He left, the door closing behind him, Selina following him down the stairs. She could hear their voices fading, and then silence. He was gone.
Good, she thought. There had never been any chance of a happy ending between them, and he must have known that just as she did. And she wouldn’t cry, at least not until she was alone.
Selina had returned and was watching her with sympathy. “Are you sure—” she began.
“Very sure. Give me a moment. I need to—to...”
A tear ran down her cheek but she wiped it quickly away. Not now. Soon her lies would come true, and she would have a new client to prepare for and she must not fail. Callum would become one of her brightest successes, and word would spread. Itmust.
And if it didn’t? Just for an instant she imagined making that awful step back into the past and throwing herself ontothe mistress market. Lord Freith would welcome her with open arms.
She shuddered.
“My dear Penelope,” Selina said gently. “You are making a mistake.”
Penelope shook her head wildly, no longer able to stop the tears. “No, I am preventinghimfrom making a mistake. We would both be so dreadfully unhappy.”
Selina took her in her arms and held her tight, letting her weep, not saying a word. Penelope was glad of that. She didn’t want to hear any more arguments. Her head was already aching with them, and she had made her decision.
It was over, and shemustmove on.
*
Outside the housein Jasmyne Street, Callum had come to a stop. He wasn’t sure what to think. He had obviously messed up what he had planned to say, which was that he had already met the woman he wanted to marry and it was Penelope. Somehow she had turned it around. And then before he could gather his wits, she had begun talking about this new client and how much she enjoyed her—her vocation. After that, he hadn’t felt able to say the words burning a hole in his tongue.
He stood on the doorstep, wondering if he should go back inside and start again. But what was the point? She had dismissed him, and he would only embarrass them both by persisting.
As for this new client... he had never hated anyone more.
Unless it was Mortimer.
Just then, someone cleared their throat and Callum looked up at whoever was standing on the street.
For a moment, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Mortimer was standing there. ItwasMortimer, wasn’t it? He looked far younger than Callum remembered, and the expression on his face suggested he was very unsure of his welcome. His gaze slid uneasily by Callum to the front door, and then back again.
“Is my sister in?” he asked.
“Why? Are you going to insult her again?” Callum growled. “She doesn’t want to see you.”
Mortimer stared down at his boots. “What I said... I’m sorry,” he said in a miserable voice. “I was hoping to make amends, but perhaps it is too late.” He looked up, and his eyes were moist with tears. “Do you think it’s too late?”
Callum watched him in silence, his blistering words drying up in his throat. Had the boy grown a conscience? Something certainly seemed to have happened to change his manner from their previous encounter.
“Uncle Bertie has decided I need to move out,” he went on awkwardly, answeringthatquestion. “Without Pen’s funds, he can’t afford me, and he’s found a new partner to help finance the invention.”
“Is that what this is then?” Callum said angrily. “You need somewhere to stay, and you thought that your sister would forgive you and take you in.”
Mortimer shuffled uneasily. “It’s not just that. Iamsorry for what I said. I’ve been a selfish little boy, and when Bertie told me I had to go, I—I realized how stupid and mercenary I had been. Last night I lay awake remembering everything that Penelope has done for me, how ungrateful I have been, and realizing that if she refuses to speak to me then I will be quite...” His voice cracked.
“Alone,” Callum guessed. “Poor you.”
Mortimer’s eyes sparked briefly with anger before they dulled again. “Yes. I don’t want to blame anyone but myself,but Uncle Bertie made me feel important. Like I was doing something that mattered. And now I know I wasn’t. It was just a silly invention that no one will want, and because of my own stupidity, I’ve probably lost the one person who has always loved me.”
Callum wished this encounter hadn’t happened now—he really did not have the patience for it. But if he could help Penelope and her brother reconcile, surely he had to do it?
“She’ll forgive you,” he said brusquely. “Apologize and explain what an idiot you’ve been. She loves you too much not to take you back.”
Hope flared in Mortimer’s eyes, so much like his sister’s. “Do you really think so?”
