* * *
Morgan kept his eyes on the tall evergreen trees that streamed past his window as the carriage sped off down the well-traveled highway towards the city.
Barbara had also remained taciturn the entire journey, reading a book in turns and staring at sights that piqued her interest.
After Arthur had sent a runner with apologies for his inability to make the trip with the rest of the family, Morgan had expected to make the journey alone.
He knew that his sister loved Selina, and had thought that she would ride in the same carriage with her and their grandmother. While he didn’t understand why she would decide to go with him, he was pleased with her decision.
When they had been waiting to get on the carriages, he had tried to get Selina to look at him. It was clear to him, however, that she was intentionally avoiding him. Not that he could blame her. Not after how he had treated her.
Three days had passed since he spoke with Arthur, but Morgan was still completely clueless about how best to apologize to Selina.
He kept thinking of what words to use, what gesture, how he should do it, where he should do it. Everything he came up with seemed either too elaborate, or not good enough. He had been at it for hours and had come up blank every time.
It was the first time in his life he had ever felt the need to apologize to someone. It was the first time he had evenconsideredsuch an action before. It wasn’t that Morgan was proud, he just generally did not care enough to be concerned.
With Selina, though, it felt completely different. It still shocked him just how conflicted she made him feel. He genuinely hated himself for how he had treated her, something that had never happened to him before. He felt guilty.
The range of new emotions that came with Morgan knowing Selina seemed endless. He had been involved with other women before, but none had ever stirred much feeling in him. What was worse, he wasn’t even with Selina. And still…
“Did you get a chance to apologize to Selina yet?”
Barbara’s soft voice yanked Morgan out of his thoughts, just like someone shaken rudely awake in the middle of the night. He turned to her, blinked twice, and tried to remember what she said.
Barbara, guessing Morgan had not heard her the first time, repeated her question.
“No, I haven’t.”
The disappointment on Barbara’s face was clear for Morgan to see and he felt a stab of guilt for making her feel that way. She really did like Selina and, for the first time, Morgan had a glimpse of how much his actions towards her must have hurt his sister too.
“The truth is,” Morgan immediately continued. “I have never apologized to anyone before and I’m not particularly sure how to go about it.”
Barbara looked at Morgan with confusion. “You just say you’re sorry. How hard can it be?” From her tone, it was clear Barbara did not understand how it could be difficult for someone to be apologetic.
“That, for me, is somehow more difficult than it should be,” Morgan admitted.
“Well, it doesn’t have to be,” Barbara insisted. Her countenance changed suddenly and she sank into her seat. “It’s all my fault isn’t it? This is all my fault.”
Morgan smiled a sad smile. “You listen to me now. This is anything but your fault. If anyone is at fault, it’s me. No one else. Not you, not Ms. Knight. Me. I should learn to be more careful with people’s feelings. I should also learn to be more considerate.
“I am the one responsible for all this, little sister, and I intend to fix it. I give you my word. While it’s not easy, I promise to fix everything. However, I won’t have you taking responsibility for my mistakes. Do you understand?”
Barbara nodded, and Morgan leaned forward and kissed her lightly on her forehead.
“You know you have just a week to apologize to Selina before we have to return to Wynten, right?” Barbara asked.
Morgan, in response, remained quiet and looked out the window. Barbara was right, of course. One week just have been ample time for him, but right then, it seemed shorter than a few hours to Morgan.
Barbara picked up her book and continued reading, and the only sound in the carriage was that of the galloping horses, and the metal wheels on the cobbled road.
* * *
After what seemed like forever, the carriage rolled into the gates of a stunning property. Morgan’s carriage was there already and a porter was carrying luggage from the carriage into the house.
The lawn was beautiful, with a fountain in the middle. There was a statue of a mermaid in the middle, and water sprouted out from her mouth in a beautiful design.
“Welcome to our town manor, my dear,” the Dowager Duchess said.
