“I love him,” I choke out.
“Then you’ll let him go.” Josh takes a deep breath. “You will tell Lucian you don’t love him and you want to put an end to this ridiculous fake relationship. Do you understand?”
I don’t answer, I just stand staring, waiting for Josh to laugh, to tell me this is all one big joke.
“I will have Bessie help you pack so you can return to Cornwall before Lucian gets home. As of today, I am your new landlord, but please don’t worry about this month’s rent. I expect you will need some time to readjust to your normal way of life.”
His words strike me deep in my chest, so deep that they feel as though they’ve pierced through my heart and I’m bleeding out right in front of him.
“I release you from this contract,” he says, with a wry smile. A smile that is telling me that I’m free from the shackles of this fake engagement.
A smile that is telling me to have a good life, though a life without Lucian doesn’t seem bearable.
“You will receive the money for your services in due time.”
My services.I sniff and fight harder to hold back my tears. “I don’t want the money, not a single penny.”
“Very well,” Josh says, and leads the way to the house. My head and body feel disconnected as I follow him toward the building. With his back toward me, it’s now I allow the tears to fall. One by one they roll silently down my cheeks. Each step I take toward the house marks a step away from Lucian. The man I love. I love him, and that is the reason I need to leave.
I straighten my hunched shoulders and wipe away my tears.I am doing this for Lucian,I tell myself. My foot lands on the step leading into the orangery, and I stop walking. I turn my head and from the corner of my eye make out the paddock. I can’t see Jupiter from here, but know she’s there.
“Chelsea?” Josh asks, and holds out his hand for me to take. I glower at his hand. He wants me out of the house and far enough away when Lucian returns, giving himself time to convince Lucian that my leaving is the right thing, the only thing to do in this situation.
I take a step back. “Go ahead. There is someone I need to say goodbye to.”
“Breathe a word of this to Farrah, and you will see my wrath. Push me, Chelsea, and I will be cruel. The rent on your flat will be doubled and Eve, Royston and Tyler will lose their jobs.”
My eyes narrow into thin slits. “Farrah isn’t here, you jerk.”
“Perfect. I will tell her the news of you leaving when she returns. Now, don’t dally.”
I nod my head in the direction of the paddock. “I want to say goodbye to Jupiter.”
Josh pulls his phone from his trouser pocket and gazes down at the time on the screen. “Okay, but make it quick. I have arranged for McKenzie to take you back.”
I raise my hand. “I’ve had enough of you telling me what to do. I’ll pack my own bags, and I’ll leave when I’m ready to go. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m going to say goodbye to a horse I’m very fond of.”
My hair whips behind me as I turn, and without a backward glance I head toward the paddock.
Birdsong follows me as I hurry along the well-trodden path. I look around me and take everything in. Everything is so beautiful, so green, and so big. I will miss this place, the grounds, Farrah, the staff, and above all, I will miss Lucian. Miss the time we spent together, miss the feel of his arms around me.
“Chelsea!” Tim calls, and hurries toward me.
I nod. “Tim.”
I continue walking when Tim has caught up with me, and he walks backwards, matching my quickening steps forward. “You’ll never guess what,” he says, his eyes bright and alive with excitement.
“What?” I didn’t realise how quickly I’m walking, nor how tightly I’m squeezing my hands into fists.
“Don’t ask me how, but I managed to get the saddle on Jupiter.”
I stop walking instantly. “You can’t drop a bombshell like that and expect me not to ask questions.”
Tim tugs at a strand of his hair. “I can’t help it if Jupiter likes me better.”
I slug his arm harder than I had intended.
“Ow!” Tim rubs his arm.