Lady in Red, Eliza Knight [have you read this book TXT] 📗

She wouldn’t simply walk away with him. Her pride and anger wouldn’t allow it. And so he might push her further away if he went. But he did the next best thing he could think of. Wrote that honest letter, opened his heart to her again.

He was probably a fool, but what else could he do? He did still love her, even though she’d betrayed him.

Did she believe that Linden’s blood was on Terrence’s hands? He supposed she’d be right if she did. He should have sent more reinforcements with Linden. The two armed guards he had with him should have been sufficient, but clearly, they were not. And that was on Terrence.

A flash of red caused his muddled brain to become fully alert. His eyes riveted to the street beyond his window.

Elizabeth?

Terrence pushed out of his chair and pressed a hand to the glass of the window. Sure enough, her beautiful face taunted him. And this time, Elizabeth brought with her a miniature version of her: her daughter.

He didn’t wait for her to knock as he didn’t want the door to be answered by one of his staff. He rushed out of his library towards the front door, flinging it wide before she could raise the knocker. Elizabeth gaped up at him wide-eyed, mouth open in shock, and her hand stuck in mid-air.

“You’re here,” he said, stating the obvious, mostly to convince himself he wasn’t dreaming.

She nodded. “I…” Her voice was small, nervous.

“Come in.” Terrence pushed the door wider, taking a moment to stare down at the little cherub, who looked up at him with innocent curiosity.

“Mummy, what are we doing here? Mrs. Crum will yell at me if I’m late,” she said, glancing back at Elizabeth.

“Would you like hot chocolate?” Terrence asked the child.

“Hot chocolate?” she asked, her nose wrinkling in bewilderment.

His throat tightened, and he couldn’t swallow past the ball that suddenly lodged there. The poor lass had never had hot chocolate.

“’Tis a sweet drink, Sarah,” Elizabeth said, pressing her hand gently to the little girl’s shoulder. “Ye’ll like it, I promise. And never ye mind about Mrs. Crum.”

“Come with me, dear child.”

Terrence tore his eyes away from Elizabeth and the girl to see his housekeeper standing a few feet away. Sarah looked up at her mother, and when Elizabeth nodded, she scurried down the hall with Mrs. Ball.

“Terrence, I…” Elizabeth pursed her lips, cutting off her own words.

He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her hands in his and tell her not to say anything. That if she wanted to come home to him, he was willing to forgive and forget everything that had happened. But she held her hands tight in front of her, and he didn’t want to compel her if she came for some other reason.

Patience was not a virtue he normally possessed, but it seemed in this case, he was blessed with an infinite amount.

“Can I offer you a drink?” he asked. “Tea?”

She shook her head.

“Would you like to sit in the drawing-room?”

This time, she nodded. Terrence offered his arm, and she slid hers through, a spark of delicious memory firing in his brain. Her touch was warm, familiar, even though it had been fleeting years earlier. He swung open the door to the drawing-room and escorted her to the settee, begrudgingly leaving her to shut the door.

Elizabeth perched on the end of her seat, her fingers once more entwined and wringing. She lifted her eyes towards his, the edges rimmed with tears. Without thinking, Terrence sat beside her and swiped at the tears with the pads of his thumbs.

“Don’t cry, sweeting,” he whispered.

“I’m so confused,” she said, eyes searching his.

He couldn’t stand seeing her cry. Her lower lip trembled, and he swept his thumb over it, remembering every kiss, every whispered word.

“Was it all a lie?” Though he asked the question, he prayed she wouldn’t answer. He wasn’t sure he could bear it if she said it was.

“No.” Elizabeth licked her lips, the tip of her tongue, skimmed his thumb before he could pull away. Her touch seared him, awakening in him the love he’d tried to lay to rest.

He blinked longer than necessary and pulled his hands away from her. He had to focus. Couldn’t think about tugging her into his arms, kissing her sadness away.

“I loved ye, Terrence. Despite my reason for finding ye, for making ye pay for the death of my husband, for wanting answers, I fell in love. But I couldna stay. Not with Sarah counting on me.”

Loved. That was past tense.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Elizabeth shook her head, removed the red hat and set it on the seat beside her. Glorious brown curls fell around her shoulders. “I wasna sure I could trust ye. Linden said his death was your responsibility.”

Terrence sighed. “It was. If I hadn’t sent him out to our supplier that day, he and his guards never would have been jumped.”

“Guards?” Elizabeth focused her gaze on his lapel, avoiding eye contact. “But Linden was found alone. Not a sign of anyone else. I thought all this time ye’d sent him alone…” Her voice trailed off, and her hands came to her lips. “Oh, God…Linden’s two guards found me later that day. They gave me several coins, saying Linden would have done the same for their wives.”

“They set him up…Bastards!” And had paid her in his blood money. “We will hunt them down and make them pay.”

Elizabeth stared up at him with watery eyes. “Do you think, in his way, Linden was trying to tell me to find ye? No’ that ye were the one who took his life, but that ye could help find the men who did?” Her voice quavered. “I’m so sorry. I should have said something before. I’ve failed ye both.”

“No, Elizabeth. You don’t have to apologize. You’ve done nothing wrong. His death is on those men’s heads, and I will see them brought to justice.”

“But I do! What if they’ve hurt more people?”

Terrence shook his