Chapter 4

The tenth of October was my day of departure for Serenity Abbey.

Our party was to have assembled days prior at the Princess Manor, but out of kindness, Giselle granted us a few extra days with our families.

As I was about to get into the carriage with my luggage, my mother frowned and asked, "Blakely, your sister Eleanor is still sick. Where are you going?"

"I am to reside at Serenity Abbey for a time," I replied, my tone flat.

Her expression softened. "It is good of you to seek spiritual solace and pray for your sister's recovery. Do return soon."

I merely offered a faint smile, holding my silence. I did not share the truth that I would not return for three years.

As the carriage rolled slowly from the city, the rhythmic clop of hooves a steady accompaniment, I instructed the driver to halt before the Crane estate.

With a determined heart, I took up a small box and went inside to seek Theodore. Inside the box was the breakup letter. A formal termination of our betrothal.

Mary Crane might not favor me, but she would never permit Theodore to break our engagement to marry Eleanor, a divorced woman.

Moreover, I had waited six years. If he were the one to cast me aside, he would be branded heartless, a scandal that would tarnish his future irreparably.

Therefore, the Crane family could never be the ones to sever the tie. The responsibility fell to me. I was prepared to do them this final favor.

I waited in the parlor for what felt like an age, but Theodore never appeared.

Finally, his manservant approached, looking uneasy. "Miss Blakely, I'm afraid Mr. Crane is not at home. Perhaps you might return another day?"

There was no "another day." If I missed today, it would be three years.

I shook my head, refusing to leave. "Simply tell me where he is."

The servant shifted his weight, his mouth opening and closing as if struggling with his words. "H-He is at the Fortune Emporium. With Miss Eleanor."

So that explained the hesitation. He was with her.

The Fortuna Emporium was the most opulent shopping gallery in the city, a glittering palace of luxury goods from across the continent. No doubt they were there selecting trinkets for their future life together.

There was no place for me in this scene.

I handed the box to the servant. "Ensure he receives this today," I said, my voice devoid of emotion. Then I turned and climbed back into the carriage without a backward glance.

As we rolled down the boulevard, past the grand columned entrance of the Fortuna Emporium, a sharp command brought the carriage to a sudden halt.

Frowning, I lifted the window curtain. There they stood, Eleanor and Theodore, side-by-side on the walkway, a picture of coordinated elegance.

Eleanor tilted her head, a triumphant look on her face as she glanced at Theodore. "See? I told you it was Blakely in that carriage."

Theodore gazed at her with a fond smile. "Eleanor, you really are as perceptive as ever."

When he turned to me, his face went cold again. "Blakely, where are you headed?"

I schooled my features into polite neutrality. "Serenity Abbey."

He looked momentarily taken aback. "You never showed much piety before. A sudden change of heart?

"Well, perhaps some contemplation will settle your spirits. It would not do for my future wife to bring any discomposure into the Crane household."

I let the curtain fall without a word and signaled the driver to proceed. Their figures disappeared from view.

From now on, our lives would go separate ways. Whatever was between me and Theodore was finished.

Giselle cherished tranquility. She only summoned us on the first day, and after that, let us roam freely at Serenity Abbey.

Compared to the stifling atmosphere of Sutton Manor, I found a profound contentment here.

No more walking on eggshells around my parents, no need to perform the role of the devoted sister for Eleanor, no more heartache over Theodore, drowning in a sea of quiet despair.

My days were spent in a tranquil routine: reading, walking the manicured gardens, and practicing my embroidery.

It was a life of quietude until the day Henry Ashford came to call upon Giselle and, most unexpectedly, requested my presence.

I had heard of Henry. Scion of a powerful ducal family, he was famously indifferent to books, politics, or responsibility.

His passion was for adventure, roaming the countryside, hunting, and, by all accounts, causing benign mischief. Rumor also held that the King doted on this nephew of his excessively.

My stomach fluttered with nerves as I was led to the sunlit drawing-room. Henry stood by the hearth, and the rumors of his looks did not lie.

He was tall and lean, with an athletic build, his features possessing a careless, rakish charm. A faint, knowing smile played on his lips as he looked me over.

"Miss Blakely," he began, his voice smooth. "I've just thrashed Theodore Crane outside the Abbey gates."

"Huh?" I couldn't help but gape at Henry, totally stunned.

My mind had raced through a hundred possibilities for this summons, but Theodore being physically assaulted by a viscount was not among them.

I had no idea what Theodore could have done to provoke Henry's notorious temper. The man was a legend for not suffering fools or insults lightly.

What did he mean? Was he not satisfied with beating Theodore? Did he seek to punish the fiancée by association?

A silent curse formed in my mind. I never enjoyed any privileges as Theodore's betrothed, only the trials. And now I was to be held accountable for his idiocy?

Seeing my speechlessness, Henry merely repeated himself, his tone infuriatingly casual. "I gave Theodore Crane a sound beating. Just now. Outside."

My heart sank. He must be in a towering rage.

I chose my words with extreme care. "Might I ask, Your Lordship, what offense Mr. Crane committed to warrant such... personal attention?"

Henry's smile widened slightly. "He was making a damned nuisance of himself at the gate, shouting and demanding to see you. He was irritating the guards and disturbing the peace. I found it annoying."

I was utterly floored. It was because of me.