Page 24 of Love Set Apart
Thankfully they were now walking away from the gate and the sight that would surely cause all hell to break loose at the palace if Barbieri had continued on that route.
“Yes. The more I think about it, the more I realize Mademoiselle Toussaint will bring with her a dowry that will add to my own wealth. It is the only reason I can see for this marriage to proceed.”
“Yer quite the romantic,” Angus muttered under his breath.
“I’m sorry. I did not hear what you said.” Matteo leaned in closer in an apparent effort to hear better.
“It was no’ important, sir. I only wished ye much happiness.”
“Thank you. I’m not sure how much happiness a wife will bring, but as long as it does not cause me misery, all will be well.” He laughed as he patted Angus on the back.
Angus couldn’t believe what a pinchpenny Matteo was. Poor Emilie. He hoped Edna would be successful in changing her fate.
* * *
“Robert, I had to see you.”Emilie rested her head on Robert’s chest and relaxed into the warmth of his body. His arms held her close. She’d sent him an urgent message to meet her under the trees beyond the palace gate. Emilie knew it was risky, but after her conversation with Edna she was bubbling with hope and she wished to share it with him. Seeing Robert and feeling herself pressed so close to the muscular strength of his chest and arms was selfish of her, but she couldn’t help herself. This small pleasure would sustain her as she waited for Edna to make her wish a reality.
“I thought ye were in danger,” Robert replied as he stroked her hair.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you, but would you have come otherwise?” Her fingers toyed with the edges of his shirt collar.
“Nae. I love ye, Emilie. Me heart is torn to pieces each time I see ye. To hold ye like this, to kiss yer lips… I cannae do this again. Each time we’re together it only makes me want ye more, but I cannae have ye. Ye belong to another man and I must accept that we will no’ be together.”
“I belong to no one.” Emilie was defiant, raising her voice to make her point. “I will not marry Barbieri. Madame Campbell will help me. She has told me so.”
He shook his head. “Nae one can help us. The Queen Mother has made up her mind, as has yer da. If I could change the outcome, I would.” He took her face in his hands, gazing into her eyes. “Ye are the only woman for me, ye ken it. I wish for nae other.”
“Why do you say we cannot be helped? You will see. We will be together. For now, I must continue to go along with the marriage plans, but there will be no marriage in the end. I know it.” She was confident her wish upon the moon had made it so.
“Madame Campbell is Angus’ wife, is she no’?” Robert asked.
Emilie nodded.
“She shouldnae lie to ye as she has.” He sounded angry.
“She’s not lying.” Emilie felt the need to defend the woman who would end this nightmare she was living. “I made a wish on the moon and Edna arrived to help me.” Leaning back, Emilie looked up at him. “Robert, what if we could run away to a time and a place far from here. Would you go with me?”
“If I thought it would do us any good, I would. They would search for ye and when we were found they would bring us back here. Living life on the run is no’ the life for ye. Ye deserve so much more.” Robert caressed Emilie’s cheek with his hand. “Me love. Hope is wasted where we are concerned. We must end these meetings.”
Emilie couldn’t believe what he was saying. It hurt her heart to hear his words. “Don’t speak to me of love. If you would dismiss me so easily, you cannot have loved me from the beginning.” Blinded by tears, Emilie pushed his arms away and ran as fast as she could back to her room where she sobbed into her pillows and wished she hadn’t said the things she did. She knew Robert loved her, but Emilie couldn’t understand why he would give up so easily. He didn’t believe that her wish on the moon had brought Edna to help them. If she hadn’t experienced it herself, perhaps she might not believe it either. How much longer could she go on with this charade? If Emilie wanted to have her love in the end, she would have to continue with it. What other choice was there?
* * *
The painin Robert’s chest was beyond anything he’d ever experienced in his life. He wondered if this was what a broken heart felt like? He had no wish to hurt Emilie, but he couldn’t understand why she persisted in believing that they would ever be together. Love wasn’t in the cards for them, and yet he couldn’t stop himself from loving her. That was the cause of his pain. It was a pain he would carry throughout his life without her.
Retrieving his horse from the stable, Robert was about to ride out on his own when Louis arrived.
“Robert, where are you off to?” Louis asked, motioning to his servants to prepare his horse.
“I need to get away. I need time to think.” He was about to ride off, but Louis continued speaking to him.
“You won’t mind if I join you then.” He gestured to the stable boys nearby and they jumped into action.
He couldn’t tell Louis he wanted to be alone and did not wish his company. That was something one did not say to a king and so he said, “Of course no’.”
Within just a few minutes, the horse had been saddled and was brought to the king. “Is something bothering you?” Louis mounted his steed. “Wait. Don’t tell me until we are on our way. Where are we going?”
“I was going to ride along the river banks,” Robert said.
