His mouth quirked, but his expression remained solemn as he held out an arm. He nodded subtly toward the window where her aunt was keeping watch. Hurriedly, she took his arm, and they continued their promenade.
“The point is that I acted disgracefully. I know you say it was a ruse”—he cut off her protest with a severe glance—“but it went too far. You are a virginal duke’s daughter, and I am not from your world. Not fit for you. In any way.”
She furrowed her brow. “I don’t care about things like money and station—”
“Which proves how naïve you are. From experience, I know those differences are irreconcilable,” he said ominously. “Moreover, I had no business kissing you that way when I have no intentions in that regard.”
His last comment was a pinprick to her ballooning hopes.
He’s just making excuses. The truth is he has no interest in an awkward hoyden like me. It was absurd of me to entertain the possibility.
As if reading her mind, he said, “My lack of interest in courtship has nothing to do with you.”
“Right.”
“It is the truth.” He hesitated. “May I tell you something in the strictest confidence?”
She tilted her head, then held out her finger. “Shall we pinky swear on it?”
His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Your word of honor will do.”
“You have it,” she vowed.
“I came to London with a purpose.”
“To help those suffering from opium dependence, you mean?”
“While my work is meaningful, I have another goal that is more personal in nature. There is no room in my life for anything else.”
Despite her disappointment, she was also intrigued. “What is your goal?”
“To regain something,” he said quietly. “Something that was taken from me years ago.”
“What was taken from you?”
“Something dear and irreplaceable. That is all I will say on the matter.”
Her instinct was to push, to find out more about Mr. Chen’s quest. Yet she saw pain slice through his gaze, the welling of emotion so deep that her heart squeezed. While she might be a greenhorn when it came to romance, she was an expert at knowing when people needed her help. She’d never been one to stand by if she could lend a hand. That very propensity had driven her to become an investigator.
“Let me help you,” she said.
He shook his head. “That is kind of you to offer, but you cannot.”
“How do you know? As an Angel, I’ve had oodles of practice at finding things.”
His smile did not reach his eyes. “This is a private matter.”
“Only because you won’t confide in me,” she pointed out.
“I have confided in you more than I have anyone since arriving in London.”
He sounded earnest and a bit puzzled, and she felt a tingle of pleasure.
“I am disclosing all this not to involve you in my affairs but to explain why an intimate relationship is impossible between us,” he went on. “Why we would be better off as friends.”
“Friends,” she echoed.
“And as shifu and student, if that is your wish.”
