“Oh, you poor man,” she said with a heartless laugh for his grumbling. His attitude had changed very slightly in the past weeks. He was at least ready to talk seriously about the sort of woman who might suit him, and what else he needed in a match. “At least you can tell them you did look.”
“Yes, I looked, and will continue my search for a suitable bride later in the year with your help. I must say, I feel hopeful that perhaps there is someone I can love.”
Aurora sat forward. “Why do you say that now, when you’ve dismissed the idea of love out of hand so often?”
He sat forward, too. “One word. Sullivan.”
Aurora sat back at the mention of her lover. “Why?”
“There’s never been a man more heartbroken, and yet he remains so optimistic you’ll come back to him.”
“I’m sure he’s hardly…”
Her words trailed off as Scarsdale sat back with an amused expression on his face. “He waits for you. Yes, indeed he does. Most faithfully. He hasn’t left home in more than a month.”
“Surely—”
“He gave up everything for you. Without regret. It’s still possible Northport will disinherit him. And yet, rather than buckle to pressure, he sits at home, waiting for you to realize your mistake.”
Aurora squirmed, fidgeted with the folds of her gown, and then clutched the diamond bracelet hidden under her glove. “What mistake would that be?”
“That you thought you could live without love forever. You walked away from the only man who wanted to take the time to understand you, who accepts that you will never tell him why you won’t marry. As for himself, Sullivan is not ever going to marry some mythical perfect creature approved by his family. He is utterly committed to you. He loves you.”
“I told him I didn’t love him,” she whispered.
“Deep down, he knew that was a lie,” Scarsdale told her. “It’s not too late, you know. You can go back to him. I know you’re not happy.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t open the door to me after what I said to him,” she fretted, scrambling to think of reasons why she didn’t want to do as Scarsdale suggested. Walking away from Drew was the hardest thing she’d ever done. Going back and being rejected would be worse.
“You have a key, and I have a carriage that can take you back to him right now,” Scarsdale offered, giving her a hopeful look. “I cannot bear to see two hearts once so in-tune remain broken without trying to bring them together again. I mean, who would you have instead? Me? Brandestock? Or some stranger who might just have a dangerous temper and hurt you. You were happy with him. I saw it. You felt it. You belong together, and you foolishly sacrificed happiness for an empty life just to save a fortune he doesn’t want half as much as he wants you.”
She blushed. Hearing Scarsdale offer her advice about her romantic life seemed odd to her ears, however…he was not wrong. She was in the wrong place still. With the wrong people. The only place she’d ever felt truly herself, and believed she might have a chance to belong, was with Drew.
He was still there.
At the home he’d bought for them.
Could he really be waiting for her return, as Scarsdale claimed?
She gulped, imagining him waiting for her all this time.
She shook her head. She wasn’t worthy of his patience and devotion. Aurora had taken her love away from him, and she was ashamed and humbled by her lover’s continued hope. She had not expected that. But he didn’t know her deepest, darkest secrets yet. Could he still love her once she shared her history with him?
Yet, he was the only man she wanted to tell. The only person she wanted to hope could understand. He should hear her reasons for not marrying him from her own lips, and only then could he decide if she was worth all the trouble and the sacrifices he continued to make.
She looked up at Scarsdale quickly.
“Ah, I see you finally agree with me.” Scarsdale clapped his hands together. “Excellent. I’ll call up my carriage and have it wait outside for half an hour. I trust that will be long enough for you to collect a few essentials and we can be on our way.”
“I didn’t say I agreed with you,” she warned.
“You didn’t have to. Fear is why you are still living here. And perhaps guilt, too. You owe him an explanation. You’ve been trying to decide how to apologize to him all these weeks, and wondering if he’d ever accept it. He will.”
She shook her head and covered her eyes with her hand. “I was wrong to leave him the way I did.”
“No, you were wrong to leave him. Period. But lucky for you, I’m here to point out your flaws and send you back in the right direction again.”
She squinted at Scarsdale through her fingers. “I thought you’d be glad I’d left him and were hoping to seduce me in his place.”