Just as Robert charged, the door burst open, and a group of constables stormed in. "That's enough!" one of them barked, rushing to grab Robert by the arm. "You're under arrest, Lord Grove."
Robert struggled, thrashing against the constables, but they were quick, pulling him away and out of the room. His curses and threats filled the air as he was dragged away, but Lavinia barely noticed, her eyes entirely on Andrew.
Andrew lifted his head to meet her eyes with an amused look on his face. "Don't do that again," he said softly.
Lavinia slowly sank back into the bed. "Do what?"
"Try to protect me with your body," he said, taking her hand into his. "I don't think I could live with myself if anything happened to you."
Just as Lavinia opened her mouth to respond, David stormed in, his face a mix of worry and frustration. His eyes darted between her and Andrew before landing on Lavinia.
"Lavinia!" David exclaimed, his voice strained with concern. "What on earth were you thinking? Walking away from me like that. Father's been beside himself with worry! Look at this mess! Did he do something? Did he hurt you?" His words tumbled out in a rush.
Lavinia, still trying to steady her breath, winced at his words. She didn't know how to explain it, how to convey the emotional turmoil she'd been through. But before she could speak, her brother was already pacing, turning back and forth, muttering under his breath.
He stopped and sighed. "I guess I'm just glad you're safe. Come, I'll take you home."
Andrew tightened his grip on Lavinia's hand. His eyes were soft but filled with a silent pleading, as if asking her to make a choicethat would ease the storm brewing between them. He didn't speak, not yet. He simply watched her with an intensity that made her heart race, his gaze conveying everything he couldn't say aloud.
Lavinia lifted her chin, her voice steady as she turned to her brother. "I'll go home with my husband, David," she said. "We need to talk."
David glanced at Andrew then turned back to Lavinia. "Are you certain you are ready for the talk?"
"No." She shook her head. "But it's best we do it now."
Lavinia didn't know how to break the silence in the room, and maybe, she thought, neither did Andrew.
She sat on the bed in her room, staring at her fingers. Andrew sat on the other side of the bed, also staring down at his hands. He was hurt. She could see a cut on his hand. A sharp one that he couldn't have gotten from his tussle with Robert.
"What happened?" she asked him, gesturing at the wound. "Did you cut yourself?"
Andrew looked down at his hands again. "A glass...shattered. It's a small cut."
"You should be more careful," she said softly. "That must hurt."
"I think we should call the physician," he said to her. "You were kidnapped. Just to be safe."
"I'm fine," she said to him.
"You have marks on your wrists from where he tied your hands," Andrew insisted. "On your cheek as well. You must also have a headache from the substance he used to knock you unconscious."
"Andrew..." she said quietly. "I am fine. If anyone needs the physician, it's you."
"Lavinia, I am so sorry," Andrew said to her. "I...I have a confession to make."
Lavinia's eyes widened. "Another one?"
"It's still regarding our current situation," he explained. "Earlier today, I was speaking to Solomon and I told him that I was fine with letting you go if that would make you happy. I figured since I cannot give you the happiness that you so desire, then I had no right to keep you as my wife."
"You were willing to let me go?" Her voice wavered.
She had known that they were both struggling—each in their own way—but to hear him say it so plainly, as if he had already resigned himself to the idea of losing her, was a blow that pierced through the fragile walls of her heart.
"I was," he said lowly. Slowly, he moved to her side and sat with his back against the headboard. "During the ride back home, I kept thinking about how...utterly terrified I felt thinking that I lost you forever. It made me realize that I claim I am willing to let you go, but I am scared of the loneliness that will follow."
Andrew sat up and took her hand into his. "Before you came into my life, I was comfortable with my loneliness. I filled that void with...questionable activities that I am not proud of. But then I got a taste of this life and...I don't want to go back to that."
Andrew drew in a nervous breath and his grip on her hand tightened. "Lavinia, I can try to let go of this grudge that I am holding within. I have been punishing myself by staying away from what we could be. I want to give that future a chance. The future that you want. I will admit that I am scared of it, but all I am asking is that you take a leap of faith with me. Because I cannot lose you. I don't want to."
