Page 69 of Once Upon a Midnight Dream

Like a wife?

Lilly held up her hand, palm outward, cutting him off.

Anguish slashed her heart.

She must put Layton out of her mind. Erect an impenetrable barricade if she were to survive this devastation brought on by her naivete.

“We shall return to our lives before he came, Charles, and never speak of him again.”

Charles could not hide his amazement, and the compassion that filled his eyes nearly undid her.

He gave a curt nod. “As you wish.”

Lilly accepted the elbow he extended.

Dear Charles. At least she still had him.

I shall never trust my heart again.

Twenty-three

De la Chance’s breakfast room

London, England

27 October 1828—before dawn

I miss you, Lilly, my love. My heart.

Slouched in a chair, wearing only black pantaloons and an untucked lawn shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, Layton propped his stocking feet on the gold brocade upholstered chair beside him. He scraped a hand through his mussy hair, then took a large swig of strong, black coffee.

Staring out the breakfast room window into London’s dark early morn, he angled his head, listening as the town came fully awake.

The city’s constant noise filtered inside his brother Fletcher’s prestigious club’s private quarters; an unwelcome and stark contrast to Kelston Hall’s serenity. Until now, Layton had not realized how much he disliked London’s bustle and hubbub or how much he craved the countryside’s peace and solitude.

He had been a soldier for decades and duty took him wherever His Majesty dictated. His preference for locations was irrelevant when carrying out his orders. But now that he was a civilian once more, he could choose where he wanted to be.

And he would pick bucolic locations every time.

Oddly, the city’s never-ending commotion reminded him of Virginia, his dead wife. She was never happy or content, but always flighty, agitated, and disgruntled. Considered a diamond of the first water when Layton had married her, her outward beauty and blueblood could not compensate for her greedy, adulterous heart.

Strange how, at six and twenty, he had been positive his love would be enough to ensure their happy union, despite his parents’ considerable reservations about the match.

Time had proven him wrong.

So bloody wrong.

Not only had Virginia proven a promiscuous tart, but she conspired to kill him, so she could claim his inheritance from his biological father. Though blinded in one eye, Layton had survived the explosion, and Virginia and her current lover, another army officer, had fled.

Layton had not shed a single tear when they died in a coach accident during their flight. Instead, he had closed his heart to love, vowing to never trust another woman.

Crossing his ankles, he grazed his fingertips across the stubble covering his lower face.

If it had not been for his abduction and amnesia, he would not have allowed himself to fall in love with Lilly.

In that respect, Highbury’s hired thugs had done him a colossal favor.

Just thinking of her brought him joy and happiness that he had never anticipated feeling again.