Evermore (Emily Chambers Spirit Medium Trilogy #3)(19)

Louis smiled, but it wasn't gentle. There was something of a harsh sneer to it. "Celia would be good at that. She knows all about being a proper lady."

My sister stood abruptly. "I think you should leave."

"No!" I stood too, ready to run across the room and block Louis' exit if necessary. "Wait. I have so many questions." But where to start? I needed to say something before Celia marched him out. "Why didn't you write?"

Louis lifted his chin and his jaw went rigid. "I meant to. But circumstances...I got into some difficulty in New South Wales..." He regarded Celia from behind half-lowered lids. "I don't wish to discuss it. Some things are best left forgotten."

Celia made a miffed sound through her nose. "We agree on that, at least." She strode to the door. "If you don't mind, Mr. Moreau, we have a very busy day ahead of us."

"But I haven't finished with him yet," I said. "Mr. Moreau...Louis..."

"Father?" He laughed nervously.

"Father." A lump lodged in my throat. I'd never called anyone that. It was so hard to believe that I'd finally met him. And he was handsome and had kind eyes, like I'd imagined. They were brown and large like mine. I could see why Mama had fallen in love with him. Seventeen years ago he must have been very young indeed, but I suspect he'd been mature for his age. Someone with a father like Fran?ois would have to grow up fast to take care of himself.

"Ask me anything," he said.

"No," Celia snapped. "Emily, have you forgotten what it is you need to do today?"

"No, but—"

"Perhaps another time, Emily," my father said gently. "When we've all had a chance to calm down and think about things." He looked to Celia who tilted her chin at him. "I'm not leaving London just yet."

"You said you were sailing within a few days!" Celia blurted out. "Well. Another broken promise."

He drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. "At least I haven't lied."

"You've refused to answer questions about your last seventeen years and refused to tell us why you did not write. An omission is as good as a lie."

"As I told you yesterday," Louis said through a clenched jaw, "the timing of my departure depends on one matter in particular and in which way it's resolved. I had hoped for a quick resolution, I admit, but I've discovered that it's not going to be quick at all. Now that I have learned about Emily, I will not be leaving in a hurry. My business is in my partner's hands and I trust him completely."

"You must be good friends," I said, more to ease the tension than anything else.

"We are." His voice softened. "I saved his life and he's been the best of friends to me ever since."

"You saved a man's life? How very noble of you."

He dismissed my gushing comment with a shake of his head. "Until next time, daughter." He bowed at me then at Cara then fronted up to Celia. My sister didn't meet his gaze. "I will return soon. It would be nice if we could be polite to each other, Celia, but I understand if you cannot. It's clear you can't bear the sight of me."

She stormed off but stopped at the doorway when she realized he wasn't following. "The front door is this way, Mr. Moreau."

He was leaving and I hadn't asked him all the things I'd wanted to. Why had he come back after all this time? Why hadn’t he contacted Mama when he was settled in New South Wales? Why had he left in the first place? I knew he'd applied for the government assistance scheme to move to that far-off land and been accepted, but why apply at all? Was he that unhappy here in England?

"It's because of Mama, isn't it?" I said, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. "That's why you left."

"Pardon?" Celia said, straining toward us without moving her feet. "What did you say, Emily?"

Louis stared at me.

"My mother didn't love you enough, did she? You must have seen how much she loved Papa—I mean, the man she married. He may have died, but she still loved him deeply. That's why you left. Because you knew she'd never love you enough. You had to get away in order to forget her."

He glanced at Celia. She looked startled at the attention at first, then her face hardened. "I don't know how much your mother loved me," he said softly. "She was very...closed on the matter of her heart."

"What are you saying?" Celia said, striding up to us. "Mr. Moreau, I've asked you to leave."

"Will you not call me Louis?"

"It wouldn't be proper."

He gave a grudging laugh. "Always fixated on propriety, aren't you?"

"Not always," Celia said levelly.

His nostrils flared. He said nothing for what seemed an eternity. My sister looked away first and he finally turned to me. "Emily, I would dearly like to get to know you better while I'm here. You too, Cara. I've never had a sister or daughter before."

"You don't have a family in New South Wales?" I asked.

"I live in Victoria now, a colony to the south of New South Wales. And no, I don't have a family anywhere. Except here, that is."

I waited for more. Indeed, we all three waited, but he didn't tell us why he'd spent seventeen years alone when he could have wed or fathered more children. Or come home to England. Louis bowed again and without another word, strode out of the drawing room. Neither Cara, Celia nor I followed him out, and I heard Lucy chatting to him in the hall before the front door opened and shut.