Viridis - A Steampunk Romance Read Online Free PDF Page B

hope in
what had been a dreary and difficult life.
    When he’d finally finished the distillery, Seth had
asked Phoebe to marry him. But with Imogene’s health taking a turn
for worst, she refused his offer, which put a strain on their
previously close bond. Things became even more strained for them
after Imogene’s death. He had tried to be there for her, yet she
had pushed him away in her pain, unable to let him—or anybody—get
close to her, unable to forgive herself for not being able to save
Imogene.
    And yet she had been unable to see the distance she
had put between them until it was too late; Seth left for the
Outlands soon after, his commitment made, leaving Phoebe to drown
in regret and despair.
    “Will ye not come back to bed, my love?” His fingers
twined around hers, as he pulled her to him, his lips just a
whisper away. Do you know that, for that blasted long year, you— my
memories and your photo— were the only thing keeping me warm in the
arctic cold?”
    “You weren’t the only one alone.” She hated to think
of how desperate and lonely she had been. Gavin had been away in
the colonies when her sister died, and Seth’s departure for the
Outlands came only a month after, leaving Phoebe with no one but
her brother. There were days when she couldn’t even muster the
strength to get herself out of bed, and she did not think she would
have survived it if it hadn’t been for Gabriel’s constant
attentions.
    Seth nuzzled her ear for just a moment, before his
lips found their way to hers, his kisses soft and sweet as they
stirred in her a heat only he could quench.
    “Phoebe, why won’t you marry me?” His question was
barely a whisper in between kisses.
    She shook herself free, the moment lost with her
frustration. “We’ve been through this before, Seth.” She turned
away from him, wrapping her arms around herself as if warding off a
sudden chill. It was a discussion they’d had on more than one
occasion.
    “Phoebe, I cannot give up the Cause. It’s too
important. You know that. Think of all those that are suffering;
the government and Queen doing nothing to stave off the illness,
the poverty.”
    She knew he spoke the truth, and her problem was not
with the Cause, only the way in which he chose to help. “How could
you think that of me? I am not asking that you give up the Cause. I
only want you to help in a way that will not take you away from me
for months at a time and put your life at risk.”
    He paced the floor, his frustration evident. “I help
the way I know how. I thought you of all people would understand
that. You’ve seen the faces of the poor, all hope extinguished from
their eyes. It’s the Cause that has finally rekindled that flame,
given them hope for a better life, and it’s the Cause that will
demand change from those in power, whether they want it or not. The
poor have suffered and been oppressed for too long, Phoebe. You
know that.”
    “Do you think I don’t understand? Have I not also
helped and done what I can?” Her temper was up in a flash. She had
seen the suffering, had been by his side while they offered what
help they could to those who had nothing.
    “Phoebe…”
    She felt the air around her shift as he came to
stand behind her, her tears threatening to fall. “I can’t do it,
Seth. I watched my father struggle alone after my mother’s death.
It was that loneliness that slowly killed him, tore him apart. I
refuse to take that path willingly. You were gone over a year, and
I cannot do it again. I’ve lost so much…I couldn’t stand to lose
you, too. And I should not have to.”
    “It doesn’t have to be that way.” He ran his hand
down the length of her arm.
    “You know they’ll keep sending you on missions as
long as you let them. I’d never ask you to give up the Cause— but
there are other ways.”
    As much as she wanted him to stay, she needed that
decision to be his own. She would not risk him blaming her for
tying him down when