She lowered her gaze. She wanted to say that it was all right, but the pain of his having let her think him dead bubbled to the surface anew. She tried to tamp it down. She would not shed another tear over Finn Bennet.
“If you would like to have the entire collection, I will bring them to you.” Then she remembered that they were no longer in her possession, and she was not about to tell him that she’d spoken to Charlotte, even if she hadn’t mentioned his name. Finn would not approve. She would simply wait for her sister-in-law to finish with them first.
“That would be most helpful.” He offered her a gentle smile.
They stood in silence, and she wondered at her rapid pulse. Staring at his closed mouth, she couldn’t deny that she wanted him to kiss her again. Whenever she was in close proximity, all she could think about was getting closer.
Rose felt her cheeks grow warm as he studied her.
“You didn’t mention me to anyone else?” he asked.
“Of course not. And you don’t have to ask. I’m not stupid. I used to be quite adept at all this secrecy,” she finished bitterly.
It used to beherchoice to hide Finn from everyone in her life, and now that she wanted to drag their relationship out into the light, she had to keep her mouth shut. It was intolerable, though she had no choice except to endure it.
“Stupid? No. Adept? I would have said you were, yes, until you called my name aloud a few minutes ago in the middle of the crowded street.”
She rolled her eyes.Maybe she was stupid.
“After all, Rose, we simply don’t know how any of this will turn out.”
“What do you mean by that?” She heard the cantankerous tone to her own voice but couldn’t help herself. Not that long ago, her future had been perfectly set. Then Finn had arrived, tossing everything into uncertainty.
“Precisely what I say — I don’t know. If I can’t determine who is behind this whitewash, I may have to leave. I don’t know how else to keep you safe.”
She gasped. Disappear again? Only this time, she would know he was alive and would be unable to move on with her life. Neither free nor belonging to anyone.
“Without seeing me? Without a goodbye?”
“To protect you? Yes. Without a backward glance.”
How could he be so cold?
“If you abandon me again with nothing resolved, Finn Bennet, I swear I will shout our marriage from the rooftops. You may have a life overseas that captured your interest and, for all I know, someone there has your heart, too.” It wasn’t the first time she’d wondered if he’d remained faithful or found himself some sweet British lass.
“However, if you choose that life over this one without giving me a proper divorce, then I warn you, I will ask my brother to use any legal means he can to prosecute you.”
She felt tears welling up. “For abandonment.”
Rose backed a step away from his shocked face. “And for cruelty.” Then she added, “You may not want me for yourself, but there is a decent and kind man who does.”
She felt her emotions had got the better of her and turned heel, running out of the bower and along the wide path of the Holmes Walk.
Finn caught up to her in seconds.
“Rose,” he said, not loudly yet with an insistent tone that halted her steps. Taking a deep breath, she turned.Gracious!Would the sight of him forever make her heart skip a beat, or would she get used to his being among the living?
He took a step closer while still remaining a good three feet from her.
“To me, you are still mine,” he said, his blue-gray eyes boring into hers. “Do you understand that? The moment I looked down from the rigging of theFrancisand saw you, like a dark-haired witch, staring back at me, I knew you were meant for me.”
“You left me,” Rose protested, anger warring with sadness, making her absolutely wretched. “You left me. Left me! For so very long.”
She watched him swallow, and his cheeks reddened.
“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation right in the middle of the damn Common, and you an engaged woman.” He looked heavenward, then back into her eyes. “I made a terrible mistake, and I’m asking your forgiveness for something unforgiveable, for making you suffer.”
Finn ran a hand through his sandy brown hair. “When we parted, you were still such a giddy young woman. After the ship went down and I lay on the deck of that damn fishing vessel with nothing to do but think, I realized you most likely regretted your hasty action in marrying me. And if you didn’t, then you should.”
