Chapter 15
Frozen in place, Theo stared at Genevieve in stunned silence, trying to comprehend the words she’d uttered in a detached, unemotional voice.
Christ Jesus, had she just said she couldn’t have children?
One thought after another careened and collided in his head as he wrestled with the chilling horror of her words.
Rage surged through him until every muscle in his body was locked and immovable.
Violent in nature, the fury gripping Theo exceeded tenfold the outrage he’d felt the night Peter had drunkenly revealed what Ruckley had done to Genevieve.
The fact Ruckley was dead meant Theo could never tear the man apart, one extremity at a time.
Had she told Peter? His best friend had been her closest confidant.
No, Theo was certain she’d never told Peter this horrifying secret.
If she had, Peter would have revealed it when he’d been inebriated that night months ago.
and told Theo how Ruckley had sold Genevieve’s innocence.
His best friend had been too drunk and furious not to have left out such a monstrous act of violation.
Peter’s hatred and rage had been so strong, his friend had sent his snifter of cognac crashing down on the table in an act of sheer violence. The murderous gleam in his best friend’s eyes said Ruckley was fortunate to already be dead. If he hadn’t been, Peter would have gone after the man.
His best friend would have taken great pleasure killing the crime lord for what he’d done to Genevieve.
Peter would have made certain the man suffered before finishing the bastard off.
And Theo would have been at Peter’s side as they tortured the bastard to death.
She’d been a child, and yet Ruckley had not only sold her innocence, the bastard had taken away her ability to have children.
Pain and sorrow rammed their way into Theo as if an axe had split him in two.
He would never see Genevieve grow round with his child.
She would never know what it meant to be a mother.
And neither of them would know the joy of holding their child in their arms. It was a painful, gut-wrenching thought, but Theo knew his anguish couldn’t begin to match Genevieve’s.
To think she’d lived with this terrible pain without the support of those who loved her further illustrated what an incredible woman she was. He’d always known she’d possessed a strength and spirit that refused to be restrained, but he’d had no idea just how strong she was.
Guilt pushed its way to the surface. Genevieve had said he was making things difficult for her, and he’d refused to listen.
Theo had demanded she explain her reason for not marrying him.
He’d coerced the truth out of her. Regret became a vise around his chest that tightened and constricted his ability to breathe.
How was he supposed to respond to her? How did one express their shock and sorrow for a loss such as Genevieve had experienced?
Tension hovered in the air between them as Theo tried to form a gentle, loving reply to her confession.
As he fought to find the right words to respond to her, he saw an impassive expression settle on Genevieve’s lovely features.
Ever since that day in the croft, Theo had been able to see behind the mask she wore so often when in the company of others.
Now, whatever was going on in her head was hidden from him.
She’d shut him out completely. He had no idea what she was thinking, and the instant she abruptly spun away from him, Theo jerked in surprise.
Caught unawares, he watched in disbelief as Genevieve left the room, the door closing behind her with a soft thud.
Dumbfounded by her departure, Theo leaped forward to follow her, but came to an abrupt halt.
He couldn’t go running after her without a stitch of clothing.
As quickly as he could, he began to dress.
Several precious minutes elapsed between the moment of Genevieve’s departure and Theo pushing his arms into his shirt sleeves while hurrying toward the bedroom door.
Throwing the door open, he charged out into the hallway and raced toward the stairs.
With each passing second, fear took hold inside him.
If he didn’t stop her before she left the safe house, God only knew when he’d find another chance to speak with her in private.
And Theo was certain she wouldn’t willingly agree to meet with him after tonight.
When he reached the foot of the stairs, he sprinted toward the back of the house.
There was always transportation waiting in the stable yard to take someone home, and as Theo burst through the back door he saw a familiar, unmarked black carriage rolling away from the stables.
She was gone, and she’d taken his heart with her.
§ § §
Theo glowered at the dance floor in Lexington Place as he watched the fourth son of the Earl and Countess of Lexington, George Gedney, spin Genevieve around the dance floor.
It had been two weeks since that night in the safe house, and he’d failed to get Genevieve alone with a frustrating consistency every time.
Even when the family was gathered for dinner together, she’d avoided him as if he were a pariah.
She’d also not entered the East End with him as one of her backup partners since the night she’d left him standing alone in her room at the safe house.
Jamie had been in the parlor when Theo had tried to catch Genevieve before she left.
Failing to stop her, he returned to the house.
When his cousin had asked what had happened, Theo had refused to discuss the matter.
A few days later, Jamie had informed Theo that at Genevieve’s request, she would be working with Vincent and Teasdale in the East End.
Theo’s muscles tightened at the thought of her going into that hellhole without him as her backup.
Not that he didn’t trust Vincent to protect her, but he wanted to be the one standing guard over her.
Theo’s gaze returned to the dance floor to see Gedney smiling down at Genevieve as they danced their way in and out of other dancers.
Theo muttered an oath beneath his breath at the way the man was fawning over her.
Even worse was the way Genevieve was laughing at everything the man said.
When the music ended a moment later, Gedney guided Genevieve over to where the Earl and Countess of Lexington stood.
Theo hadn’t enjoyed watching the man dancing and flirting with Genevieve.
Now, as he saw the smiles on the older couple’s faces, his mood became even more sour.
Two days ago, Vincent had mentioned that Gedney had been paying a great deal of attention to Genevieve.
According to his cousin, the man had become a regular caller at Chester Square, his aunt’s and uncle’s London residence.
Like others in the family, his cousin suspected or knew of Theo’s feelings for Genevieve.
One night last week at their townhouse in Warwick Square, he, Jamie, Harry, Angus, and Vincent were enjoying a bottle of cognac Jamie had pilfered from Uncle Lucien’s cellar.
Harry had been paying a great deal of attention to a young woman in recent weeks, and somewhat drunk, they’d all been affectionately poking fun at their cousin with jokes about him being the next Rockwood to marry.
It had been the perfect segue for Vincent to mention Gedney’s multiple visits to Uncle Percy’s and Aunt Rhea’s house in Chester Square, before moving on to a different topic without missing a beat.
The fact that Gedney was the rector for his father’s parish made it more than possible that the man would be able to overlook Genevieve’s past, seeing it as a sin on Ruckley’s part with her the victim.
Theo’s attention returned to Genevieve, and he saw Lord Lexington laugh heartily at something she said, while Lady Lexington beamed with delight.
It was clear the older couple and Gedney were enthralled by Genevieve’s company.
The thought of Genevieve marrying any man made Theo’s gut twist into a painful knot.
Not that he believed she would accept any offer of marriage given her past, but he wasn’t about to risk being wrong.
The question was how to convince her that nothing in her past mattered when it came to his feelings for her and his desire to make her his wife.
Genevieve was laughing at something Lord Lexington said, when a tall, dark-haired man appeared at her side.
With a small bow, he said something as he held out his hand.
Tension knotted Theo’s muscles. He’d never seen the man before, and he noticed Genevieve hesitated for a fraction of a second before she smiled and accepted the stranger’s hand.
The man was a skilled dancer, and knowing how much Genevieve loved to dance, Theo wasn’t surprised to see she was enjoying herself.
It didn’t make him any less irritable about her dancing with the man, but at least it wasn’t Gedney.
Theo glanced over at the earl’s son and experienced a moment of intense satisfaction at the scowl on the man’s face.
“I see Genevieve is adding to her long string of admirers.”
Theo jumped as he jerked his head toward Vincent Rockwood, who had appeared at his side.
Older than him, Vincent was the quiet one in the family.
Although he could be quite amicable, there was a darkness to his cousin’s personality.
Theo had seen it in action when he and Vincent had encountered an East Ender looking for an easy mark.