Samantha's Sorrow

Samantha's life was turned upside down when she received the news that her husband had been killed in war—a war he never should have taken part in. Now burdened with paying off all his gambling debts, Samantha is left behind to pick up the pieces.

Nicolas has loved working as a lawyer, but he has yet to make to find a place of his own. But when he meets and agrees to help the beautiful Samantha Williams with her debts, none of that matters anymore.

When Nicolas has a few mysterious cases fall in his lap, it's up to the two of them to save the lives of two young women. It doesn't take long for both to notice the attraction between them, but society insists that they can't be together. Will they follow what high society demands or allow themselves to follow their hearts?

 Samantha wiped her eyes again, wondering
if her tears would ever stop. Stephen’s funeral had been that morning, but it
still didn’t feel real. She’d never wanted him to go off to war, but he’d felt
it was his duty.

Callie, Samantha’s dearest friend, wrapped
an arm around her and squeezed. “I’m sorry, Samantha. He was so good to you.”

“Yes he was. Most of the time. Regardless
of how he acted, though, I still don’t know what I’m going to do with myself
now.” Samantha looked down at the pram where her baby son slept peacefully,
unaware of how much his life had changed. “I should get Simon home.”

Callie nodded. “James has already gone to
get the carriage. Would you like to come home with us?”

Samantha shook her head. “Alfred has the
carriage ready. I need to go home and check on Mother, then go through
paperwork to make sure we have all of the debts Stephen owed.”

“I understand about your mother, but the
rest can wait. There’s no need for you to go through those papers today.”

Samantha hesitated before shaking her head
again. “I would like to be done with it. Besides, some of the collectors are
not patient men. Although, going to your estate might mean I can avoid all the
company who will want to stop by to offer condolences.”

Callie pursed her lips, but nodded. “I
forgot about that part. I suppose it’s better for you to go there first. But if
you want to escape, my door is always open.”

“Thank you. I just might.” Samantha looked
down at the casket one more time, wishing she could see his face one more time,
then turned and pushed the pram toward the carriage.

As they broke free of the crowd, Samantha
sighed in relief and nearly broke into a run. Simon stirred as they went over a
bump in the path, but went back to sleep. Such a sweet boy. Never one to cry.

Samantha picked up Simon so Alfred could
put the pram into the carriage. Samantha wasn’t sure she would have done if
Callie and James hadn’t been there by her side through everything, but at that
moment she needed to be alone.

She leaned against the window and stared
out at the city. She’d moved to Denver to start a new life with Stephen. Callie
had joined her on the journey when her mother passed suddenly, and they were
both excited for the prospect of a new beginning. Now it felt like the city
that promised so much was dark and callous and mocking. People went about their
day as if the world hadn’t just ended.

When they pulled up to Samantha’s estate,
it felt like her heart was being squeezed. Samantha took a deep breath and
stepped out of the carriage, holding Simon tightly to her. She walked up the
steps, hoping Alfred had remembered to take the pram out before leaving. Her
manor looked too big and too frivolous now. It had been just the three of them
before, then four when Mother moved in, and it had never felt this
overwhelming.

“I think we need to sell this horrible
house, Simon. Start fresh.” She opened the door and went in. One of her maids,
Darcy, came around the corner to help with Samantha’s coat and hat. “You’re
already home.”

Darcy nodded and pulled Simon’s coat off.
“Yes, I left as soon as the funeral was over so that I could make sure to have
the house ready for your return. Will you be retiring to your rooms?”

Samantha sighed. “As much as I would like
to, no. I have things to do. Where is Mother?”

Darcy stepped to the side and gestured to
the drawing room behind him. “She hasn’t moved since you left. I worry that her
health is declining rapidly.”

“She adored Father. I can’t imagine her
having an easy time. Losing Stephen just a month later couldn’t have helped.”

Darcy opened the door to the drawing room.
“Shall I take Simon?”

“No, he’ll do Mother’s heart some good.”
She smiled. “Thank you, Darcy.”

Alfred came in shortly after and bowed
slightly. His face showed the same calm he always had, but Samantha was sure
she caught a tear on his cheek as she walked past him. She found Mother in the
dark, staring down at the embroidery in her hand.

“It’s much too dark for you to do that
right now, Mother.” Samantha took the cloth from her and set it aside, then sat
next to her on the couch. “It’s done.”

“Two good men, gone so quickly.” Mother’s
voice was barely above a whisper. Her hair fell into her face, and the dress
she wore was tattered.

Samantha nodded. “They were. And they
wouldn’t want us wallowing. Come, let’s go get you cleaned up and eat
something. We will most likely have guests soon.”

That seemed to wake Mother up. “Oh, dear.
You’re right. I can watch Simon while you prepare.”

“No, not this time. We need to get you
ready. I’ll let you hold him while I braid your hair.”

Mother reached up and touched the curls.
“I suppose you’re right. I can’t be seen like this.”