The Solemn Bell by Allyson Jeleyne

world.
    Brody’s heart thumped in double-time as he entered the house. His sweetheart would be in her kitchen, snug on her little pallet in front of the stove. She might even be asleep. He planned to wake her with a kiss. What a shock she’d get! She would wrap her arms around him and squeal with delight. He would hold her until she knew he would never, ever leave her again.
    His eyes weren’t quite adjusted to the dark, but he found the servants’ corridor easily enough. Then, he descended the creaking kitchen steps, remembering how she’d barred the door from his demons. Brody did not carry the Devil anymore. He’d bucked him months ago.
    Searching the dim space, he found Angelica in front of the stove, toweling off her hair. When she heard his boots touch the slate tile floor, she turned to face him.
    “I didn’t expect—” She stopped herself mid-sentence. A look of pained confusion slashed across her beautiful face.  
    In Brody’s deepest, darkest dreams, he’d never forgot how blue her eyes were, but, to see them now—finally!—robbed him of his breath.
    “Angelica.”
    She stiffened, almost in disbelief. “Captain Neill. What are you doing here?”
    “What do you mean?” he asked, crossing the room. “I’ve come back, just like I promised.”
    “It’s been four months…”
    Brody noticed, for the first time, that she wasn’t dressed. She wore only her thin chemise and a pair of wool stockings. Even in the dark, he could see the outline of her dusky nipples through the fabric. If he dared look down, he might see a great deal more.  
    He kept his eyes glued to hers. “I’ve surprised you. Forgive me.”
    Angelica must have known how exposed her body was to his gaze. She crossed her arms over her breasts. “No, you’re too late…it’s too late. You should leave.”
    “Too late? Too late for what?”
    He didn’t understand. He’d dragged himself through hell—for her. He was back. He was better. Why wasn’t she weeping with joy?
    She waved him off, as if he were a fly. As if he were nothing to her. “I’ve moved on, Brody. Quite forgotten all about you. In fact, I have someone else now. He’d be furious to find you here.”
    Someone else. Her words struck him dumb. He just…couldn’t fathom it. How could she have someone else? They’d only been apart for a few months. “You have a gentleman?”
    “I have a lover.”
    Brody thought he would be sick. It could not be true. “You’ve given yourself to him?”
    “You mean, have we fucked? Oh, yes. Many times.”
    He had to sit down before he dropped. Brody fumbled toward the kitchen stool like he was the blind one. His head spun. His stomach reeled. Sweet, innocent Angelica Grey did not say those words. She did not know those words. Whores spoke like that. Dope-girls begging for a needle spoke like that. Not the woman he loved.
    “Why didn’t you wait for me?” he sobbed.
    She leaned her hip carelessly against the worktable. “I did. For three months. That’s a great deal longer than the few weeks we originally agreed upon. I was heartbroken. You’d put me aside. So, when another man came along, I vowed not to waste another chance at happiness.”
    He dragged his eyes up to hers. So cold. Like a dead thing. “Does he love you?”
    She laughed. She actually laughed in his face at the mention of the word. “Oh, Brody.”
    His voice was sharp. “Tell me.”
    She sighed, and finally said, “I don’t want love. I’m not sure I even believe in it.”
    “All this time, while I was dreaming of nothing but you, while I was praying for the day when we could be together again, you were spreading your legs for another man. A man that doesn’t even love you!” He nearly spat. “Who are you, Angelica? What happened to the girl I fell in love with?”
    “You abandoned her.”
    “I did not! It took longer than expected to get back here, and for that I am sorry. But I never abandoned you. You abandoned me . My God, Angelica. You