Page 69 of The Unfortunate Debutante
With a side glance, he asked, “What is it that you wish to know?”
She tapped a finger to her lips. “What is your favorite dessert?”
“Lavender cheesecake.”
“Favorite drink?”
He gave her a playful grin. “I love chocolate.”
“You drink chocolate?”
“I do, every morning,” he replied, puffing out his chest. “Sometimes two cups.”
She tsked. “What a rebel you are, milord.”
They reached the rear door to the gardens, and Simeon opened it for her. “Do you love chocolate?” he asked, standing to the side.
“Every woman loves chocolate,” she replied, smiling. “Do you like to read?”
He nodded. “I have an extensive library. However, I don’t utilize it enough.”
“Do you have a large family?”
A wistful expression came over his face as he responded, “No, but I have a younger sister.”
“Are you close with your parents?” she asked as they strolled through the paved pathway.
He stopped and grew serious. “There was a time when I was, but that was so long ago.”
“What happened?” she asked, turning to face him.
Simeon’s eyes held pain and anguish. “There was a girl that I loved from the moment I laid eyes on her. I knew we were destined to marry.” He huffed. “We even eloped.”
“You did?” she asked in surprise.
He shifted his gaze to over her shoulder. “I took all my money and went to secure a special license, leaving her behind in a rented room at the inn. But when I returned, she was gone.”
Hearing the agony in his voice caused her heart to tremble for him. Reaching out, she placed her hand on his sleeve. “Where did she go?”
“At the time, she vanished without a trace, and I continued to search for her for the next five years,” he said, his voice hitching with emotion. “My parents told me that she must be dead and to forget the girl, but I knew she was alive. I felt it here.” He placed his hand over his heart. “That’s why I became a Bow Street Runner, so I could investigate her disappearance.”
“When you found her, was this the girl who…” she hesitated, “whose heart already belonged to another?”
He nodded. “It was. I was devastated. I pleaded for her to love me, but it was too late.”
“I’m so sorry, Simeon,” she said, knowing her simple apology wasn’t adequate.
A silence descended over them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. After a long moment, she broke the silence by asking, “After you found her, why did you continue working as a Bow Street Runner? Why not enjoy the life of leisure of a viscount?”
He chuckled. “You know nothing about being titled, do you?”
“I do not. In case you forgot, I don’t have one,” she joked.
His face grew solemn. “To answer your question, I was bestowed the title of Viscount of Wentworth a little over a year ago by Prince George.”
“You were?”
His broad shoulders slumped slightly, and his eyes reflected the tiredness of his soul.
