Emma nodded, knowingly.
“And the man was Lord Coleridge.”
All color drained from Emma’s face.
“He is the one people have been whispering about, is he not?” Charlaine asked, remembering the calculated coldness in the man’s gaze.
Again, Emma nodded. Then her eyes moved to Daphne, who was still working on writing her name, her little tongue stuck out in concentration. “He came to the house the other night.”
Charlaine’s hand grasped Emma’s without thought. “He did?”
Emma swallowed hard. “It was not long before you arrived.” A shiver gripped her. “I didn’t see him, but I heard his voice.” She shook herself. “There’s something truly evil about him. It was the night Daphne ran away. She had to have heard him as well and recognized his voice.”
Charlaine stared at the other woman.
“Fortunately, she didn’t get far,” Emma continued in a hushed voice, remembered horror clinging to every word she spoke. “She ran into Miss Hawkins—Caroline—just outside the door.”
A small smile curled up Charlaine’s lips despite herself. “Miss Hawkins was outside the door? At night?”
Emma blushed. “I cannot say why she was there, but…”
“But?” Charlaine pressed, curious to learn more about Pierce and Caroline.
“Lord Markham and Miss Hawkins seem to know each other well,” Emma continued, a hint of reluctance on her face, “even though they never seem to socialize.”
Charlaine chuckled. “How do they know each other?”
Emma shrugged.
“Pierce is very tight-lipped about her,” Charlaine mused, “which usually means there’s an interesting story there.” She met Emma’s gaze. “He clearly cares about her.” Emma nodded. “I wonder why he does not court her. Ask for her hand. He seems head over heels in love with her.”
“That, I cannot say.”
Charlaine sighed, remembering the way Caroline had been unable to meet Pierce’s gaze when they had come upon her and Lord Coleridge in the park. “Pierce told me of a friend’s wedding celebration we are to attend,” she told Emma. “I wonder if Miss Hawkins will be in attendance as well. I admit I’m curious to see the two of them interact.”
Perhaps all Pierce needed in order to reach for what he wanted was a little encouragement, and who better to provide it than an old friend, who knew only too well what lived in his heart.
Perhaps there was a way for her to repay the kindness he had bestowed upon her.
Perhaps his friend’s wedding celebration was the perfect opportunity.
Chapter Five
Alone Among Many
Pembroke Hall was swarming with people and, aside from his brother and sister-in-law, Nathanial did not know a single one. Many eyed him with interest, however, it was Zach and Becca who drew most people’s attention. Their unconventional elopement to Gretna Green had had the gossips of London whispering for weeks.
At least, that was what Nathanial had heard.
The sun shone warmly upon the garden festivities, and Nathanial wondered at the almost idyllic scene before his eyes. With his wife on his arm, Zach moved through the crowd, accepting well-wishes here and there. The smile upon his face was genuine, and every time he turned his head to look at Becca, it deepened in a way that made Nathanial’s heart ache.
It was not that he begrudged his brother the happiness he had found, but the stark contrast between their lives only served to pick at the wound that simply would not heal.
Sighing, Nathanial straightened, determined not to dwell on these gloomy thoughts when he found his brother greeting a petite, dark-haired woman and a tall, bearded man of the same coloring. The man seemed like a giant next to her, a scar snaking down the right side of his face, giving him a menacing expression. His grim exterior, however, was offset by the small babe sleeping peacefully in his arms.
“Nathanial.” Zach waved him over before he met his wife’s gaze and, again, something unspoken passed between them. Then Becca stepped back, her head leaning closer to her cousin, Miss Caroline Hawkins, whom Nathanial had been introduced to earlier in the day. Whispered words flew back and forth, and meaningful glances were exchanged.
Willing a smile upon his face, Nathanial moved toward the small group, determined not to ruin his brother’s wedding celebration with his dark mood.
“Nathanial, this is our cousin, Eugenie,” Zach introduced the petite woman before he turned to the hulking giant, “her husband, Adrian, as well as their daughter, Emmeline.”
Although Becca had informed him that their cousin would be in attendance, Nathanial was overcome by the notion of meeting someone who was family. All his life, it had only ever been him and Zach as well as their parents. Never had there been cousins or aunts and uncles or anyone beyond their small circle.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Nathanial told her, giving a courteous bow as he was suddenly overcome by the deep desire to have her look at him favorably.
“Nathanial, I’m so happy to meet you,” Eugenie exclaimed, her soft, gray eyes looking into his with such kindness that Nathanial felt his heart reach out to her. “Zach has been telling us so much about you that I feel as though I’ve known you forever.”
Nathanial’s heart warmed at her words and, all of a sudden, prolonging his visit to England didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all. “Congratulations on the birth of your daughter. She looks like an angel.”
The hulking giant laughed, a low rumble in his throat. “Don’t be fooled by that innocent smile upon her face.” He gazed down lovingly at his sleeping child. “She’s a fierce one, stubborn and loud and—”
“Just like her father,” Eugenie remarked with a teasing grin as she met her husband’s gaze. “Just like her father.”
Envy once more reared its ugly head as Nathanial noted the same connection between Eugenie and her husband that also existed between Zach and Becca. The kind that withstood time. The kind that could bring down empires. The kind that warmed the heart in the deep of winter. Why was it that all the world found love with such ease while it was denied him?
While Nathanial enjoyed conversing with his newfound family, he somehow always felt like an outsider. Merely a guest, but not a part of the whole. Was it simply that they all had known each other for a while and he had only met them recently? Whatever the reason, this sense of not belonging increased with each passing minute.
Constantly teetering on the brink of indecision slowly drove Nathanial mad. Always had he had a plan. Always had he known what he wanted. Always had the path ahead been clear.
Now, even the next step seemed shrouded in fog.
What was his course? What was he to do? Stay in England? Or return to Boston? Here, the sight of others in love would be a constant reminder of what he had lost. Back home, the reminder of the past was of a different kind, but it was also there.
Ought he to run to the ends of the earth in order to escape it? And if he did, would it help? Or was he simply fooling himself?
What was he to do?
Chapter Six
A Sunny Day