Sadness was in his eyes as he walked to her. “Yes, I’ll leave you. I don’t want to hurt you any longer, my love.”
My love?Did he know that those words made her want to cry all over again? What was love, anyway? Was it hurting people? Lying to them? Apparently, both Vincent and Adam thought that was what love meant, because they hadn’t hesitated to do these things to her and toy with her emotions.
“Goodnight, Adam.” She turned to leave, but again, he grasped her hand, stopping her.
“Remember, Adam is dead. I’m Lord Calvin Drake now.”
At this moment, she just didn’t have the strength to care. “Fine.”
As she convinced her weary legs to move back into the manor and up the servants’ steps, she prayed her mind would allow her to sleep tonight. How else could she figure out this mess she’d made of her life?
She feared she would never be the same after tonight. No wonder married women were so cynical.
*
Another plan hadfailed.
Vincent yawned and stretched as he sat up in bed. Again, another night had passed without much sleep. He blamed Candace for it this time. It had taken him longer than necessary before he finally tossed the woman out of his house. He worried that maybe Ellie had stumbled upon Lady Livingston and left, but he made certain his former mistress was out of his house before Ellie was scheduled to arrive.
As each minute ticked away and the night crept by, he wondered if something had stopped her while she was trying to sneak out of her house. It appeared fate was not working with them, and they would have to wait untilafterthe wedding before they could fulfill their fantasies.
By the time the sun reached high in the sky, his stomach twisted with worry. The overpowering urge to see Ellie became stronger than before, and he feared the worst. What if she had arrived earlier and seen Lady Livingston? His stomach twisted. Would he be able to smooth things over with Ellie? Just the thought of her loathing him left a hollow ache in his chest.
As much as he wanted to talk to Ellie, he didn’t dare be at her place first thing in the morning. It was considered bad manners to arrive unannounced so early in the day. Instead, he took his time dressing before walking out to the charred wood of what used to be his stable. With his boot, he moved the ashes around. The cleanup would be tiresome and probably take a few days, especially if he did it by himself. Although he wanted to get started on building a new stable, perhaps it was best if he waited for his money to come in so he could pay people to help him. Hopefully, it would be soon. He needed some place to keep his soon-to-be-wife’s horse, Pegasus.
“Good day, milord.”
Vincent turned to see his servant, Dalton, walking toward him from the servants’ cottages down the lane. “Good morning. How are you?”
The middle-aged man nodded and grinned, displaying his crooked brown teeth. “I’m good. Thank you, milord. I saw you out here and wondered if you were planning on cleaning this up.”
“I had thought about it.” Vincent scratched his chin as he glanced back at the mess. “But I just don’t have the ambition to get on it yet.”
“I will help you.”
Vincent smiled at his servant. “I know, and I thank you. If we can round up a few more men, the task will be easier.”
“Do you wish me to do that, milord?”
“Yes, if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” Dalton turned to leave, but then stopped suddenly and spun around. “Before I go, I must say that I was happy to see you got rid of Lady Livingston last night.”
Vincent sucked in a breath. His servant knew? Then again, servants knew a lot about the people they worked for. “Yes, I didn’t want her in my house.”
“I hope she is out of your life for good. I heard from my cousin who works for the Berkleys that Lady Livingston is with child. She’s desperately trying to find a man to marry before her pregnancy becomes noticeable.”
Shock passed through Vincent yet again. “She is pregnant?”
Dalton nodded. “The true father is one of the Berkleys’ stable hands.”
A laugh bubbled up in Vincent’s throat, and he just couldn’t hold it back. “Well, I must say, I’m very glad the woman finally got what she deserves.”
“I agree.” Dalton grinned. “Oh, and I must apologize for not stopping that lad who entered the manor last night when you had…um, company.”
Startled, Vincent blinked quickly as his heart raced. “What lad?”
“An hour or so after you returned home from your party, a lad rode up on a horse and walked right in your front door without knocking. I hurried to catch the scamp, but within minutes, the lad left and rode off. I feared he might have stolen something, but nothing was in his hands. That happened before you tossed Lady Livingston out of the house, of course.”
