Page 37 of Tempting a Lonely Lord
I meant what I promised… I will make amends. Bella should not have to suffer for my reprehensible behavior.
A dreamy sensation enveloped him, like the ebb and flow of a gentle tide, drawing him deeper into slumber.
“But will you?”a voice questioned.
Stephen recognized it instantly.“Miles?”
“I trusted you, Stephen,”his brother’s voice insisted.
“Miles, I promise to fix everything—I don’t know how, but I will,”Stephen vowed, his voice unsteady. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Despite their arguments, he had loved Miles—still loved him—and always yearned to be even half the man his brother was.
But how?
All he had ever done was drink and gamble, squandering both time and fortune. After Miles’s sudden death, he had grappled with the desire to change, yet he had been lost—drowning in debts, shackled to men like Baron Darkmoor.
And now… Miles had returned. Incredibly, he was standing before him.
Stephen could not—would not—let him go.“I need to ask for your forgiveness—for failing you… for failing Bella. I’m so sorry for the way we parted.”His breath hitched.“Your death… this earldom… I would trade my own life if it meant bringing you back.”
Miles’s voice softened.“I know, little brother. And I have always loved you—then, now, and always. But for now, my daughter needs you.”His tone turned grave.“If you do not help Bella, she will suffer for your indiscretions. And you promised to protect her. You know what must be done.”
Stephen swallowed hard.“I know. I need to make things right. I’ve failed Bella. I’ve failed Mother. I’ve failed myself. But worst of all, I failed you.”
Miles regarded him with quiet understanding.“I forgive you. I believe you will make amends.”
Stephen exhaled sharply.“I’ll try, Miles. I swear it.”
A knowing smile touched Miles’s lips.“Good. Now, there’s something I want to show you.”
Stephen hesitated.
Miles shook his head with a faint smile.“I’ve been watching over you, doing what I can to protect you. But we don’t have much time.”
Reaching out, he placed a hand on Stephen’s arm—cold, devoid of warmth. A chill seeped through Stephen, sending a shiver down his spine.
“Follow me.”
Stephen saw himself following his brother as if observing from above, into the secret passageway he had only just discovered.
“Beneath this house, a treasure lies hidden… one that will not only aid you, Stephen, but will secure our family’sfuture for generations to come. Many stories surround this lost prize, and over the years, countless have sought it—only to fail, blinded by their own assumptions. You must look beyond what is expected, beyond what others have sought. If you do, you will be the one to uncover this treasure chest at last.”
The two of them floated through turn after turn in the tunnels with the glow of Miles’s spirit body lighting the way.“Look,”he said, gesturing ahead.“These tunnels stretch far beneath the estate, a labyrinth of passages that extend to Viscount Dudley’s land. You must find your way through them, Stephen—explore every turn, leave no stone unturned. Somewhere within lies the treasure.”His gaze locked onto Stephen’s, steady and resolute.“I cannot show you where it is—you must uncover it yourself.”
“But how?”Stephen asked.“What do I have to do?”
“You will figure that out. Be strong and be the man I always knew was beneath the veneer of self-doubt. You are an intelligent man, stronger than you think, Stephen, with much to offer your family. Be that man,”his brother said.“Be who we’ve always known you to be.”
“I have begun to see the light, Miles, but I fear it is too late.”
“It is not too late. You were already on the right path, which is why I was able to come to you. But hurry, we are running out of time. I must take you back, so ask me what you will…”
There was still so much Stephen wanted—needed—to ask. He couldn’t let his brother go. Not yet.“I promise you… I will make this right. But first, I need to tell you what I should have told you long ago…”
And then, at last, the words that had been locked inside his heart spilled free. His thoughts tumbled out in a rush—memories, regrets, unspoken emotions he had carried for too long.
They reminisced about their childhood, recalling stories that had them both chuckling. Then Stephen’s voice grew softer as he recounted the time Miles had saved him from drowning in the pond at our family estate when he had been twelve. He remembered how, afterward, Miles—sixteen at the time—had taken it upon himself to teach him how to swim.“That near-drowning has haunted my dreams since your death,”Stephen admitted.“It keeps replaying in my mind. Is there a message in it, Miles? I can’t shake the feeling that I’m meant to understand something.”
Miles held his gaze, a knowing smile touching his lips.“Only that we always watched out for one another.”His voice was gentle.“Don’t you remember? You did the same for me.”
