His to Command by Monica Burns

Author:Monica Burns
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Historical
ISBN: 9780986243110
Publisher: Kathi B. Scearce
Published: 2015-04-19T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

London, 1892

Sleigh bells jingled in the air as the hackney cab made its way through light traffic to Lady Jane and Tobias Lynsted’s townhouse. The lightly falling snow reminded him of a Christmas Eve twenty-five years ago. His gut twisted as the familiar ache settled in his chest. He wondered if Charlotte had found happiness with her banker. Beside him, Luke Ashford, one of his five protégés cleared his throat.

“You look like you’ve lost your best friend.”

“What?” Startled out of his thoughts, John jerked his gaze toward the younger man. Luke’s assessment had hit a bit too close to home.

“If Jane sees you looking down in the mouth, she’s going to throw her match-making skills into play again, and we both know Clara will be her partner in crime. Not that the rest of us would mind seeing you happily married.” The dry note in Luke’s voice made John grimace.

“Jane and I have come to an agreement about my not wanting a wife.” John frowned with annoyed disapproval. “And your wife knows how much I hate someone interfering in my personal affairs.”

“Perhaps, but Jane and Clara are a formidable team of conspirators.” Luke’s observations made John release a sigh of resignation. His brother-in-law was right. With Jane as her ally, Clara had in all likelihood renewed her efforts to try and find him a bride. John focused his gaze on the scenery in front of them.

Luke understood all too well the frustration of not having the woman he loved. Circumstances had forced his brother-in-law to wait eight years before he and Clara had found happiness together. Occupants of a nearby house crowded the doorway and front stoop to listen to a group of carolers on the snow-covered sidewalk. It reminded him of Christmases past when he was a child of ten with Charlotte standing wide-eyed next to him as they stared at the presents under the tree.

Luke was right. Charlotte had been the love of his life, but he’d relinquished his hold on that love the day she’d returned to America for the last time. A mocking laugh filled his head at the suggestion he’d ever stopped loving her. He quickly dismissed the laughter. With a shrug, he realized he’d not responded to Luke’s remark.

“I took your advice all those years ago,” he murmured. “But she’d already left.”

“You let her go, John. You should have gone after her the moment you and I spoke,” Luke said in a soft reproof.

“You don’t have to remind me of my mistake,” he snapped. His brother-in-law had sliced open a wound he’d thought long healed. “I’ve lived with it all this time.”

“I’m sorry, John. I’ve no doubt you’ve paid a steep price all these years,” The younger man said with regret in his voice. “Have you never considered going to America to find her? Tell her how you feel?”

He didn’t answer his brother-in-law. He had no desire to rehash a topic that only brought him pain. He’d worked hard to forget Charlotte over the last fourteen years.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.