Chapter Twenty-Nine
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
L ATER THAT NIGHT, T HOMAS DRIFTED OFF WITH E VELYN IN HIS arms. In that hazy gray space between the waking world and his dreams, a single urge slipped into his consciousness as easily as thought.
Good night , he wanted to say. I love you .
The thought opened his eyes and banished all thoughts of sleep.
Love.
He loved her.
The revelation was first shocking, then natural. Obvious.
Of course he would love her.
He knew it with striking clarity. He was a romantic, and as much as he might have tried to deny it, he could no longer ignore the love-starved part of him that still carried his parents’ wedding portrait in the false bottom of his trunk. That demanded more love songs in The Empire’s piano players’ repertoires. That watched young couples strolling through the park with piercing jealousy.
For years, he’d cast aside all romantic notions because he knew himself: once he had a taste—of strong drink or strong feeling—he always wanted more. And he knew how deeply he’d wanted to love someone.
Now, he did. He loved Evelyn, body and soul. And that changed everything. No longer could he allow himself to be driven by the whims of newspapers or financiers. No longer could he bend to fit the small-minded attitudes of men who would never allow themselves the luxury of such an unsuitable lover.
It would be complicated, of course. Allowing Evelyn into his heart this way. There were practical considerations about their future, The Empire. Taking himself off the marriage market would surely cause a stir. Alban would need to be dealt with. And Evelyn would need convincing that their love wasn’t an affliction for her to fight.
The course would not be smooth or simple. But if a man truly wanted control over his own destiny, his own life, he did not begin by selling short his own heart.
Let no one say that Tom Gallagher was not a man of his word. He had made the choice. He would now love her with everything he had.
With that settled, he sank back into his bed and tightened his grip upon Evelyn. The lullaby of her soft breath against his chest sang him to sleep.