Once she was alone in the train cabin, Lottie let out a sigh and settled into her seat. She pulled out the hat pin and gently lifted the hat off her head and placed it beside her. She might as well be comfortable for the long ride. As Lottie nestled deeper into the seat, the very sight of the fussy piece of millinery made her smile. Lord knew she needed something to lift her spirits. She had the hat and matching walking gown commissioned before she left for Italy but didn’t dare wear it while in the presence of Mrs. Wetherby, as the woman thought pink clashed with her coloring. It wasn’t exactly appropriate for train travel, but Lottie was tired of waiting for the right time to wear it. She frowned as she ran a finger along the hat’s brim. A person could spend their whole life waiting, only to be left with nothing. That seemed like a rather obvious lesson she should have learned a long time ago.

Lottie rubbed her temples; they hadn’t stopped throbbing since her argument with Alec. His outrage had been surprising, but it was the deep hurt that flickered briefly in his eyes that haunted her still. What exactly had Uncle Alfred said all those years ago? She pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to recall that awful morning after her coming out ball.

Lottie had awoken feeling lighter than air. Invincible. The fear, the sadness, the loneliness that had been slowly creeping in the last few years were gone, all thanks to Alec’s surprise appearance. She had always cared for him, of course, and wouldn’t deny she found him as handsome as ever. But more important, he was her dearest friend. Her champion. And yet something had changed between them on the dance floor. He looked at her differently, held her closer, spoke softer. Or maybe it had been earlier, when he appeared at her bedroom door, as if she had conjured him out of her misery. Lottie hadn’t realized how very much she needed him until he was there hugging her, assuring her everything would be all right.

And Lottie believed him. Completely.

He had promised to call as soon as he could that morning, and Lottie was so excited she could barely eat. Uncle Alfred already knew of her intention to marry for love, and who better than Alec? The more she thought about it, the more right it felt until no one else would do. Only Alec. She could wait until he finished the excavation in Scotland. She could even wait until he secured his future at Oxford. She could wait as long as it took if it meant spending the rest of her life with him. Lottie dressed quickly and then hurried downstairs to the parlor where she waited, and waited, and waited.

But he never came.