Prologue
Eighteen months earlier…
The house was deathly quiet as Sarah tiptoed down the hallway. Or, it would have been silent if her own heart were not thudding so loudly the sound of it filled her ears. It was a wonder the entire household wasn’t alerted by the clamor of it.
But when she paused at the bottom of the stairway, there were no doors creaking. No footsteps overhead. Her mother and all the guests were asleep. And no wonder, after the soiree her parents had thrown the night before.
Her mother had always enjoyed entertaining, but ever since her brother, Max, had left home for the military, she’d thrown herself into hostessing with a zeal that was unparalleled.
Sarah peered into the dark hallway leading to the gardens and tugged the housecoat that covered her night rail tighter around herself as a nervous chill ran through her.
Was she really doing this?
Her pounding heart answered, yes. Dizzy with excitement, she crept forward. He would be here, her Mr. Stallworth. He would be waiting for her, just as he’d said he would be.
Her heart pounded again. He had to come to say farewell.
She bit her lip to stifle a sob. The thought of it was too unbearable. For the first time in her life, she’d discovered love and romance, and her breathtaking romance would end before it even had a chance to begin.
Was there ever anything more heartbreaking than star-crossed lovers?
But she would wait for him like he’d asked. That was what she’d come to tell Mr. Stallworth. Before he left for this next trip to the Orient, she needed him to know that she would wait. And when he returned, wealthier and more powerful than ever, surely then he would be in a position to ask for her hand.
She clasped a hand to her heart as if that could quell the pounding.
Her breathing sounded too loud in this otherwise silent hallway, as excitement and anticipation made her tremble.
Would he kiss her?
Would he ask her for her hand tonight?
Or perhaps he would—
“Having trouble sleeping, Lady Sarah?” The low voice coming from the shadows behind her made her heart stop and her gasp sounded like a rifle report in the silence.
She froze in a crouch, terror pouring through her veins like ice water as she recognized the voice. Lord Everly. She shut her eyes for a moment as her heart raced ahead without her, but not in anticipation...in fear.
Turning slowly, she heard his footsteps before she saw him, her brother’s closest friend and her worst nightmare. When he did come into view, the sight did little to assuage her fears. Tall and broad, he was a looming spectre in the darkness.
Everly might have been some girls’ idea of a romantic dream. Dark haired and handsome as sin, he had all the appearances of a storybook hero. Except for the frown, he always wore in her company. That had crushed any fantasy she might have harbored for the man. And then, of course, she’d met her one true love, Mr. Stallworth.
She bit her lip to hold back a cry of despair. She’d been so close. Mr. Stallworth was likely there now, waiting for her, and instead she was here...with him. The overbearing and tediously perfect Earl of Everly. The words slipped out before she could stop them. “What are you doing down here? Why are you awake?”
He moved closer and his features became visible in the moonlight coming in from a window down the hall. “I was just about to ask you the same.”
He was smirking at her, the condescending, no-good rake.
Her hands fisted at her sides, her mind starting to function again as the rush of terror passed. She wasn’t afraid of this man, even if everyone else cowered at his feet. Lord Everly might have power, but he was not a villain—just the only thing standing between her and her love.
“It’s late, Sarah,” he said, his voice a low murmur. “You ought to head back to your room. If anyone else were to catch you skulking about like this, they might get the wrong idea.”
She frowned. “I was not skulking. I was merely…”
His brows hitched up, and she could have sworn she saw mocking amusement in those dark eyes as he waited for her to continue.
Maddening brute. Of course it had to be him who’d found her. During this entire house party he’d been watching after her as though she were a child. Haven’t you had enough champagne, Sarah? It’s past your bedtime, Sarah.
He might have been her older brother’s best friend, but that did not mean he could treat her like a little sister.
“This is my home,” she reminded him pertly. “One cannot be skulking about in one’s own home.”
“Then what were you doing, tiptoeing so stealthily in your own home?” He glanced toward the darkened hallway behind her. “Do tell, Sarah. I’d love to hear.”
The condescension in his tone had her shoulders straightening, her chin tilting up. “If you must know, I couldn’t sleep. I was on my way to fetch a book from the library.”
His eyes lit with laughter, clear as day even in this dark. “Indeed?” He glanced toward the library, which was in the opposite direction from where she had been heading. He proffered an arm. “I could do with some poetry myself tonight. It would be my pleasure to escort you.”
She glared up at him. That wasn’t a mere smirk. It was the smug smile of a predator toying with its prey. “No. Thank you.” The “thank you” came out through gritted teeth and she could have sworn she saw him stifle a laugh at her expense.
She glanced behind her. “With all the activity this evening, I failed to eat enough.” She forced an innocent smile. “I should like to fix myself some food before I head back to my room.”
“The servants will be rising within the hour,” he said. “If you wait a little while longer I’m certain they would be happy to help.”
She opened her mouth to protest but he continued before she was able, his voice harder than before.
“At least, that was what I told Mr. Stallworth when I found him sneaking about the garden a moment ago.”
She froze with her lips still parted, her eyes wide in shock and horror and…
No. No, no, no.
Her insides lurched as tears sprang to her eyes. Everly hadn’t. He wouldn’t have.
One glance at the now-grim expression on the earl’s face said to her that yes—he would
He had.
She tried to swallow. She tried to breathe, but—it was over. Her one chance to see Mr. Stallworth again before he left on his journey. Her last opportunity for a farewell. All the promises she’d planned to make, the vows she’d planned to exchange. Everly had ruined it all.
“Go to bed, Sarah.” Everly’s voice was surprisingly gentle but she still tensed at the fatherly tone. His lips hitched up in a small smile that lacked the mockery she’d come to expect from him. “A young girl such as yourself needs her sleep if you are to take part in all those festivities your mother has planned for the morning.”
Her brows drew down as anger battled with pain. Her heart was breaking and he wished to distract her with talk of festivities? Her love was leaving and he thought to dismiss her like this was some joke?
“I am not a child—”
“Then stop acting like one.” That gentleness was gone in a flash and his eyes hard as flint. She jerked back at his harsh tone. “Go to bed, Sarah.”