She wrapped her arms around her middle, as if she could hold the pieces of herself together. She had not asked for promises. She had not been foolish enough to believe there would be more.
And yet…
He could have said goodbye.
Ambrosia turned her face toward the wind, blinking against the sudden stinging in her eyes.
She would leave with Mr. Daniels. To London. To her new home.
She would lace up her boots, carry her bags, lift her chin. She would do all the things expected of a woman like her.
But she would carry last night with her.
She would carry him.
And maybe—just maybe—he was out there now, realizing what he’d left behind.
She could hope.
For now, it was all she had.
And it would have to be enough.
Ambrosia returned to the house slowly. After folding the bedding and rinsing out the washcloths they had used, she gathered her belongings and made one last inspection.
He’d left nothing of himself. The room seemed emptier now than it had when they’d arrived. Had that really been less than twenty-four hours ago?
She picked up Mr. Dog’s leading string and descended to the kitchen below. After thanking the Wootens and promising she would visit next time she was in the area, she finally crossed the garden to where Mr. Daniels stood beside the carriage, waiting impatiently.
When she lifted Mr. Dog inside, he hopped onto the seat, sniffed around, hopped down and, seemingly confused, turned to look at her. If she was not mistaken, she’d guess he was looking for a certain gentleman.
“He is gone, Mr. Dog,” Ambrosia told the dog. “It is just you and me now.”
She waved goodbye one last time, and then climbed in to sit beside the dog.
At least she had him still.
As the carriage pulled back onto the road, Ambrosia sat numbly. It was as though Dash had not existed at all, as though he’d been nothing more than a figment of her imagination.
Princesse.
Ambrosia lifted her feet to the bench and hugged her knees. It was as though the pain of his betrayal was so great that her body couldn’t process it, leaving her numb.
Lost.
Mr. Dog jumped up and licked at her chin. “It’s going to be fine, baby,” she reassured the pup. The words came out flat, though she knew they must be true. She’d endured worse, hadn’t she? It wasn’t the first time she’d felt abandoned. “Just you and me now. But we’ll be fine,” she said again, more to convince herself than anything.
As the miles passed, anger gradually crept in to fill the emptiness inside. He’d promised not to leave without saying goodbye… and then he’d done exactly that! Things had changed between the two of them, hadn’t they? When they’d made love?
True, he had stated over and over again that he couldn’t offer her a future… but…
Ambrosia blinked. But making love had changed all of that, hadn’t it?
Perhaps it hadn’t.
Not for him.
The overbearing, dishonest, dissolute, no good, cocky rogue! How dare he sneak out of her bed after everything they’d shared and then run away without even having the decency to say goodbye!
