She gasped. “I would never do such a thing. Is that what he told you? Is that what he’s doing?”
“He is,” he said, and hefted his bag on his shoulder. “Now will you get out of my way?”
She stood as tall as she was able, coming as close to eye-to-eye with him as she could. “You should know me better than that,” she said, trying not to allow the tears to form in her eyes as she swallowed the lump in her throat. “I would never, ever do that to you. If you actually believe such a thing, well, there is nothing I can do about that but feel sorry for you.”
“Goodbye, Rachel,” he said, pushing past her, down the stairs and out the door. All she could do was simply gape at him as she watched him leave.
22
As the train pulled into Inverness, a sense of calm settled over Adam’s soul. Never again, he vowed. Never again would he leave the peace of his homeland for a city full of people who cared for nothing but their own lives. Never again would he work with another who might steal his work away from him. And never again would he trust a woman with a pretty face, gentle words, and kind, open eyes. He had been a fool, but he would learn from this lesson.
As his parents and siblings were not aware of his imminent arrival, he was fortunate to find a ride with a family headed in the direction of Aldourie. He did his best to remain somewhat friendly with them and left them with a wave as he disembarked and walked the remaining miles to his home.
When he entered the front door to find his family gathered around the table for dinner, a tear nearly fell from his eye at the familiarity of it all.
“Adam!” his mother exclaimed as she rose from the table and came to envelope him in her arms. “What a surprise! We had no idea you were coming home so soon, though it is absolutely wonderful to see you.”
The joy at seeing his family was stalled for a moment as he thought of Rachel, but all it did was cleave a hole in his heart, and he pushed her from his mind. No, he was home now, returned to all he knew, all he loved, and he would put London — the city and the people — far behind him. He forced a smile on his face as he hugged his mother back, deposited his bag in the corner, and took his regular seat at the table after grabbing a plate and beginning to fill it.
“It was a surprise to me too,” he said. “My business there concluded sooner than I had thought, and you know how much I hate the city.”
“What happened with the wind invention?” asked Roderick, as Adam tried to ignore the concern he could see etched on his family’s faces.
“It’s finished,” he said, feeling ashamed at how he had been deceived and not wanting them to know of it. “At least, my role in it. I worked with Trenton’s partner, and together we came up with the piece of the solution I had been searching for.”
“That’s wonderful!” said Kyla. “You must be thrilled!”
“Yes,” said Adam, forcing a smile on his face once more. “I am.”
“You don’t seem very excited,” Peggy said, narrowing her eyes at him. “What happened with Rachel?”
“Rachel? Nothing at all,” he said, shrugging a shoulder and feigning nonchalance.
Peggy snorted. “We’re not stupid, Adam, we know you had something with her.”
“Hush, love,” their mother said, though Adam cringed at her concern as it would clearly mean questions to come later. “Dinna bother your brother. Let him enjoy his meal.”
Adam sat, silently forcing himself to eat as he felt the stares of his family upon him. Suddenly here, surrounded by everyone he loved, he had never felt so alone.
Rachel paced her bedroom. She was usually fairly even-tempered, but never in her life had she been so angry — at Adam, at Vincent, and most especially at her father. Men. Always thinking they knew everything, that they could play her as they wished. She was done with it.
After Adam had left, she refused to go downstairs for dinner, feigning a stomachache. She felt like a coward, staying in her room to wallow in self-pity, but she didn’t know what she would even say if she went downstairs. Her engagement had been announced, but could she truly spend her life with a man whose kisses made her want to be sick?
The next day, once the house was quiet, she dressed in a simple blue muslin and after eating a quick croissant from the kitchen, she slipped out the door and hailed a hackney. She gave the driver the address of her father’s power plant. If nothing else, she was going to determine what had happened, and she knew there was only one man who could — and would — give her truthful answers. Sullivan Andrews.
When she disembarked, she squared her shoulders, willing herself to be strong, to not make any rash decisions until she had discovered the truth.
Thankfully, her father and Vincent were nowhere in sight as she entered the power plant, where she made her way around the huge machines and the men that stared and nodded at her, until she came to the desk where she knew she could always find the man.
“Sullivan?” she said softly, not wanting to startle him. He was always so focused that he never heard anyone approaching.
“Oh!” He looked up, jumping anyway. “Rachel.” His face broke out into a smile. “How are you?”
“I’m not sure,” she said truthfully.
“No?” he asked, his strong, dark eyebrows drawing together as his eyes roamed over her face.
“Sullivan, what can you tell me of the agreement between you and my father and Ad— Mr. McDougall?”
“I cannot say I know much of
