The Matter of a Marquess - Jess Michaels Page 0,71

in the past? Can’t we be honest with each other now?”

She let out her breath in a long sigh. “I think it’s hard for me to see the future right now, Nicholas. I realized when I saw Imogen’s letter, when I read it and felt the fear in her, that I had been pretending my life was normal while I was here. But it isn’t and it won’t be until I know she is safe.”

He drew back a fraction. “I see.”

“I just think that perhaps I shouldn’t lose myself too much,” she said, pulling her hand away. “In a…a fantasy world.”

He pursed his lips. She cared for him. He knew that to be true now. He loved her and that was absolute fact. But somehow it wasn’t enough. Had it ever been?

“You want a little space to deal with this problem with your friend,” he said softly.

She nodded. “Yes. I think that’s it.”

He gave a slight bow. “Then I’ll do whatever you need. I-I’ll see you in the morning, then.”

She caught her breath like she wanted to say something. Like she wanted to do something more than let him walk away. But in the end that was just what she did. His world had been flipped on its head and he had no idea what to do to right it.

Or to move forward with the woman who had held his heart for over a decade. The one who still hadn’t decided to fight for what they could have.

Chapter 17

If Aurora had thought the trip out to Roseford was long, returning home felt interminable. They had caravanned as a group and it should have been very jolly. After all, the women of their group traded off, sharing carriages so they could read and talk and sew together. She’d even had the company of Fortescue at times. The big dog rode in her carriage, his great, dear head on her lap as she read.

Still, all Aurora could do was watch Nicholas. He’d granted her the space she’d lied about needing. He didn’t ride with her. He was polite but distant when they talked at suppers at the inns where they stopped at night.

He hadn’t touched her or kissed her since that magical afternoon back at Roseford when they last made love in her bed. She sensed the pulsing drive of need in him, but he was so disciplined that he never wavered.

Perhaps he was trying to show her how empty her life would be without him. But oh, she already knew that. It had been weighing on her mind since she overheard Derrick say that Nicholas might not get his title if he chose a life with her right now.

She blinked as the carriage rounded a corner. They had entered London nearly an hour ago and were coming closer and closer to the Duke of Roseford’s city estate, where Huntington’s partner and Willowby would meet them to discuss their plans to find Imogen. That was what Aurora had to focus on now. That was what was important.

The manor house rose up large and impressive in the distance, and she leaned against the glass to look at it more closely. There were two men and a lady standing on the drive waiting for them, and her heart leapt. These had to be the investigators.

Her carriage stopped, and to her surprise it was Roseford himself who opened the door and helped her out. Katherine was already on the step chatting with the other three strangers, her arm around the lady.

“Lady Lovell,” Robert said, taking her arm and guiding her up the stairs. “May I introduce you to the Duke and Duchess of Willowby and Mr. Barber? They’ve all been working on finding your friend.”

She stepped toward them, holding out her hand in greeting. “I cannot thank you all enough. I’m sure you were taken from very important things.”

The Duke of Willowby, an exceedingly handsome man with short-cropped hair and a clean-shaven, hard-angled face, shook her hand first. “Not at all.”

His wife, a petite and curvaceous woman with dark auburn hair, nodded. “We’ve actually been doing some work on a case of an underground group that takes women and forces them into trading their bodies for money. We think your friend narrowly dodged that fate thanks to some help. This will only aid in our larger case.”

Aurora moved to the other man. He had warm brown skin and friendly eyes. “It’s really a blessing you connected us, as I’ve been working on a similar matter