Olivia didn’t want to feel sorry for Gabriel’s poor dear fiancée. The young woman had been betrothed to one of London’s most prominent bachelors and then forced to put off the wedding year after year. And then to be watched over closely and not given any independence… All the while her fiancé traveled and caroused.
Olivia’s heart sunk into her shoes at the thought of him carousing all throughout Europe. How many different women had he…?
Olivia pitied his fiancée and yet…
“She’s a lucky lady indeed.” Olivia could have bit her tongue the moment the words flew past her lips.
Louella glanced up at her apologetically. “Are you certain you had not formed an attachment to Mr. Smith? Are you mourning him, Olivia?”
But Olivia shook her head. “I think that this spring has been more trying than most. And I have simply been missing my sister horribly.”
Louella blinked away tears. “I’ve missed you, too! Oh, Olivia! Everything has changed and I–I, well, I love Cameron, but it can be difficult to share… everything with another person. With a person one isn’t completely used to.”
“But you are happy? As happy as one can be right now?” Olivia wanted, at the very least, to know that Louella and her new husband were happy together. For the past several years, Louella had been her main concern.
Louella nodded and then grinned. “Now we simply need to find a handsome and wealthy gentleman for my lovely older sister. I refuse to be the only one of us basking in true love.”
“I don’t know about that, Louella.” Olivia wondered how she would explain the loss of her innocence to said handsome wealthy gentleman landed for her by her sister.
“Well, if not wealthy, then at the very least handsome!” Louella laughed.
Olivia groaned.
“Well tolerable then.” And for the first time in days, both girls had a reason, silly though it was, to give in to a little laughter.
* * *
All in all,including the duke, thirteen bodies had been recovered.
After digging and removing rubble every day for weeks, what was left of the crew finally managed to locate where the weakness had been and repair it. It was understood by all, however, that no risks were to be taken.
Without the old duke’s interference, Stanton had appointed all new engineers who’d been instructed to consult with him over the most minor of concerns. His father’s men had all been dismissed.
Regardless, the damned thing was no longer Gabriel’s responsibility and he was relieved to finally be on the road to London. The last month spent in Misty Brooke had been nothing short of hell. But his conscience had not allowed him to leave Stanton to deal with all of it alone.
Gabriel shifted in his saddle, happy to be leaving but knowing it would follow him forever. He could walk away from the mine but the broken families resulting from his cowardice, the orphans, the widows… Gabriel pinched the bridge of his nose. He could leave them all, but the knowledge of what he’d done would haunt him forever.
And Olivia. God help him. Every day he’d fought the temptation to go to her, to ask for her. He’d worked himself into exhaustion in order to purge her from his mind.
He’d failed miserably.
Perhaps it would be easier with more physical distance between them. He could only hope.
Perhaps he was fooling himself.
Gabriel reached out and rubbed the hair on Brandy’s neck, needing… something…
He’d expected to make this journey alone, but at the last minute, Stanton had said he’d accompany him, informing Gabriel he needed to meet with a few members of Parliament. Session had been adjourned weeks ago, but it seemed the running of the government persisted, nonetheless.
Stanton was Crawford now. Gabriel could not think of him thusly, though. To him, Crawford was a villain; a selfish, greedy parasite. Gabriel slid a sideways glance toward his friend, who was caught up in his own thoughts as they rode away from Ashton Acres, away from the mine, away from the sleepy little village of Misty Brooke… It would be a while before he could think of Stanton as Crawford.
Gabriel had struggled with a different breed of demons upon inheriting his own title.
His father had been everything to him.
Unlike other titled gentlemen within theton, the late Earl of Kingsley had doted on his wife and children. As Gabriel had grown past his toddlerhood, Lord Kingsley had taken his son with him on errands, to meetings, riding, hunting, whenever it had been humanly possible.
He’d not left Gabriel’s education to tutors. He’d taken it upon himself to pass along the wisdom and knowledge he’d gained fromhisown father, and his father’s father before him.
