Perhaps then he would be able to live happily with Amelia, if she would have him.
That thought forced him out of the carriage and onto the bustling street. Catching the coachman’s eye in the front seat, he yelled over the tumult, “Don’t bother waiting. I’ll take a taxi back.” The driver gave him a swift nod. Gideon had barely stepped onto the pavement when a hurried passerby collided with him.
“Pardon me, sir,” a well-dressed man with balding hair and a strange mustache muttered from beneath his cigar. He took a couple of steps forward, but then instantly doubled back, before bending to retrieve something from the wet cobblestone. “It seems you dropped this.”
“Ah.” Gideon hardly had the chance to thank him before the stranger marched away once more, leaving him with the forgotten, unmarked letter in his hand.
Gideon shrugged to himself before turning and trudging along the narrow path to the solicitor’s office. One step after another. Until his nagging curiosity got the better of him. Tucking a hand into his left pocket, he pulled out the letter he had picked up on his escritoire earlier that day and unfolded it.
He came to a sudden halt when he recognized the elegant flourish that was Amelia’s handwriting.
Dear Gideon,
I understand that you may not wish to hear from me but I cannot leave without giving my farewells in some manner. By the time you read this letter, I will hopefully be long gone. Thank you for all you have done for me, for the love and kindness you have shared with me while in your care. I will cherish it always.
With that said, I accept your decree to have the marriage annulled as was your wish and my intention. And I believe it is what’s best for us both. When I can, I shall write back to you from my next temporary accommodations so we can have this matter settled.
Yours, Amelia.
“What in God’s name—"
Gideon crushed the letter in his hand, his heart sinking. The world swayed, Amelia’s words like fine dashes against his heart.
Just then, a voice sliced through the oncoming crowd. “Ah, Your Grace! Splendid to finally make your acquaintance!” Gideon looked up to find a short man waving his hat merrily at him. “It is Fuller, Marcus Fuller, at your service. What say you we get off this street and—”
Without hesitation, Gideon doubled back toward his carriage that had, by some luck, only just now begun taking off. Heaving open the door of the moving barouche, he all but threw himself inside. “Castle Stanhope! Now!”
Maybe she was still there. Maybe she hadn’t left as of yet. If he could catch her before she left then he could stop her from leaving, surely? His leg bounced with anxious energy.
“Is everything well, Your—"
“Just get on it, man!”
The carriage bolted forward at his words. But it could not move fast enough for his liking. The hour-long journey to Bond Street took half the time on his way back.
At last, it pulled up to the castle’s driveway. Gideon jumped out of the still-moving carriage, nearly stumbling on his landing but not stopping as he charged towards the castle. He barrelled inside, racing up the steps and ignoring Thomas’ cry of alarm. He knew his butler was right on his heels but he didn’t care.
“Amelia!” Gideon shouted, bursting into her bedchamber. When he didn’t see her right away, his panic deepened.
“Your Grace, she’s gone,” Thomas began, finally arriving at the door just slightly out of breath.
Gideon whirled sharply to face him. “What do you meanshe’s gone?”
“I became aware of it shortly after your departure from the castle, Your Grace. It seems Her Grace left at daybreak, with the help of her lady’s maid,” he explained.
“Did she say where she was going?” Gideon pressed.
Thomas shook his head. “I do not believe she confided all the finer details to the maid. I have no information on that front.”
Gideon’s heart sank. That was the last thing he wanted to hear. He raked his fingers through his hair as he began to pace restlessly. He didn’t know what to do. He felt his entire world unravel before him, and all he could do was stand by and do nothing.
His focus on vengeance had blinded him, and now he had lost the one thing he held dear in his life.I am such a fool!
Despair crashed over him like a raging wave. Gideon buried his face in his hands, letting out a shuddering breath.
“There is… something else you might like to know, Your Grace,” Thomas spoke again, a note of hesitation in his voice. “I… I deliberately did not press you that night because I was not certain you would wish to know the truth.”
Gideon tore his face from his palms and shot the butler a pitiful look. “What are you talking about, man?”
