At a nod from Brandon, he did. But she strongly suspected her brother had hired the man to help him kill the others. She had to run away from both of them, and today would be her only chance.
“I’ll go and pack,” she informed him. But inwardly, she prayed she could slip away before either of them knew she was missing.
After saying farewell to Christine, David paused at the bottom of the stairs. Though he knew Amelia had been looking for him, he wanted a moment to clear his head. It was necessary to leave, for hedidneed to inspect Thornwyck and his other estates.
The sadness in his daughter’s eyes had reminded him of Amelia’s accusation, that he abandoned her too often. And he was avoiding his wife, too.
He admitted to himself that he would miss her. Not only the life she’d breathed into him, but her smile and the way she filled the empty spaces. If he didn’t leave now, he would come to depend upon her. He would undoubtedly fall in love with Amelia.
And he didn’t want to cross that line—not again.
He started to leave the house, and Mrs. Larson interrupted, “Lord Castledon, will you be wanting any food to take with ye on your journey?” She offered to go and fetch him something, but David refused.
“Not now, thank you. But you can see to it that the footmen load my trunks into the coach for departure. I’ll be leaving to go north in the next hour or two.”
The older woman’s face dimmed, but she curtseyed. “Are ye certain I shouldna be packing Lady Castledon’s belongings as well? I can speak to her maid, if ye like.”
“No. I’ll be going alone to Thornwyck.” He turned away and ordered a horse from the stables. Before he left, he wanted to ride to the edges of his estate, simply to escape the wayward thoughts in his brain.
When the horse was ready, his groom helped him to mount the gelding, and David urged it onward. Outside the air was ghostly, the grass cloaked in mist. He rode without thinking, directing the animal to go faster.
His mind turned over the image of Amelia, of her smile and the way she stood up to him at every turn. She was so very different from Katherine. The image of his first wife’s face haunted him, and he closed his eyes, forcing it back. He’d had enough of this. He had to relinquish the memories, or he’d fall into madness.
I’m letting you go, he told her ghost.
David increased the pace, turning back toward the house. He hardly cared that the landscape was blurring past them at immense speed. The horse stumbled abruptly, and David had no time to grasp the reins before he fell hard. The gelding whinnied and rolled for a moment before getting back up. He breathed a little easier when he saw that the animal appeared uninjured.
He sat up and saw blood running down over his palms. His body ached from the fall, and for long moments, he remained sitting on the ground. A few minutes later, Amelia arrived at his side.
“I saw you fall. Are you all right?” she asked. Her hair was undone around her shoulders, and it appeared that she’d been running hard.
He remained transfixed by the blood on his palms, and he took a steadying breath. “It’s nothing.”
Amelia knelt down beside him and took his hand. “You could have broken your neck,” she said, fear creasing her face. “I was so worried about you.” She gave him a handkerchief, and he wiped at the blood. For a moment, he held on to the stained bit of linen.
“Mrs. Larson said you’re leaving.” Her face was pale with dismay. “I wish you would take us with you.”
The urge was there, to tell her yes. And yet, when he looked into her deep green eyes, he saw the face of a woman who was in love with him. If he asked her to go into a searing desert, she would. She reached up to touch his cheek, and he looked past her, stroking the back of her hair. He should have known this might happen. He’d never intended to hurt Amelia—had never wanted to.
But he honestly didn’t want to be in love again. He wasn’t worthy of such devotion, and it was best to separate himself. He no longer trusted his ability to remain apart from her.
“I can’t take you along,” he said. “Not this time.”
His groom arrived on horseback then, saving him the trouble of saying anything more. The man took one look at them and reddened. “My lord, I am sorry to disturb you, but your coach is ready to depart.”
“Thank you.” He took Amelia by the hand. “Lady Castledon and I will walk back. Tell my daughter I would like to see her once more before I leave.”
After the groom had left, Amelia held back from walking toward the house. Her face appeared shielded, as if she were suppressing her emotions.
“May I speak frankly, Lord Castledon?”
So. They were back to formal terms again. “You always do,” he felt compelled to answer.
She gripped her hands together. “I don’t want to be the left-behind wife. I want to be at your side, learning what I need to know about all of our properties.”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“Then whatdoI need to worry over? You don’t want me to make any changes in the household, and I’m not allowed to even see the other estates. You make me feel like a paper doll, good for nothing more than decoration.” Her eyes were glittering with frustration. “I won’t let you brush me aside. Especially not after the way you make me feel when we’re together.”
