closed his eyes briefly. “Then I pray you will forgive me for what I have done. I pray you will understand why I never told you the truth.”
A chill shivered through her. “The truth?”
“Do you think I’d risk your parents returning to ruin our lives? Do you think I’d raise you as my sister knowing someonemight steal you away? Would I let you live this life if I knew a better one awaited you elsewhere?”
She blinked rapidly, scared to ask the most obvious question. “What are you saying?” Somehow, she knew the answer would change things irrevocably.
Aaron covered his heart with his hand. “I know who you are, Delphine. I know where you came from. Trust me. You would rather die than return to that viper’s pit.”
Chapter Six
Amid the stunned silence, Dorian cradled his brandy goblet and stared at the amber liquid in the glass. Despite being in the company of three people, the chill of loneliness found its way into his heart. The profound bond that connected Delphine and Aaron Chance was palpable. The power of love thrummed in the air. It forced a man to dwell on his own tragic past. To wonder if life might be different if he’d had a sister to love.
Not that he saw Delphine Chance as a sister.
Far from it.
The woman had stolen his breath.
She’d crept into his mind and robbed his sanity.
Kissing her had done more than feed his curiosity. It had left him wanting and wondering. What was this strange connection that existed between them? Why had a simple kiss rocked him to his core? Why had the thought of never seeing her again made him behave like a reckless rogue?
He might have trawled his mind for the answer had Aaron Chance not confessed to knowing the truth about her parentage.
Miss Chance stared at her brother, her face a mask of hurt and confusion. “You met my parents and never told me? You know who I am but left me in the dark?”
“We will discuss this at home,” Aaron said abruptly.
“We will discuss it now.”
