“Still…That look...” Louella appeared more than a little skeptical. “Did you…? Did he…?”
Oh, God. She didn’t want to lie. And a part of her wanted to tell Louella everything! She’d kept it to herself for so long. The memories. The pain.
“Of course not.” Olivia could not meet her sister’s gaze. “The night of the cave-in… He came to me.” And she’d never forget that night. But it was over. It could never happen again. “But nothing happened.”
And then she dropped onto the chair at her vanity and pretended to be fixing her hair.
Louella was across the room in a flash. Kneeling down, she took Olivia’s hands in hers. “Because if he did, Crawford will bring him up to scratch. He’s known Kingsley forever, but he’ll not allow even his oldest friend to get away with treating you poorly. ”
Which was precisely why Olivia could never tell Louella the truth.
“No, Louella. It wasn’t like that. We are only friends.”
Friends who have kissed.
Friends who have made love to one another.
And, unfortunately, Olivia sighed at the hopelessness of her thoughts. She had fallen in love with this ‘friend.’ “You know as well as I, that I can never be an adequate wife to any gentleman.”
No gentleman of any worth will make a respectable offer to a cockeyed gel. Cursed, by God. An abomination.Her father’s words might just as well have been branded onto her soul.
“Because of your eye?” Louella demanded. “I don’t even notice it anymore.” Of course, her sister would say this. But it wasn’t only her eye…
“Others do. And it might show up in my children. But, Louella. I cannot help wondering… What about the curse?” Before Louella could stop her, Olivia added, “I know it ought to be utter nonsense. But what if it isn’t? What if something about me brings tragedy to the people around me? It would hardly be fair for me to force my bad luck on another person, and for the rest of our lives.” Olivia knew this made no sense but some part deep inside of her was beginning to believe it.
“I could kill Papa!” Louella burst to her feet. “Of course, it’sutter nonsense! There is absolutely nothing about–”
And then the door burst open. It was Miss Shipley, her eyes wide with fear. “They’re back.” Standing in the doorway, her hands clutched beneath her chin, the normally placid young woman looked as though she might burst into tears. “But Kingsley’s been shot. Crawford says he’s lost a lot of blood. He’s being carried to his chamber now and Gilbert… Mr. Fellowes has been sent to locate the physician.”
No!
Olivia blinked and she shook her head.Gabriel shot? No–no–no–no–no!
Olivia’s heart might as well have stopped beating. This couldn’t be happening again. Oh, God, she never should have come. This was all her fault. If Lockley hadn’t followed her the night before, then Gabriel wouldn’t have sent him away. And if Lockley hadn’t been sent away, he wouldn’t have taken Lady Priscilla.
“He is alive though?” Louella asked.
“Crawford said if the physician doesn’t come soon, he’ll remove the bullet himself.”
A bullet. The memory of his perfectly smooth skin stretched over muscles with smatterings of dark hair, pierced by a deadly piece of metal, tortured her imagination.
Olivia burst from her chair. “Take me to him!” She could not stay away. She needed to be with him. She needed to touch him. To tell him…
Louella was on her feet as well.
Victoria seemed surprised but after sending Olivia a hard look, Louella added, “His Grace will. er, require our assistance.”
Miss Shipley glanced from one of them to the other and then nodded. “Yes. Of course. Follow me.”
And as they made their way through the seemingly endless corridors, images of Gabriel flashed through Olivia’s mind. When they arrived in one particular hallway, she remembered it was where she’d run into him less than two weeks before.
She hadn’t seen him in months and then he’d been right there in front of her. She was unable to deny the bursts of happiness she’d felt despite trying to convince herself she shouldn’t allow him into her heart again. She’d felt that something special she’d been missing since he’d left.
Joy.
And now he was… No, she mustn’t think it. Crawford was with him. Crawford would know what to do.
Miss Shipley stopped at a rather impressive-looking door just as a maid slipped out.
