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CHAPTER 27

There were a great many stares thrown their way as they pushed through the crowd.

Edward couldn’t find it in himself to care. Why should he? Daphne had forgiven him. They were going to try. They were going torenegotiate.

The other members of the toncould whisper and gossip all they liked. He didn’t give a fig.

The footman by the large front door was flustered to see them there, obviously not expecting guests to begin leaving so soon.

“If… if you’ll wait here a moment, Your Graces,” the man stammered, “I’ll have your carriage fetched. It might take ten minutes, or perhaps?—”

“Never mind that,” Edward interrupted, taking Daphne’s hand in his own. “We’ll go find it ourselves.”

“What?” the footman bleated, but his objections were already lost in the air as the two of them darted out into the night.

The heavy clouds had begun to clear away from the sky, revealing a full, yellowish moon and a speckling of stars. Daphne’s fingers laced through his as though they were meant to be there.

Carriages were parked up in a long line, all facing away from the house. A few coachmen and drivers remained with their vehicles, huddling together and talking in low voices. They glanced curiously at Edward and Daphne as they hurried past.

Edward leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I told the driver to wait with the carriage.”

His lips brushed her earlobe, and he felt a shiver run through her body.

“You told him to wait?” Daphne whispered back, laughing. “You knew I’d be coming back with you!”

“I knew no such thing. I reasoned that once I found you, one of two things would happen. You’d come back with me, or you’d refuse. Either way, I’d be leaving the party soon enough.”

“You,” she murmured, stopping to loop an arm around his neck, “are too clever for your own good.”

He grinned at that, hustling her a little further along to where the carriage waited, the familiar coat-of-arms etched on the side. The coachman was there, true to his word, and wordlessly climbed up into his seat. Edward pulled open the door, and Daphne tumbled into the fur-lined seats inside. He crawled in after her, closed the door, and they were on their way.

Just like that, they were locked inside the soft, silent box, rumbling quietly on its way. Edward sat on one side of the carriage, and Daphne sat on the other. They were both breathing heavily, some of the urgency dissipating between them. There was no light inside the carriage, and Daphne’s face was draped in shadow.

Silence landed between them, soft and overbearing. To his horror, Edward felt a combination of fear and anxiety washing over him.

She deserves better than me. So much better.

Daphne broke the silence first, making no move to reach out and touch him. It was as if there was a spell between them, keeping them apart.

“What does Alex’s letter say? It’s too dark to read it in here.”

Edward swallowed. “He said that he loved you and would very much like you to be his mother if you wanted it. He said that he missed you and wanted you to come back. He promised to make sure thatIbehaved myself if that was your concern.”

The moonlight illuminated the smile on Daphne’s face, tinged with sadness.

“He’s confused, you know. He’s just a child. He should have the chance to be a child.”

Edward nodded slowly. “I… I know that. I’ve come to understand it. I’ll do better.”

“He must know who his mother was, you know. I will love it if he loves me as a mother, but his real mother can’t be forgotten.”

“I will tell him about her. And I promised him he could spend more time with his aunt Beatrice. To do that, I think…” Edward swallowed, not quite able to believe he was going to say the words. “I think I’ll have to come back to London.”

Another smile spread across Daphne’s face. “We’ll come back to London? Truly?”

He sighed. “I’m afraid so. Can you bear it?”

She was beaming from ear to ear. “I’ll do my best.”