‘Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, Hope. The very fact that we’re both clearly outcasts tells me that neither of us would have turned the other away.’ Charles’s gaze followed her hand. ‘I’m guessing you don’t have a husband?’
‘I have a fiancé,’ she said, willing her voice to stay strong as it threatened to crack. ‘He intends to join me, but his family…’ She quickly wiped away her tears with her fingertips, trying to hold them back. ‘Let’s just say that I wasn’t the future they’d imagined for their son, and my own family was uninterested in helping me, which has left me in a predicament that I couldn’t have foreseen.’
‘I know all about not living up to expectations,’ Charles said. ‘And having a family that chooses to turn you out rather than understands who you are or the conflict you face.’
Hope studied him, trying to read his expression, and failing. ‘Is that why you left France?’
He nodded. ‘It is. It’s also why I changed my name to Berenson. When I moved here, I chose to leave it all behind.’
She looked around at the well-furnished house, and then back at him, taking in his tailored clothes. She couldn’t see how anything about her uncle could have disappointed anyone; from first impressions, he appeared to have it all. ‘I don’t?—’
‘Let’s just say that it was very clear from the time I was a young man that I was never going to live the life my family expected of me. I didn’t want to marry, I had little interest ineligible women and I, well, I didn’t fit neatly into the box they destined me for.’
Hope digested what he said, wondering why it was so worrisome that a man would want to remain a bachelor, before suddenly understanding his veiled words.He’s trying to tell me that he’s not interested in women.
She met her uncle’s gaze, the way he was waiting for her to understand, and when she finally nodded, he continued.
‘So you see, I’m not going to judge you for finding yourself pregnant. There are worse things in the world than a child conceived outside of wedlock, especially one conceived in love.’
Hope smiled at her uncle, sensing how kind he was—much kinder than the family he’d left behind. She could tell he’d taken a leap of faith in describing his situation to her, even if he had been vague, leaving it to her to follow the clues. She couldn’t imagine how difficult it must have been for him.
‘I don’t know what to do,’ Hope said.
He reached for her hand, covering it with his warm palm. ‘What is it you want from me, Hope? Why did you choose to come here?’
She blinked away her tears, looking at his hand, at the comfort he was showing her when she was essentially a stranger to him, even if they did share blood.
‘Because I had nowhere else to go, and I was told you might be the only family member who would help me. I was hoping for a place to stay, just until?—’
‘Then you have it,’ he said, sitting back and picking up his coffee cup, as if it were the easiest decision in the world. ‘You’re welcome here for as long as you need. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t like the company.’ He chuckled. ‘I can’t say I enjoy rattling around this big house on my own.’
Her heart leapt. ‘You’re certain? I can cook for you and clean the house and?—’
‘You will do nothing of the sort,’ he said. ‘I have a lady who comes in twice a week to help me, and I’d prefer to enjoy your company and get to know you—until your fiancé joins us, perhaps?’
They looked at each other over their coffee cups, and Hope felt a weight lift from her chest that had been there since Gus had left.
‘My fiancé’s name is Gus,’ she began, cradling her cup between both palms to warm them. ‘I want you to know that we love each other very much. He won’t leave me here alone, but I don’t know when he’ll come for me. He’s been conscripted into the army, so it could be a very long time unless he finds a way to be released early.’
Charles’s gaze was kind. ‘Then I look forward to meeting him. But until then, you’re safe here, Hope. Having a roof over your head won’t be something you’ll ever have to worry about while you’re in London. We just have to hope that the rumours about an impending war are just that.’
She stood to take the empty coffee cups, smiling properly for the first time since Gus had left. The rumours of war were increasing, but she refused to believe that Europe would implode; or maybe she just couldn’t stand the idea that Gus might find himself doing more than simply training.
‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘You’re the first family member who’s offered me true generosity in longer than I can remember, and I will never forget it.’
His eyes met hers. ‘A feeling I knew well before I moved here. But you’re in London now, Hope. You can tell people here what you want them to know, and nothing more. This can be a fresh start for you, as it was for me.’
‘You think I should tell anyone I meet that I’m married?’ she asked.
‘I think,’ he said, his smile kind, ‘that that’s something only you can decide. But if you do, there’s no one here to say otherwise.’
He was right. There was no reason she couldn’t be a married niece, visiting while her husband was away in the army. And when Gus arrived, they could have a private ceremony, and no one would be any the wiser.
The next morning, Hope stood in the kitchen. Despite what her uncle had said about his housekeeper, she wanted to show him how much she appreciated his kindness, and she’d made coffee and had just taken a fresh loaf of bread from the oven. She turned when she heard footsteps behind her.
She’d presumed, given he was much older than her mother, that her uncle no longer worked. But he was dressed as if he was ready to go somewhere important.
‘I’ve made breakfast, if you’d like something,’ she said.
