Sins of Omission Read Online Free PDF Page B

intention of returning to England and reclaiming the position he’d been forced from by accusations of treason.  He’d have to pay court to a Protestant king, so to openly admit to his Catholicism and part in the rebellion was paramount to political suicide. 
    He would have to give this a great deal of consideration before deciding on how to proceed.  At this time, he was virtually invisible since he hadn’t been introduced into French society or invited to the Court of Louis XIV.  He could remain that way, but wasn’t sure he’d like to exist on the fringes of society.  He’d done that since escaping arrest in May of the previous year, and he didn’t at all care for the way it felt.
    “I’d like to have a word with you about Frances as well,” Luke said, uncrossing his legs and changing the topic to something much more pleasant, at least to him.  “As you know, I lost my wife nearly three years ago,” Luke confided.  Hugo had known that Luke was a widower, but wasn’t sure what his relationship with his wife had been like.  He’d never met her. 
    “Eleanor had been my father’s choice, but I’d come to love her,” Luke said, his eyes clouding over with the memory of his dead wife.  “I hadn’t realized how much until she was taken from me.”
    “I am very sorry for your loss, Luke.  I’m sure she was lovely.”
    “She was beautiful, inside and out.  You probably won’t believe me, but I have been completely alone since,” Luke confided, blushing slightly beneath the rouge.  “There were a few drunken visits to an exclusive brothel, but I haven’t taken a mistress, since I just couldn’t bring myself to care for anyone.”
    “And what bearing does this have on my ward?” Hugo asked carefully.  He knew where this was going, but he needed to hear it from Luke, and be able to judge the degree of his sincerity.
    “Frances is…” Luke grew silent as words failed him.  “She’s someone I can truly love,” he finished at last.  “I know that she’s young, and I would be willing to wait if I knew there was hope of her accepting my suit.  I would be devoted to her, Hugo,” Luke said earnestly.  “Do you think you might prevail on her to consider me?  It would help you to have her future assured as well,” he continued.  “You have enough to contend with without worrying about the future of a young girl.  I would provide for her handsomely, and her position would be assured as my wife, both here and in England.”
    “Luke, I must tell you that Frances has suffered some emotional and physical trauma in the recent past.  She is very fragile, and I would never permit anyone I felt to be unsuitable to attempt to court her,” Hugo said, watching Luke.  If Luke were looking for a complete innocent, he would instantly renege on his offer, but Luke looked shattered as he gazed at Hugo.
    “I would dedicate myself to making her happy, Hugo.  We’ve known each other for many years, and I think you will agree when I say that I’m not an unkind or an insensitive man.  Frances would never have cause to regret becoming my wife, emotionally or physically,” he added carefully.  Luke didn’t want to be indelicate, but he wanted Hugo to know that he was a gentle and considerate lover, not some brute who would use her without any regard for her feelings.  Hugo did believe him on that score.  Luke had been mischievous, but never cruel, not like his cousin who’d seduced women and discarded them without any thought to their future.
    “All right, Luke.  I will broach the subject with Neve, since she has much more influence with Frances than I do.  You have my word that I will not stand in your way should Frances be willing.”
    “And I will do everything in my power to help you navigate your way through French society and find a happy medium which would pave the way for you here, and in time, ease your return from exile.”
    So, Luke could do something to help, but he expected