The Duke's Temptation (19 page)

Elizabeth struggled weakly as despair set in and tears slid over her cheeks. She would die and never have the opportunity to tell Gabe she loved him. She would never see Phoebe grow into a young woman.

A hand gripped her shoulder.
This is it
. The end.

“No. Please leave me alone,” she choked out through her tears.

Wrapped in her misery, she didn’t realize this touch was different, gentle.

“Elizabeth.”

She continued to sob, “No. Please.”

“Elizabeth, it is Gabe.”

Gabe?
But how? He’d had gone into town. He couldn’t be here. She must have struck her head harder than she’d realized.

The hand turned her and she braced herself.

“Minx, look at me. Please. Are you hurt?”

Gabe.

Not her attacker.

Elizabeth forced her eyes open. Dizziness kept her from focusing her eyes but she still recognized Gabe’s strong features as he knelt over her.

Clearly reassured when she opened her eyes, he let out a deep, “Thank God,” before he pulled her to his chest.

“How . . . Where?”

“Shhh. Don’t worry about that now. You are safe.”

Before she could respond, Gabe lifted her and carried her to safety.

Chapter
28

Gabe settled Elizabeth into her bed, with her aunt and maid to look after her, before he went in search of Wilkes. He would return to check on Elizabeth once he dealt with the unconscious man in the garden.

After her struggles, she was covered in dirt and he knew no amount of leeway in propriety would allow him to oversee her bath. Even his ducal powers had their limits.

“Wilkes!” he yelled as he swiftly descended the stairs.

Wilkes stepped into Gabe’s sight. “Yes, Your Grace.”

“I need you to send some men into the garden and retrieve the insensible heap I left there.” Gabe fought to suppress the fresh anger surging through him as he recalled the scene in the garden.

“I’ve already seen to it, Your Grace.”

Gabe raised a single brow at the older man.

“I would be lacking in my duties if I hadn’t investigated the commotion when you carried Lady Elizabeth into the house. It didn’t take long for word of the intruder to reach me.”

“How did you know the man would still be in the garden?”

“As I am well aware of your skills as a pugilist, I assumed correctly he would have no chance against you,” Wilkes answered with what appeared to be an appreciative twinkle in his eyes.

“Thank you for your confidence in my abilities.” Gabe turned to the stairs, anxious to be closer to Elizabeth. Over his shoulder he told his butler, “Have him placed in my study and inform me once he has roused.”

“Will do, Your Grace.”

On the way to Elizabeth’s room, Gabe caught the smell of horseflesh mingled with sweat drifting from his clothes. He needed to take a detour to his room.

Never in his life had he disrobed so fast—not even with a set of feminine hands assisting him. He wasn’t sure if his desire to check on Elizabeth’s welfare increased his speed, or his darker desire to catch a glimpse of her reclining in a hot bath. Either way, in no time he shed his clothes, washed, redressed, and was heading to her room.

Once there, Gabe lifted his hand to knock, but quickly lowered it as the door opened and Millie stepped out.

“Gabriel, dear. I can never thank you enough for saving my niece,” Elizabeth’s aunt exclaimed when she noticed him. “What a godsend you were there.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more.” A reminder of what could have happened to Elizabeth caused the lump in his throat to return and made his words hoarse. “How is she?”

Millie stepped fully into the hall and pulled the door shut behind her. “In the struggle, she hit her head and has a devil of a lump. There are a few scrapes and bruises but with some rest, she will be fine.”

“Should I send for the doctor? With head injuries you never know how serious they can be.”

She must have sensed his anguish, for she placed a steadying hand on his arm. “She is alert and the dizziness has receded.”

Even knowing it wasn’t at all proper, fully aware he’d already played loose with Elizabeth’s reputation at the inn, he still found himself asking, “May I see her?”

“Of course. In fact, she has been asking about you. She is quite mystified as to how you came upon her.”

Icy dread fingered over his skin when he thought of how close he’d been to passing by her and her attacker. “It was by complete chance I returned from town when I did. I still don’t know why I came to the house through the garden. Normally, I go around. I’d almost reached the door when I heard a scream. I had no idea it was Elizabeth until I found them. With the darkness, I’m amazed I’d been able to. If not for the sounds of her struggle, I never would have.”

“Don’t think about what might have happened. Focus on the fact she is safe.” Millie patted his arm before she retreated to her room.

Gabe inhaled a deep breath to bring his emotions under control, as he turned the knob and pushed the door open. Any other time, the sight of her lying amongst her pillows would have sent a shock of desire through his body. This time the paleness of her usually healthy complexion kept his arousal at bay. The tug in his chest, around the vicinity of his heart, beat out his yearning to touch her.

From nowhere it hit him.
Bloody Hell.
He loved her. Somehow the minx had worked her way past his defenses and achieved the one thing he never believed possible.

Though to be honest, it had been a long time coming. Never having felt this powerful need to protect and treasure someone before, he had been hard-pressed to define what it meant. When he thought about how close he came to losing her tonight, his heart clutched, leaving no doubt as to her importance in his life.

Whereas most men would be filled with happiness to realize they’d found the one woman they could love, misery smothered Gabe’s joy. She would never belong to him the way he desired. Even if he did believe her sleepy declaration of love from the inn, there could be no future for them. No matter what he wanted, it still didn’t alter what he was incapable of giving her.

She can never learn the depth of my feelings.

Pushing his newfound tenderness behind the wall he’d constructed years ago, Gabe kept his footfalls silent, so as not to disturb her, and crept closer to the bed. He only made it halfway when her eyes opened, locking him within their green depths. Her instant smile caused his chest to tighten further.

Struggling to keep his emotions from pouring out, he straightened and ventured closer. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks to you.” She pushed herself up in the bed, wincing slightly as she adjusted herself against the pillows.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t call for a doctor?” he asked, concerned at her discomfort.

She smiled again. “I’m fine.”

He arched a brow, unconvinced.

“Truly I am. Just a tad sore. After some rest I’ll be back to my old self.”

Silently vowing to keep a careful eye on her recovery, he agreed with a succinct nod.

“Would you please stop hovering and have a seat?” she asked. “I’m not about to expire on the spot.”

His immediate concerns melted at the impish grin she flashed. If she acted her usual mischievous self, her demise couldn’t be imminent.

He scanned her room and realized how very alone they were. “Where is your maid?”

“I sent her away. I’ve had enough of people hovering, worried I’m going to fall apart.”

He still didn’t understand how she’d come to be in danger. When he’d departed for town, wanting to put some distance between them, he never imagined she would come to harm. What could possibly happen at his estate? “Would you care to tell me how all this transpired?”

“You first.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll answer your questions if you answer mine first.”

Uneasiness crept through him. What could she possibly want to know? His earlier revelation came back to him. Could she have sensed his feelings? Prepared to lie, he nodded and braced himself for her question.

Her expression grew serious. “How did you find me? I thought you were in town.”

Relief flooded him and he answered easily, “As I came from the stable I heard a scream. Concerned, I went looking for the source. I never expected to find what I did. With the darkness, it was by pure chance I happened to stumble upon you.” The same hot rage he’d felt when he realized Elizabeth had been assaulted took hold of him once more and his body tightened with no release available. “When I saw you there, unmoving, I panicked. Before I thought about it, I had him by the collar. If it hadn’t been for needing to see if you were hurt, I would have killed him.”

“Well, I’m glad you left him alive. Do you know who he is?”

His body relaxed, confident the man had been stopped and she was safe. “Wilkes sent footmen to the garden to fetch him. They are to bring him to my study. If the man knows what is good for him, he’ll still be unconscious when I get there.”

“You sound a bit bloodthirsty,” she said with delight.

“I’m glad you find amusement in all this,” he drawled, not seeing the humor. “Now, explain to me how you became entangled with an intruder in the garden, well past dark.”

“On one condition. You sit. I find it quite tiring looking up at you.”

He studied her for a moment. During their conversation, the pink had returned to her cheeks and her eyes had begun to sparkle, the same shine he typically found looking at him when she was being particularly pert. Short on options, he reached for the closest chair, but she stopped him.

“Sit on the bed. I promise not to bite.”

He looked her over closely. As she no longer showed physical signs of her attack, his body had already started to rouse at her proximity. He knew it would be foolish to comply with her request. “My being here is already pushing respectability past its limits. If I’m found in your bed, no matter how innocent, it would be more than your reputation could withstand.”

She didn’t look away but continued to hold his gaze, almost as if challenging him. And, oh, how he wanted to accept her challenge.

“That didn’t stop you before.” Her taunt made him yearn.

Visions of the night at the inn replayed in his mind. Thinking of her soft, perfect skin beneath his fingertips as he ran them over her naked body had him fisting his hands at his sides, frantic to do it again. Her eyes never left him and he knew she was baiting him. He’d pushed her away and ignored her, but clearly Elizabeth had had enough of being set aside.

However much he might crave her, now was not the time to address the desire simmering in the room. There was an intruder presently invading his study and it was imperative Gabe determine what had happened before he approached the man. Not that leniency would affect his ruling for punishment. The moment the stranger had touched Elizabeth, he’d sealed his fate.

He stepped closer to the bed. “If I agree to have a seat, will you explain what happened?”

Her eyes widened slightly. She obviously hadn’t expected him to surrender to her request, but offered a smile and a nod.

“Fine.” He tried—and fell far short of succeeding—to ignore the fact she rested mere inches beside him as he took a seat on the bed, as far from her body as possible. “Your turn.”

Her happy expression turned into a frown. “There isn’t much to tell. I was looking out my window when I saw a man sneaking around the garden. I went to stop him,” she added with a shrug, as if it was of no consequence.

Gabe couldn’t form words to speak. Did she just admit she’d knowingly left the house to confront a strange man? He somehow gained control of his voice. “What do you mean, you went to
stop
him?”

“I mean, I grabbed a candlestick and went to the garden to stop him before he could reach the house.”

He didn’t attempt to stop the harshness from engulfing his words. “Are you daft? Why in the hell would you go after a stranger, a man no less, on your own?”

Her brows snapped together as she pushed herself away from the pillows, bringing her closer to him. “I did what I thought right. And I would do it again.”

Realizing she’d callously risked her life all over again had his anger roaring. “Do you think I don’t have the resources to replace whatever material object he would have managed to make off with? Besides, I doubt if he would have been successful. Even if he had gained the house without being detected by one of the servants, the odds he actually would break in and not get caught would be small.”

The tone of her ire matched his when she retorted, “Oh, I see. The all-powerful Duke of Wesbrook decreed no thief should dare enter his domain and take what is his, so of course it would never come to pass. Have you ever stopped to think what would have happened if he
did
manage to enter the house and someone unexpectedly came upon him? What if that person happened to be Phoebe? What then? Do you think he would have spared a child?”

At the mention of his daughter, his sharp retort evaporated. It might not be rational to think a simple burglar would stoop to harm a child, but Gabe couldn’t ignore its possibility. New beats of tenderness at Elizabeth’s loving nature flowed through him with each thud of his heart.

Calmer, his voice lost its rough edges. “You did this for Phoebe? A child who isn’t even yours?”

Her features softened. “I would do anything for her. Anyone would.”

“Not anyone. I doubt her own mother would have.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Oh, but I do. It isn’t much of a stretch to know what Cecilia would have been capable of. The safety of her child would never have been high on her list of priorities. Besides, the facts speak for themselves. She couldn’t even find it in herself to care for her own child. Instead, she’d had her daughter fostered off on a nanny.” Gabe’s voice took on an edge of bitterness.

Elizabeth sat silent, eyes downcast, fingering the bed sheets. Her desire to ask him something was written clearly on her face.

He decided to give her a bit of a reprieve. “Yes?”

She glanced up. “What?”

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. She was so transparent. “I know something is nagging you, Minx. Out with it.”

“Do you love her?” she blurted.

“Who? Phoebe?”

A pause of silence beat between them and when she finally spoke, he had to strain to hear the words. “No . . . Cecilia.”

Never expecting her question, it took a moment for Gabe to know how to answer. “My relationship with Cecilia was . . . complicated.”

Her gaze fell once more. “Oh. I see.”

“No, you don’t. Even
I
don’t know.”

She finally cast her eyes on him and he lost himself at what they held. Their green, so deep and pure, held a trace of uncertainty. He wished he could lay her fears aside and dispel any possibility he’d ever cared for Cecilia. But he wasn’t about to lie to Elizabeth if at all possible.

He took a deep breath and wondered how she’d managed to create such a hold on him that for the second time in one day he found himself divulging something he
never
spoke of. “I met Cecilia two months after my father’s death. It was the only time in my life when I thought it might be possible to break away from him and his influence. Little did I know his influences would endure from the grave.”