The Duke's Temptation (29 page)

Chapter 42

Gabe’s pounding heartbeat didn’t slow until he swept Phoebe and Elizabeth into the house. Even then he wasn’t convinced they were out of danger. He’d rescued them from their kidnapper but given the way Phoebe shivered in his arms, they were chilled through, something that could be deadly if not addressed immediately.

“Thank God you’re safe!” Millie exclaimed as she rushed to Elizabeth’s side and grasped her niece’s hand. “Oh dear heavens, you are frozen. We need to get you warm.” She rubbed her finger against Phoebe’s cheek. “You too. Upstairs, both of you. Now.”

The speed at which Millie took charge made Gabe feel as if he’d been hit by a cannonball. But as she organized two hot baths and some sweet-smelling, warm concoction for them to drink, he admitted defeat and bowed to her greater expertise.

Even so, with the situation well in hand he couldn’t help but feel inadequate and in the way. He had desired to be the hero, anything that would deem him deserving of their love. Something that would—just maybe—prove he wasn’t the complete scoundrel his father had molded him into.

His yearning to be more was why he found himself in his study, pacing the rug before a fire with a medicinal glass of brandy in his hand, replaying the events of the day. He struggled to find an answer as to how he could have prevented any of it.

“Damn,” he swore to the empty room as he tried to run his hands through his hair, only to end up with his fingers twisted in the wet tangles.

A wise man would have stopped by his room and changed into dry clothes before retreating to the study. He apparently lacked the proper intelligence.

How the hell had his day evolved into such a disaster? The morning had been so promising. His first
real
conversation with Phoebe, and then their ensuing ride, had given him hope their father-daughter relationship had begun to fall into place.

He’d never foreseen the turn of events the rest of the day had taken on.

His glass empty, Gabe abandoned his pacing for a quick refill. For once in his life he wasn’t drinking with the intent of becoming inebriated; to find oblivion on the other side of a few topped-off glasses of auburn liquid.

Tonight he had more practical purposes. A deep warming sensation to chase away the chill. A much-needed distraction from the thoughts of a lithe body covered in creamy white skin soaking very nakedly in a hot bath.

Those visions nearly had him taking the stairs two at a time so he could assist with those hard to reach—yet delicious—places. The need raging through his body, with the same intensity as the storm howling outside, cared nothing if he had to push past Millie in order to do it.

Which proved how crazed he had become.

He’d started across the carpet when the partially-closed door banged against the wall and a very muddy and sopping wet Nate entered the room, toting an equally muck-covered criminal.

Gabe smothered a grin. He couldn’t recall ever seeing his stylish brother in complete dishevel. As much enjoyment as he got from Nate’s untidiness, more important things needed his attention.

Specifically, the criminal dangling from Nate’s fist.

The change in the young man was amazing. Gone was the calm uncertainty from a few short hours earlier. Before Gabe stood a man shrouded in defeat.

His eyes remained downcast, avoiding Gabe’s stare. The wet clothes plastered against his body made him appear thinner than he had this morning, as if he’d recently lost weight.

“Did you have any problems apprehending him?” Maybe a bit of conversation would cool some of Gabe’s burning desire to snatch the man by the neck and twist the last breath from his body.

“You doubt my capabilities?” Nate offered a cocky grin as he landed a hefty shove to the back of his prisoner, hurling him into the room.

Much to Gabe’s chagrin, the young man righted himself and stayed on his feet. Gabe would have like to see him sprawled across the floor. He found it so much easier to boot a man in the arse when his backside was level with his foot.

In all his life, he had never resorted to kicking a man while he was down. He wouldn’t allow this bounder to taint one of the few favorable qualities he’d maintained.

“Well, I’ve learned to never put anything past you.” Gabe stepped closer to the trash his brother had hauled in. “I don’t know why but for some reason I’m feeling oddly generous, so I’ll allow you one chance to explain yourself before I decide your fate.”

The man’s head snapped up. Below the flatness of his eyes burned a low flame of hate. Gabe had a distinct feeling he was personally responsible for the simmering burn.

At the man’s stubborn silence, Gabe demanded, “Who are you?”

“Charles York.”

Nate sauntered over to him as if he wore the finest evening wear instead of rain soaked breeches and coat. “Charles York, perhaps you’d care to explain yourself before my not so even-tempered brother exhausts what’s left of his patience.”

“You have something that belongs to me,” York replied. His stare burned directly at Gabe.

What he might have done to peeve the man, Gabe hadn’t a clue. Then again, Elizabeth
had
been involved in both of York’s attacks. Did the man believe he had some claim to her?

“Elizabeth?” he asked.

As soon as Nate’s sharp eyes turned in his direction, Gabe realized his blunder.

Damn. With the implication that Elizabeth belonged to him, why not just announce his feelings? And given Nate’s narrowed eyes and rascally grin, his bloody brother had come to the proper conclusion, that Gabe loved Elizabeth. And not with the same lukewarm affection he had when she’d been a child.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. Who is Elizabeth?”

That silenced Gabe. He’d been so sure it was Elizabeth. If not, then why attack her? Why abduct her tonight?

Nate jumped in as Gabe ruminated over what the
something
could be. “Allow me to enlighten you. Elizabeth is the lady you first attacked and then kidnapped.”

York’s eyes widened as the color drained from his face. “Attack? Kidnap? I did no such thing.”

The man must be crazy. Gabe could think nothing else. First, he raged about retrieving something that belonged to him—something Gabe was beginning to think didn’t even exist. Then, he denied his obvious role in two serious crimes. Only a raving lunatic would profess such falsehoods.

“If that is so, then what would you call forcefully grabbing and subsequently injuring a defenseless woman? Or even better, how do you explain Elizabeth being held in your carriage?” Nate pressed.

Gabe had to admire his brother’s interrogation techniques. He didn’t use force, but got right to the point. Of course, Gabe wouldn’t be against the use of
some
aggression.

“You mean that lady in the garden? I never meant to harm her. I was only trying to keep her from screaming. I tried to tell her I wouldn’t hurt her,” York said with a growing scowl. “Damned lady wouldn’t stop fighting long enough to listen. I only grabbed her the way I did to keep her from scratching my eyes out.”

Gabe struggled with the urge to smile at Elizabeth’s pluck. He didn’t doubt if need be, she would fight with all she had. Only now was not the time to tally all the reasons he loved the exasperating woman.

“And what about kidnapping her? Was that also a misunderstanding?” he demanded.

“I never forced her to follow. The only reason I allowed her to come was so she wouldn’t sound the alarm.”

“If what you claim is true and Elizabeth wasn’t your target, then exactly where were you planning to take her and my daughter—”

The pieces of the puzzle snapped into place and Gabe froze. It never had been about Elizabeth. Or some mysterious object.

Phoebe. The man had been after his daughter.

Chapter 43

Without thinking, Gabe lunged at Charles York but Nate stepped between them before he could reach the blackguard. That didn’t stop him from reaching for the bastard around Nate’s arm.

“How dare you! What were you planning to do with her? An innocent child? My daughter?” Gabe shouted as awful thoughts whisked through his mind. He’d heard dreadful stories of children being taken for all types of nefarious plots.

Each possibility raised his anger to a fulminating boil. If not for Nate holding him back, he would have snapped the man in two.

“Gabe. Think,” Nate insisted. “Next to you there is no one who wants to personally escort this man to the afterlife more than me. However, I don’t think even the Duke of Wesbrook can bolster his way out of a murder conviction.”

It took a few moments before Nate’s words penetrated Gabe’s rage. When it finally did, he stepped back and sucked in a few breaths to gather his temper.

When he was confident he’d be able to restrain himself, Gabe raised his head and pinned York with a ferocious glare. The man had the good sense to look nervous.

Through clenched teeth Gabe managed to force out, “Choose your words carefully when you answer. What were you planning to do with my daughter?”

“She isn’t your daughter!”

Of all the answers Gabe had been expecting, that hadn’t been one of them. He gaped at the madman before him as York ground out, “She is mine.”

This final declaration hadn’t even been in the realm of possibilities for Gabe. The sheer preposterousness of it caused him to laugh aloud.

“Your daughter? I suppose you also claim to be the Duke of Wesbrook.”

Nate joined in with a few chuckles of his own, but York remained stone faced.

The man actually believed his announcement. Gabe sobered as fast as his mirth had appeared.

“Did you hit the man’s head?” Gabe asked his brother.

“Never laid a hand on his head. Can’t say the same for other parts of him, but I distinctly recall never touching his head.”

“There is nothing wrong with my head. But I’m starting to doubt the soundness of your minds,” York accused.

The bloke had gumption. Too bad Gabe didn’t give a damn what potential redeeming qualities the idiot might or might not have.

“If that is so, how is it
you
believe my very paternal daughter could be yours?”

The situation was beyond ridiculous. Gabe wanted to be done with it all. Besides, his wet clothes were beginning to chafe certain areas he was particularly fond of.

He supposed he should humor the insane bastard. “Fine. Let’s—for argument’s sake—say Phoebe
is
your daughter. Would you care to explain who her mother is and how Phoebe came to be on my front step?” Perhaps if he gave the man enough rope, he’d hang himself.

York eyed Gabe warily, then launched into a story that could be the basis of most boyhood fantasies. “I meet Cecilia shortly after I came to London. I’ve never seen anyone so beautiful.”

Cecelia?
His Cecelia?

York confirmed it as he revealed more. “The first time I saw her on stage I knew I would marry Cecilia Fairchild. I hadn’t the money to show my affection with trinkets and flowers but I didn’t need any. She loved me for myself. She never asked for anything but my affection in return.”

Gabe wanted to interrupt but his ability was lost at York’s description of Cecelia. How could the woman York spoke of be the same who that betrayed him?

“That doesn’t explain your claim to Phoebe,” Nate pressed. Thankfully his brother hadn’t lost the capacity to speak.

York’s eyes narrowed. “I was about to.”

Far from intimidated, Nate replied, “Well, get there faster.”

“Our devotion mutual, my courtship developed swiftly and before long, Cecelia was with child. I offered to marry her but she refused. Said I was too good for her. I wouldn’t accept that. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.” York assumed a sad demeanor. “One day when I went to ask her yet again, she was gone. Just like that. It took me over three years to find her.”

He paused dramatically before he continued, “By then it was too late. She had died in an accident. Our love was never meant to be. Knowing our daughter hadn’t perished as well was all that kept me going. I made it my sole purpose to find her and bring her home.”

The look he directed at Gabe sent a chill up his back. “Before I could locate her, I received a letter informing me my daughter had been claimed by the Duke of Wesbrook. Which is what led me to you. The letter confirmed what I already knew. I had been Cecilia’s only lover. Phoebe is mine. So, you see,
Your Grace
, you have my daughter and I want her back.”

When York fell silent, Gabe could only stare at the poor bastard. Not because he believed the story and thus became overwhelmed with emotion that York had enjoyed a relationship with Cecilia. But because the pitiful fool had been duped by a master of manipulation. The same woman who had sworn her undying love to Gabe, all the while being paid handsomely by his deceased father’s solicitor.

Good to know Cecilia’s deceitful capabilities had no limit.
As comforting as it was to learn he hadn’t been the only one lured by her false nature, it didn’t remove the sting of the truth that he’d been enough of an idiot to succumb.

Gabe knew in his gut the letter Charles York had received was from none other than his own tormentor and blackmailer. The very man intent on finding a way to destroy Gabe’s life.

He raked his hand through his hair as he tried to think of a way to break the unfortunate news. Phoebe was not and never would be Charles York’s daughter.

“You, my man, have been hoodwinked,” Nate said, deadpan. Apparently, he had no qualms about squashing a young man’s final hope. “My niece is not your daughter.”

York opened his mouth to speak but Nate cut him off with a slash of his hand. “I know what you are going to say, but you are not in possession of all the facts. Let me reveal a simple few. One, you were far from Cecilia’s
first.
In fact, not long before you, she was warming my brother’s bed.”

York gave a deep growl and lunged at Nate. “You lie!”

This time it was Gabe who stepped in. Before this night concluded, someone would no doubt be sporting a bloody nose.

Nate must not have seen the man as a threat because he continued as if York was nothing more than an annoying ankle-biting dog instead of an enraged menace. “No need to be rash, because truth is, Gabe was far from the first to have her flat on her back.”

York struggled against Gabe’s hold. Nate’s choice of words wasn’t exactly diffusing the situation. Gabe would have told him to cease, but the twinkle in his brother’s eyes said how much Nate was enjoying himself. Besides, he wasn’t relaying anything Gabe wouldn’t have taken pleasure in pointing out.

“Cecilia didn’t have an honest bone in her body. She was too enamored of herself to love anyone. Why else would she throw away the chance to marry a duke for a few extra pounds?”

It was Gabe’s turn to gape at his brother. How the hell had Nate known Cecilia had been paid off to be his lover? He’d told no one. Not even Elizabeth.

How had he found out?

“Maybe she never loved him,” York mumbled, without much conviction.

“Has that ever stopped a woman before? I think it is more commonplace women
don’t
marry for love but for money and position. However, in Cecilia’s case she had wanted both sides of the stick. She wanted the prestige of marrying a duke, but she was too greedy to say no to the underhanded dealings of our father.”

Nate’s blue eyes held a touch of pity amongst the blaze of loathing also apparent. It hit Gabe hard to realize his brother knew everything. Knew what his father had done. Yet instead of shame, Gabe felt relieved. If anyone would understand the depths of his father’s depraved soul, it would be Nate.

Turning to the man still struggling to get past Gabe, Nate pointed out the most obvious. “Lastly, Phoebe is the spitting image of my brother. No one would dispute that. I challenge even you to discredit it.”

He softened, stepping past Gabe, grabbing York by the shoulders. “Listen to me, boy. I could give you more facts than you would care to listen to regarding your beloved Cecilia. But we both know you don’t want to hear the sordid details. It is time to let this go.”

Charles York’s shoulders slumped, and acceptance seemed to engulf him right before deep sobs shook his entire body.

Since Nate had effectively crushed all final hope of having something that would connect him to the woman who unfairly held his heart, Gabe saw it as his duty to put the sad fool back together. The irony that a moment ago he’d been ready to rip the same man limb from limb didn’t escape him.

“See here. You need to be strong. In the end you never lost anything since Phoebe had never been yours. She is with me and I promise I’ll love and protect her always.”

“I’m sorry,” York choked out. “I thought she was my daughter. I would never have harmed her.”

“I know,” Gabe said and was amazed to realize he wasn’t lying.

As far as finding the ability to forgive all the hell York had put his daughter and Elizabeth through, Gabe wasn’t nearly that generous. But what to do with him? There was plenty of justification for filing kidnapping charges, as well as a few other crimes.

“What are you going to do with him?” Nate asked as if reading his mind.

Instead of answering his brother, Gabe addressed the man who was starting to become a nuisance. “Do you have family, Charles?”

“No, Your Grace,” he said with tears still in his eyes. At least the major blubbering had ceased.

“How about a job?”

“No.”

“A place to live?” Gabe already predicted the answer to be no.

“I do not.”

Gabe felt as if he’d kicked a puppy. The man had just found out he held no claim to the child he’d thought his, and had no life to return to.

Hoping he wouldn’t come to regret it, Gabe made up his mind. “If I have your word you will never come near my daughter again, I have an offer for you.”

York eyed him skeptically. Even Nate lifted a brow. Neither reaction derailed Gabe from his course.

“I’ll have your word before I go any farther.”

“I make no claim to her. You have my word.” The man’s voice was strong.

Again, despite his better judgment, Gabe took the man’s words as genuine.

“That being the case, I have a job and place for you to stay. After becoming better acquainted with the Wesbrook holdings, I’ve come to discover I’m in need of an assistant to the head groom at my estate in Cumberland. If you like, the job is yours.”

Gabe wasn’t sure but it was possible Nate’s jaw had dropped further than Charles York’s.

“Are you certain?” he asked.

Nate’s dubious reaction followed quickly. “Yes, Gabe, are you
certain
?”

“You must have forgotten, I’m the Duke of Wesbrook and I’m nothing if not certain. Besides, I have complete confidence the head groomsman will keep you too busy to cause trouble.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“How about a ‘thank you and I promise to never see you again.’” Gabe might have sprouted a compassionate side sometime during the last few weeks, but that didn’t mean he needed to cross paths with the man who had tried to take his future away from him.

All decided, Gabe pulled the bell for Wilkes, made arrangements for a dry set of clothes for the young man, and had one of his conveyances readied for the immediate departure of Charles York.

The moment he vacated the room with Wilkes, after expressing additional gratitude, Nate turned silently. He crossed his arms and pinned Gabe with a look of utter incredulity.

Not about to be baited by his little brother, Gabe shouldered past Nate and retrieved his drink. In one smooth motion he raised the glass to his lips and downed the contents. Once the tumbler was void of its last drop, Gabe addressed his brother.

“You think I’m a fool.”

Nate’s lips curved slightly. “I’ve always thought you a fool. But in this, no, you are not a fool. The boy was more misguided dolt than villain. I don’t think you will live to regret your decision.”

“Then why the look?”

“Because, dear brother, I’m amazed the rakish Duke of Wesbrook knew he even held property in Cumberland. Since when did you become so engrossed with duty and responsibility?” Nate seemed to fight against keeping his smirk from turning into a full smile.

Damn his brother for latching onto the smallest details.

“Over the last few days I’ve come to realize having an active hand in running the estates might not be as atrocious as I’d once thought,” Gabe mused.

“Mind if I help myself?” Nate inclined his head to the bottles. “I’m as cold as a mistress after her latest paramour has left her bed.”

“Is that where you have been? Warming someone’s bed? Does that mean you didn’t discover anything about the blackmailer? Damn, I knew I should have gone.”

Nate’s drink never reached his lips. He gave Gabe a heavy look that caused the hair on his neck to rise.

“Out with it,” he growled. He probably wouldn’t want to hear whatever Nate was obviously hesitant to tell him.

“You’re not going to like this.”

“You don’t say.”

“Let me start out by saying everything I did was to discover the truth.” Nate visibly struggled to get the rest out. Finally he admitted, “I visited Mary’s family.”