“Yes, sir,” the boy said, leading the sweaty horse away.
Virginia continued to smile while her pulse leapt so wildly it made her feel faint. “Did you have a pleasant ride?” she asked.
“Yes,” he said, walking abreast of her but staring past her, at the house.
Alarm began. Virginia walked with him, staring at his hard profile, a profile incredibly similar to Devlin’s. He seemed sunburned—either that or he was flushed. And it was clear he did not want to look at her.
She swallowed, her first thought being that he somehow knew of the affair last night. But she quickly reassured herself that he could not know. Her bedroom was in one wing, his in the other. But his behavior was so different. He was grim and subdued instead of cheerful and loquacious. “Is everything all right?” she asked cautiously.
“Yes.” He finally glanced at her. Then his gaze slammed to her mouth and away.
Virginia’s mouth was bruised, her lips were swollen, and she felt certain he not only saw, but understood completely.
She did not want him to know about her fall from grace. “Have you seen Devlin?” she asked, and to her horror, her voice sounded far too high and on the verge of hysteria.
“Yes.” Sean seemed angry now. His strides increased, leaving Virginia behind.
She had to run to catch up. “He doesn’t seem to be in the house and—”
“He’s not here.”
She halted. “What?”
Ahead of her, Sean did not pause. “He’s gone.”
Her mind froze over. She croaked, “Gone?”
Sean suddenly turned, the action violent. “He left. He’s not here,” he said, his face mottled with a red flush.
She swallowed hard. “What do you mean, Sean?” How hard it was to get the words out. But she somehow knew.
His furious gaze clashed with hers. “He went to London this morning.”
Virginia cried out. And for one moment, her world grayed, darkened, became black.
And when her vision cleared, she was in Sean’s arms, and he was peering worriedly at her. She started to push him weakly away.
He didn’t allow it, holding her upright on her feet, a strong arm braced behind her back. “You were about to faint.”
She met his gaze, aware that hers was brimming with tears.“He went to London?”
Sean nodded, his expression very grim, his gaze dark with anguish.
And her heart cracked open. Again and again, until it bled, raw.He had left. He hadn’t said goodbye. He hadn’t cared enough to say goodbye. He was gone.“Is he coming back?” she whispered.
“I don’t know,” Sean said. “He said he will send word.”
She stared, her body shaking, her mouth trembling. The eighteen-year-old woman was gone. A tiny child was left in her place, broken and bewildered, abandoned and alone and so very afraid.
“I’m sorry,” Sean suddenly cried. “I could kill him with my bare hands, my own brother, a monster I do not understand!”
She cried out, fighting tears now, refusing to weep.He simply did not care that they had made love. He was gone.
“I know what he did to you, Virginia. I am so sorry.”
She met Sean’s gray eyes, eyes that were so like his brother’s except that they mirrored compassion and regret and even guilt. He was holding her hands tightly.
“You know?” she whispered, tears seeping.
