Then the rumble of an incoming train interrupted him. Brakes squealed, steam hissed, gears clicked. He clenched his jaw and waited until the roar of the engines quieted.

“I’m never going to be able to forget what happened,” he said in a voice aching with tenderness. She wished he were angry, because it would have been easier to stand up to anger. This pained, regretful side of Gray was excruciating. “Please understand,” he continued. “I don’t think you did the wrong thing where Luke is concerned. If I were in your shoes, I might have done the same. But when I look at you, I still think of my brother, and I don’t think that will ever change.”

What could she say to that? She simply stood frozen and stared at him while her heart split into pieces.

“Take the ticket, Annabelle.”

She couldn’t. Taking it would mean things were really over. She forced herself to meet his gaze. “I’m not ready to walk away.”

Gray glanced out the window at the stationmaster, who strode down the platform, unlocking doors as passengers disembarked. “That’s your train,” he said. “It’s heading first to New York City, then down the coast until it reaches Washington. It’s an overnight trip, so I’ve purchased a sleeping-car ticket as well.”

Boarding this train would mean giving up on something wonderful, but perhaps that decision had been made the moment she agreed to spy. She ought to have been prepared to live with that decision, but it still felt wrong.

“Please take the ticket,” he prompted. “It’s best that we end things now.”

She nodded and took the small slip of paper, her dreams collapsing around her.

“You’ll need to eat,” he said, pushing a few more bills at her. She took them too.

“I’m sorry about everything,” she whispered, unable to look at him for fear of embarrassing herself. “Truly sorry, to the bottom of my soul.”

“I am too,” he said, his voice rough with emotion.

She nodded and headed outside to board the train.

Thirty