Meant To Be (Pendleton Manor 1)

He came around the sofa and took her hands. His fingers were warm despite the chill in the room and he looked down at her. Seeing her bare feet and tangled hair, his mouth almost twitched into a smile, and then sobered again.

“I heard your voice,” she said before he could say anything, suddenly nervous, suddenly afraid he would hurt her again. “I have been waiting to hear your voice in this house since the day I came to live here. Because I believed the promises you made to me. No doubt that made me naïve and innocent and a fool …”

“No,” he interrupted, his voice soft and deep. “You’re Sophy, my Sophy.”

She looked at him, not seeing the bruises, just him. Harry. “Am I yours?” she asked. “Am I really, Harry? Because it seems to me that I have not been yours for a long time.”

“Sophy, I know I can’t make up for the past. I let my father’s lies colour my actions. Your father died in prison.” He took a shaky breath. “I walked away from you. I had you and I walked away. I regret every stupid thing I’ve done. Please, let me show you how much you mean to me.”

She could see he was hurting, but she had been hurt too. Once, years ago, she would have forgiven him instantly and been willing to trust him with her heart all over again. But she had changed, and she knew she had to protect herself from such follies.

“How are you going to do that?” she asked. A chilly note entered her voice. “By asking me again to be your mistress after you promised to make me your wife?”

Her grandmother gasped and even Adam sat up straighter, but Harry did not let her go. “I deserve that, Sophy,” he said. “I was desperate that night, wanting you so much and not knowing how to extract myself from my engagement. I am ashamed to say that for a moment I became my father—but once I understood what had to be done …”

“And now you have hurt Lady Evelyn as well as me.”

He shook his head at her. “What happened was with Evelyn’s blessing. The thought of long years married to someone she didn’t love and who didn’t love her brought her to her senses. I couldn’t hurt her for the sake of seeking my own happiness, so I made sure I took the blame. You must see that, Sophy. I set her free and now we can both follow our hearts.”

“You have given my granddaughter much to think on,” her grandmother said. “You should go now.”

Sophy wasn’t listening. “My father told me once that boys like you don’t marry girls like me. I didn’t believe him then but now I think I understand. Harry, you are the heir to Pendleton and I am nothing. We were children when we thought we could have a happy ending. I admire you for what you’ve done for Evelyn, truly I do. It was a grand gesture. But do you really think you can make up for everything else? You’ve worn out my heart, Harry. Maybe it’s time we both let go.”

“Please, Sophy. Just listen to me.”

“I have. I’ve listened. But I keep remembering those years of waiting for a man who never came, and when he did he believed his father’s lies over the woman he was supposed to love.”

Suddenly she couldn’t bear it any longer. The expression in his eyes, the ache in her heart. She pulled her hands from his and ran from the room. As she fled, she heard Adam say, “Go after her, idiot.” And a moment later, Harry was behind her, grasping her shoulders, holding her back.

“Sophy.” His voice was hoarse with pain. “My love, please. Please listen to me.”

“Sophy?” Susan was standing in the doorway.

“Let me speak to your granddaughter alone,” Harry begged. “Just for a moment. Please.”

Susan gave him a stern look. “You can talk here but the door will remain open. And I will be listening.”

As soon as she stepped back into the room, Harry drew her against his chest. She let him put his arm around her waist, the other around her shoulders, and his face was pressed into the crook of her neck. His breath was warm, reminding her of other times and places, and she knew how easy it would be to give in. Self-preservation was all that kept her from doing so.

“I don’t want to listen,” her voice was breaking. “I don’t want to hear how sorry you are and how marrying you will make it all better. I don’t want that, Harry, because I don’t believe it. Can’t you understand that?”

“Sophy, I am sorry,” he whispered. “So sorry. But I don’t want to marry you to make amends for all the stupid things I’ve done. I want to marry you because I love you. Because you have always been the only one for me. I can’t have Pendleton and not you, it doesn’t make sense to me. I’d rather give up the estate and everything in it if you won’t marry me and live there with me. Give me a chance, let me show you just how much I love you.”

She turned in his arms so that she could see his poor bruised face. “You’d give up Pendleton?” she whispered in amazement. She knew how much his home meant to him.

He met her eyes, reaching up to stroke her cheek, then cupped her face gently in his hands. He looked in love, totally in love, and she held her breath. “Yes,” he said. “You mean more to me than anything else.”

“Oh Harry, yo

u can’t—”

“I don’t want it if you’re not by my side. I abandoned you when you needed me most and it almost destroyed me. I engaged myself to a woman I knew my father approved of hoping to rebuild my life, only to realise that she was only a substitute for you.” He shook his head. “I’m done with that. Now all I want is for you to say yes so that I can take you home.”

Take her home? It sounded like a dream come true. But home was Pendleton and how could he give it up? She wasn’t sure she could let him do that for her. He would only come to hate her for it.

Sophy turned her head toward the parlour, meaning to return to the safety of her grandmother, but Harry turned her back and bent down and captured her lips with his. His kiss melted everything inside her. Her hands clung to his shoulders and she pressed closer to him, unable to help herself.

“You love me?” she said when she could speak. As if hearing the words again would make them real. A tear ran down her cheek and he kissed it from her, before gently kissing her mouth again.