Page 78 of His Unforgettable Bride
Although his heart and soul had not changed, being royalty set him miles apart from everyone else. “But a carpenter is approachable. A prince…is not.”
“I am me at my foundation, and you are you. It is as simple as that.”
She scoffed. “I find it hard to believe you truly think our situation is simple.”
“My royal status is admittedly a large bite to swallow, but it does not need to separate us.” Frustration had crept into his voice.
How could it not? The monarchy was a giant, unmovable wedge slammed directly between them. From where she stood, it appeared insurmountable. “We will miss each other greatly. In time, we’ll undoubtedly agree our parting is for the best.”
He adjusted his grip on the door. “No.”
His opinion wasn’t the final say-so. Her decision counted as much as his. “What do you meanno?”
“I love you, Juliet.”
Warmth and tingles rippled through her, top to bottom. His honeyed words stuck to her heart as she stared at his fingers, longing to kiss each knuckle.I love you, toowas what she wanted to say. But she had to set free the charming and almost too-good-to-be-true prince of a man. He deserved a kingdom of happiness, the precise thing she wanted most for him.
Other than for a brief span, they had led vastly different lives and were woefully incompatible. “I don’t fit into your world anymore.” A soft chiding in the back of her mind told her she was spouting excuses. But it didn’t matter. She had to let him go.
“I disagree and believe you need more time to ponder the matter.” After a moment, he added, “If I could give you one thing, it would be for you to see yourself as I do.”
Tears welled inside her, and she swallowed what she could. The remainder leaked onto her cheeks. The old Juliet would have rolled her eyes in disbelief. Now, a lovesick fool and practically a lady, she refrained.
“When I return, we shall discuss this, along with our fu?—”
“Don’t say it.” Her throat tightened.
“Why?”
“It’s too much,” she whispered, her voice trembling with the weight of her emotions.
He was silent for several long heartbeats. “Speaking of too much, there is one additional matter I feel obligated to mention before I depart.”
What? That his family had two kingdoms instead of one? “I’m listening.”
“I am betrothed to another.” His words hung heavy in the air. “Though I shall end the arrangement immediately once I reach Bascandy.”
She gasped and then lightly pressed her head against the door. As tears flowed, she mopped them with her sleeve. She would never divide a man and woman, whether already wedded or on the brink. Wasn’t that why she had left Manchester, to not come between Molly and her husband?
She closed her eyes. It was easy to picture Gray’s handsome face—winsome brown eyes, a regal nose, and perfectly full lips. Any minute, thanks to her, his expression would crumble. She couldn’t bear to see it, not even in her imagination.
Still, in her heart, she knew what to do—beckon her strength and walk away. One day, he’d understand. “I’m incredibly sorry, but don’t come back, Henry. Ever.”
“Wait—
Juliet closed the door.
After he rapped on the door twice and called her name, she moved to the bed, buried her head under a pillow, and wept.
Twenty-Five
The young man who makes his first entrance into the world of society,should know how to choose his friends, and next how to conduct himself toward them.
Minutes after arriving at the hotel in Victoria where he had previously stayed, Gray primed his fist to knock on Dobbin’s old room when the door opened, revealing his oldest friend. His heart beat wildly. “Merciful heavens. I was worried about your welfare.”
The color drained from Dobbin’s face as he drew a stack of paper against his chest. “Henry?”
Neither spoke for a moment, only stared at one another. Dobbin’s face was as familiar as his own. “So, you were not overly injured after the seashore incident?” he asked.
