holds because whatever comes will come,” she said. “I will find a way to cope.”
They lay there in silence for a long time. The only sounds came from the night surrounding them.
“I heard you lost both parents in a carriage accident,” Luke said at last.
She nodded even though she knew he wouldn’t see her. “I was seven.”
Luke rolled toward her and propped up on his elbow. “I’m sorry. That is a lot for any child to bear.”
Her throat grew tight. She barely remembered her parents, but she remembered the devastation and fear of what would happen to her and her brother. Luke must have experienced similar emotions with the loss of his father. Perhaps he felt these things more deeply since his family relied on him to care for them.
“I’m sorry about your father.” She rolled to face him and held her hand out in invitation. He met her in the middle, their fingers curling together to form a link.
His eyes shimmered in the darkness.
“Luke, do you want to talk about what happened to you here?”
He rolled onto his back again and broke their contact, but then he surprised her by taking her hand again. “I had a fall. It didn’t happen here, but at University. I went through a window of an upper floor.” He grimaced. “Obviously, I survived, but I had injuries.”
Is that how he had broken his nose? She wanted to trail her finger over the small bump, to soothe his past hurt, but she didn’t dare.
“My parents brought me to Twinspur as soon as it was possible to move me. Mother thought it would be good for me to convalesce here since I had always loved the cottage.”
And now he abhorred a place he had loved. Vivi blinked away the tears that filled her eyes. “How badly were you hurt?”
“I broke a leg, cracked most of my ribs, and fractured my pelvis. My head was bandaged, and I am told I was unconscious for two days. I was awake for the carriage ride here, though, and I had wished I wasn’t. When we arrived, I had to lie in bed for weeks while my bones mended, flat on my back.”
“That sounds horrible.” Vivi squeezed his hand. How awful that would be for anyone, but especially for an active man like Luke.
“Just as I thought I was becoming well enough to attempt walking again, a fever came. I had developed a lung illness, but I survived that as well, as you can see.”
She had never heard him be caustic. It didn’t fit his nature.
“I’m glad you survived,” she murmured.
He paused and turned his head to study her. They said nothing, as he seemed to be puzzling her out. He did that often, though she had no idea what he found complicated about her. She was just a lady who wanted what any other lady wanted: to be a wife and mother, and to make a home for those she loved.
He looked back toward the sky. “I’m uncertain what happened for the next few days, but I must have been out of my mind. Every time I woke, I couldn’t move my arms or legs. It was like someone had tied me down. It was the worst—” A shiver raced through her, and his gaze snapped to her again. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset, at least not in the way you think. I can’t believe all you went through. It’s no wonder you are troubled by being here again.”
He blew out a breath, stirring the dark curl on his forehead. “I don’t want to be bothered by memories. It’s ludicrous and weak. They can’t hurt me.”
“No, but they can bring back all those feelings you had at the time. It must have been scary to be that ill.”
“I guess it was.”
They lay there in silence a long time, holding hands and gazing up at the sky. She didn’t know what to say to ease his burden, so she said nothing.
“I almost died,” he said, his voice merely a ragged whisper.
Vivi reached out to caress his whiskered jaw. She didn’t care about propriety or foolishness any longer. She only wanted to give him comfort. “I am thankful you didn’t.”
He captured her hand and brought it to his lips, feathering a kiss over her sensitive skin. “So am I. Could I hold you, Viv? Just for a moment?”
Her heart gave a small leap of joy. She vowed to make this last more than a moment. She was