The friend continued. “Come now, Maddie. All those years you’ve been friends and it’s never been romantic? Not once?”
“Never. I cannot think of any man I am less attracted to, honestly.”
Less. Attracted. To.
Harrison swayed on his feet and if not for Preston’s steadying hand on his shoulder, he might have toppled over. He couldn’t breathe, his body frozen in one spot, the pain ripping through his chest like it was splitting apart. Black dots swirled in his vision, his brain tripping, spinning, careening over this information, unable to take it in.
She didn’t want him, not as a husband. All these years he’d thought to give her time, tried not to rush her, and it turned out he’d been kidding himself. Deluding himself with ideas of them together, married with a family, traveling between the city and Newport.
He bent over at the waist, hands on his knees, and struggled for breath.
“Do you mean it?” the girl asked. “I think he’s handsome.”
“Of course I mean it,” Maddie answered. “To prove it, let’s go inside and I’ll introduce you to him. Then he’ll ask you to dance.”
“Oh, would you, Maddie? I’d be forever in your debt.”
“No need for that. Seeing two of my friends fall in love would be gratitude enough. Come along. I think I saw him heading toward the card room about an hour ago.”
Harrison straightened and stared out at the lawn, unseeing. He hadn’t visited the card room tonight. Clearly, she hadn’t watched him as carefully as he’d watched her.
And why would she? Maddie didn’t want him, not like that. She was trying to introduce him to her friends, for God’s sake. Pawn him off onto some other woman for the rest of his life.
He closed his eyes and tried not to break down and howl like a wounded animal. Fuck, why did this hurt so badly?
“They’re gone,” Preston said, his voice grave. “And I’m sorry, Harrison.”
Harrison’s mouth opened but no sound came out. What could he possibly say? He was empty. Utterly empty. There was nothing left inside him.
“Come. I’ll walk with you back to your cottage.”
Harrison’s feet refused to move, his heart rebelling. No. Not Newport. He could not stay here one moment longer. Not here, where he’d chased and played with her. Spent so many days and nights surrounded by Maddie. He had to get away. “New York,” he croaked. “I need to leave for New York.”
“The trains aren’t running until morning—” Preston broke off, presumably at something he saw in Harrison’s expression. “I’ll make a call,” Preston said, putting his palms out. “Let’s get you out of here first.”
That night had changed the course of Harrison’s life.
Arriving in New York, discovering his father, the terrible row . . . then he’d been disinherited. Hours later he’d left for Paris, ready to drown himself in the renowned debauchery of the city. It had all happened quickly.
He’d tried hard to forget her, and it had seemed to work for a bit. But there were always reminders and memories haunting him. Now he could see it was because they were destined for each other.
Three years ago he’d run away, instead of pressing his case and trying to woo her. He would not repeat that mistake.
A figure emerged in the darkness, catching his attention. Someone was coming up the path from the beach, alone. Definitely a woman. Harrison puffed on the cigar and watched as she picked her way toward the house. Her feet were bare and the hem of her skirts was damp. She was singing to herself, her head swaying in the moonlight. She was too short to be Maddie, so who was it? Had one of the ladies gone for a midnight swim?
Another few feet and he saw it was Nancy—no, Nellie Young. The daughter of Cornelius Young, the well-known financier. Her auburn hair was piled on top of her head, a towel slung over her arm.
Though he wasn’t properly dressed, he made no effort to hide or look away. He spoke when she climbed the steps. “Miss Young. You are certainly out late.”
“Mr. Archer. Hello.” She drew closer, unabashed about being caught. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“No. You?”
“I met a friend for a swim.”
A midnight assignation? He couldn’t help but grin. “I see. How was the water?”
“Frigid.”
“Everyone knows you can’t get in before July.”
She leaned on the balustrade and matched his posture. “Now, where is the fun in doing what everyone says?”
“A fellow rebel, I see. With your friend nearby, may I assume you are not here in the hopes of marrying me?”
“You assume correctly. May I?” She gestured to his cigar, so he handed it over. She took a deep inhale and blew the smoke out slowly before passing it back. “Cuban. Nice. Besides, you aren’t interested in marrying any of us.”
He stared at the expanse of dark lawn and willed his voice steady. “I’m not?”
“Of course not.”
“The purpose of the party is no secret. So enlighten me as to how you are certain I don’t wish to marry any of you, Miss Young.”
“Nellie, please. May I call you Harrison?”
“I think we are beyond formality at this point.” He gestured toward his dressing gown. “And you haven’t answered my question.”
“You don’t want to marry any of us because you are clearly in love with Maddie.”
The cigar fell out of his hand and dropped onto the stone terrace. He bent to pick it up, buying himself a few seconds of time to compose a response. “That’s absurd,” he said when he recovered. “We are friends.”
“I have plenty of male friends, and I don’t stare at them the way you and Maddie do when you think the other is not watching.”
Maddie stared at him? Interesting. His mood lifted significantly. “Are you always this forthright?”
“Women who play by the rules do not get far in this life.”
“A progressive, I see.”
“I don’t consider it an insult, if you’re wondering. A progressive woman merely wishes to improve the lot for all women.”
“I didn’t mean it as an insult. I prefer bold women who know what they want.”
“Yes, that much is obvious.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Nellie smirked up at him. “Harrison, if you truly want one of these women to marry you, then you need to work a bit harder to conceal, you know . . . the other thing.”
His feelings for Maddie. “I will try. Thank you, Nellie.”
“Oh. Excuse me.”
He turned at the familiar female voice and his pulse doubled, tripled, as blood rushed through his veins.
Maddie had stepped onto the terrace, also wrapped in a thin dressing gown. Her gaze bounced between Harrison and Nellie. “Am I interrupting?”
Chapter Six
Harrison’s tongue grew thick as his eyes focused on the curve of Maddie’s bare ankles, now peeking out from below the hem of her dressing gown. She was absolutely gorgeous, every part of her.
Nellie broke the silence. “Don’t be silly, Maddie. I must get changed, anyway. I’m freezing.” She started for the house. “My thanks for the smoke, Harrison. Good night to you both.”