Despite everything life had thrown at him, Louis was kind and funny and inquisitive.
And Aurora? Aurora was a force of nature as wild as the sea. With a fierce drive to protect the people she loved.
It was no surprise to him that someone had come to love them. He loved them, too, in his own way. It’s why he made it a point to stay as far away as he did.
“And I think,” Emilie continued, seemingly unaware of the turmoil raging deep within Archer, “that mayhaps, with a bit of time, I might come to love ye, too.”
Ice flooded his veins, all doubt and all feelings of understanding that had just been coursing through him driven out entirely.
Archer stepped back, dropping Emilie’s hand and sending it falling to her side. He shook his head.
“Nay,” he said gruffly. “I will hear nay more of this.”
A look of hurt flickered across her lovely features, but Archer paid it no mind. He couldn’t care that she was hurt right now.
What she’d just said, that with time she could come to love him? That was more dangerous than anything that she could have admitted to him.
Because if she believed that she could love him, that meant she would want to try. She would want to get close to him. She would want to be a wife to him. A real wife.
And that was not something that Archer could allow.
“Me decision is final,” he hissed, putting as much steel into his voice as he possibly could, letting her know that there was no room for arguments. “Ye will be leavin’ for the abbey tonight. So, pack yer things.”
Archer made to turn around, sure that she would allow him to walk out the door. But the moment that he spun, he heard her trotting along after him seconds before she felt her hand clamp down on his arm.
“Daenae do this,” she argued.
There wasn’t pleading in her voice. Instead, it was filled with a determined resolution. She wanted to convince him to let her stay. That much was clear.
But Archer would not be swayed. No matter how much he wanted to continue being with her.
He wrenched his arm back from her, taking several steps away. Emilie’s eyes shone with hurt, but Archer would not allow himself to focus on that.
“It’s done,” he said gruffly. “Pack yer things. Someone will be takin’ ye back to the abbey soon.”
Archer did not spare another moment as he turned and walked out of the library, leaving Emilie staring after him.
CHAPTER THIRTY
“It’s all right,” Emilie breathed, trying her very best to keep herself calm. “It’s all goin’ to be all right.”
She paused outside the twins’ playroom, trying her very best to steel herself. Tears stung the backs of her eyes, and she tried to pull in deep, steadying breaths to ward them off.
I cannae believe Archer did this.
Sure, almost the entire time that Emilie had resided at Castle McGregor, she had wanted a divorce, craved it even. But now? Now everything had changed, and she could not imagine what it was going to be like going back to the abbey and not seeing this family anymore.
“Stop it, Louis,” Aurora’s voice called from beyond the door. “If ye keep doin’ that, ye’re goin’ to break our blocks.”
“Ye cannae break blocks, Rora,” Louis argued back.
Emilie smiled despite herself, closing her eyes to imagine the argument taking place just beyond the door.
I’m goin’ to miss them. Every second of every day, I’m goin’ to be thinkin’ of them.
Tears threatened to overwhelm her all over again, and Emilie closed her eyes, having to fight to get control of herself once more. When she finally felt she had some semblance of control, she pushed open the door to the children’s playroom.
Immediately, they whirled toward the door. From the look on their faces, it was certain that they thought it was their father walking in.