Pricing The Heart

Chapter 21

Keeping his gaze on the path before him, David did not pause in his attempt to get away from Eloise and the feelings that had started to take root in his heart. One minute he was promising to keep away from her, and the next he was clinging to her—it was lunacy, his damn feelings, and he was desperate to rid himself of them. Still, he had tried. In his crazy attempt to remove Eloise from his life, he had run off to Scotland. But Eloise had followed him. She had haunted his dreams until he ached physically to be with her. It was the same ache that robbed him of his restraint and compelled him to take her in his arms tonight and press his lips to hers.

Their kiss had been magical. David never felt the need to cling to a person in the past like he needed to cling to Eloise. He wanted to hold her in his arms all evening, pressed to his chest where his heart pounded wildly at the excitement of their reunion. Nothing could equal the joy he felt to have her in his arms again, but underneath it all was the familiar feeling of fear that caused him to turn from her and walk away.

He kept walking until he returned to his bedchamber, where he spent the next several hours reliving his time with Eloise until he fell asleep. The next morning, he readied himself for breakfast and made his way to the dining room, slightly surprised to find Jon—who was a notoriously late riser—dressed and seated at the table. He appeared worn, the black sacks under his eyes matching his mourning clothes.

"Going out?" David asked, entering the room.

Jon shrugged and sat up straighter. "There is plenty to sort out. I hate the work, but at least I must be grateful our parents didn't squander our fortune, leaving us under a heavy pile of debt."

"Indeed."

A long pause followed. David watched as Jon picked at his eggs for several seconds.

"I should have been here," he said, his gaze still fixed on Jon's eggs. Guilt weighed heavily on him for his absence. If he had been present to aid Jon in their mother's burial arrangements, as well as sorting out the technicalities of their finances, Jon would not appear so...drained.

"Where were you?"

"I—"

"Never mind. It matters not where you were or where you shall be in the next few weeks. I shall not burden myself with your insanity, David," he sighed. "Mother has left you with a fifty thousand pounds fortune, as well as a chest of jewelleries that must be kept within the family."

David shook his head, frowning. "Surely you jest. What shall be done with a chest of jewelleries if I'm forbidden from selling them? I have no daughter to pass it on to, nor do I have the intention of strutting around our social circles dressed like a clown."

"Perhaps Mother's desire to see you married again did not wane with time, nor does it appear to have passed with death."

David huffed, running his fingers through his hair. His mother never approved of his marriage to Adeline, and within the year of her passing, had tried to force on him a suitable bride. But he had brushed her off, finding the entire thing to be not only disrespectful to Adeline's memory, but beyond ridiculous. He was certain he could not be compelled to the altar by anything other than love, and it was ridiculous to think he could love anyone the way he loved Adeline.

Yet, he wondered why the idea of a chest filled with the finest jewelleries made him think of Eloise; why he delighted in the thought of standing behind her and placing a necklace around her neck. His mother's diamond necklace would be breathtaking against Eloise's skin, and the unique pair of sapphire earrings would match her eyes perfectly.

Shaking his head to push the thought away, he cleared his throat. "I shall not marry."

"I do not doubt that. You have stayed true to your resolve for all these years. Do you wish to let go of the chest? In due time, I shall be forced by my need for an heir to marry. Perhaps I might pass it on to my duchess."