A Virgin for a Vow

She preferred not to think about that.

Luke sat on an angle in his seat, looking at her as if he had never seen her before. But then in a way he hadn’t. Abby had made sure no one in her present life knew anything of her past life. But now she had told him she felt a strange sense of lightness, as if something heavy she’d been carting around had slightly eased its load.

‘Have you told Ella about this?’ he asked.

Abby shook her head. ‘I’ve thought about it…many times. But in the end I didn’t see the point. It’s not as if she’s ever going to meet any of them.’

‘She would be hurt to think you kept this from her.’

‘I know… But you know how she worries over everyone. I didn’t want her fussing over me, trying to compensate me for my crappy childhood. I just want to be like everyone else. Normal.’

‘Whatever the hell that is.’ His tone was wry.

There was another silence.

Luke started drumming his fingers on the steering wheel as if he was deep in thought, his gaze focused on the drizzle of rain sliding down the windscreen. He turned back to look at her at the same time he put the car back into gear. ‘You can stay with me until your flat is ready.’

Abby looked at him in surprise. ‘You wouldn’t mind?’

Something at the back of his eyes indicated he minded a great deal but his voice was reassuring. ‘It’ll be fine. I’m hardly there in any case, other than to sleep.’

‘It’s very kind of you, Luke. Hopefully it’ll only be for a couple of days. I promise not to disturb you too much.’

He gave a soft grunt as if the notion of her disturbing him was a given. ‘But—just to be clear—you’ll be sleeping in the spare room.’

* * *

A short time later, Luke unlocked his front door and followed Abby inside. Having her come and stay with him was a way to get to know her a bit more. To uncover more of the secrets she had kept about her background. Or so he told himself. He knew it was dangerous inviting her to sleep at his house. Sharing any personal space with her was dangerous. His house was large but it would need to be twice the size of Buckingham Palace for him to feel safe from the temptation she presented.

The stuff she’d told him about her background had shocked him. Why had she kept it a secret even from his sister, Ella? Who were Abby’s biological parents and why had she been taken away from them so young? Had she been abused? Neglected? The thought of it was sickening. Was that why she was so determined to get to the ball tonight, to raise funds for underprivileged children? No wonder she couldn’t bear not to go. He felt a heel now for making such an issue out of going with her.

Abby’s past and the lengths she’d gone to keep it secret reminded him of the way he kept stuff to himself. He couldn’t blame her for being a little hesitant to tell people things they might judge her for. People made judgements all the time on who your parents were, where you went to school, your accent, your income, the car you drove and where you lived. Even who your friends were.

Luke could understand now why she had been so taken with that luxury holiday. It was sad to think she had probably never been on a proper holiday with her parents. At least he had enjoyed some happy times with his family before his father dropped his bombshell the day before Luke’s fifteenth birthday. Holidays after his parents’ divorce had been pretty miserable. His mother would spend most of it crying or staring at couples walking hand in hand with a wistful look on her face. Ella, being nine years younger than him, had latched on to him in the absence of the father she’d adored and who no longer had any time for her, which meant Luke hadn’t been free to do the things other teenagers his age did.

Luke closed the front door and looked at Abby’s downcast expression. Her shoulders were slumped and some tendrils of her hair had fallen down around her heart-shaped face. It had been a big night for her, capped off by coming home to find her flat uninhabitable. A sudden wave of empathy swept through him and he had to stop himself from pulling her into a hug in case he was tempted to not let her go.

‘Tired?’ he said.

‘Exhausted—but I can’t help thinking what am I going to do about my clothes?’

Luke would be quite happy if she didn’t wear any. Ever again. But that was a dangerous thought he shouldn’t be allowing inside his head. ‘We can sort that out tomorrow. Maybe they’ll let you back in to fetch a few things even if they don’t allow you to move back in.’

‘What about Kimberley’s clothes? Maybe I could—’

‘You’re a different size.’