Mr Ramsey picked up the box and placed it in her arms.
The porcelain rattled softly inside.
“Goodbye, Mr Hawke.”
The scratch of his pen never paused.
“Goodbye, angel.”
Daphne spent most of the journey back to London staring out the carriage window at passing fields, tears sliding down her cheeks whether she willed them or not.
The memory of him, head bowed, struck like a blade to her heart. She wished she could claim her tears were for herfather, for her dire situation, not for Dominic and a far-fetched dream.
Charlotte’s comment didn’t help matters.
“I’ve never seen him like that.”
Daphne gripped the seat cushion. “Like what?”
“Lost and a little afraid.”
Her first instinct was to pound on the roof and tell the coachman to turn around. “What could Dominic possibly have to fear?”
“Feeling something other than hatred.”
“Guilt is his constant companion.” The truth was clearer now. Lord Templeton had hit the mark with a barbed arrow. “Hatred is something he turns outward to survive.”
Charlotte hesitated. “You’re in love with him.”
Daphne looked down at her hands. In his arms was the only place she’d known true peace.
“I’m in love with the man who comes to my cottage. I’m not sure I know the man who commands Hades.”
“Are they not two sides of the same coin?”
“And therein lies the problem.”
Charlotte fell silent. Her gaze moved from Daphne to the box on the floor. “Hawke gave you a gift?”
Not a gift. A piece of the life she was leaving behind.
“His grandmother’s porcelain tea set.”
Even saying the words tightened her throat.
“Something precious then.”
“And not at all practical.”
“The best gifts rarely are.”
The thrum of the wheels filled the silence for the next few miles. They spoke of the weather, London gossip, and Daphne’s plans for the coming days.
“I’d go home, but I’m not convinced my aunt won’t drug my tea and put me on a boat to India.”
“The most wicked betrayals aren’t plotted in back alleys, but around the dinner table.” Charlotte sounded like she spoke from experience. “You’ll stay with me. I insist. At least until it’s safe for you in town.”
Daphne released a breath she’d been holding since leaving Shadowmere. “It won’t be for long. Just while I determine what happened to my father and why my mother needed money so desperately.”
