Unconventional Suitors 02 - Her Unconventional Hero (21 page)

Adel traced his face with her eyes. His appearance had been altered slightly by the dark beard that had yet to be shaven from his face. And though his face was pale and his cheeks gaunt, he was still, in her opinion, the most handsome man alive.

She hummed softly as her hand clung tightly to his as he slept. She hadn’t left his bedside since she had learned that his fever had broken. The physician had warned her that a full recovery wasn’t guaranteed, but he had improved so vastly in the last day that she was hopefully optimistic that all would be well. Griffin was too stubborn to die, and she was too stubborn to let him.

“What is that song you are humming?”

Adel sat up straight as her eyes settled on Griffin’s. “I am not certain. I’ve been making it up as I go.”

“That’s kind of like life. All any of us are doing is making it up as we go, but it always has a way of turning out uniquely beautiful, doesn’t it?”

Adel smiled at him, “I thought you didn’t consider yourself a poet?”

“Oh, I assure you I am not,” he chuckled. “Would you mind helping me sit up?”

“Of course.” Adel stood and reached her arm underneath him, helping him to rise. “How is that?” she asked as she adjusted the down pillows around him.

“Much better. I do not wish to spend this much time in bed ever again, at least until we are wed.” His eyes twinkled while his words caused Adel to blush.

“Well I insist you stay in bed long enough to get better, for I am most anxious to become your wife. As soon as you are able to stand without swooning, I am sending for the priest to marry us at once.”

“You are most anxious, my minx, but have your forgotten that the banns need to be read?”

Adel gave him a self-satisfied smile. “A special license is being procured as we speak.”

Griffin laughed, “Aren’t you the diligent one? How did you manage that?”

“Easily, if you must know. All I had to do was promise father I would never do something so foolish as write a gossip column again and he was more than happy to oblige. Truthfully, I think he is just relieved and grateful to see me so happy.”

“So the only thing left for me to do is regain enough strength to pull myself out of bed, is that what you are saying?”

“Precisely. Leave all of the details up to me. I want you to spend all of your energy on recovering. I cannot stomach the thought of having a weak groom,” she teased.

“I assure you that by our wedding day I will have my strength back. My pride could not handle it if I didn’t.”

They shared a smile.

“There is one thing I do need to take care of, however.”

“What is that?” she asked.

“I need to ask your father for his permission to wed you.”

Adel scoffed. “You ninny, he has already given his permission. Do you think he would pay for a special license had he no intent of allowing me to wed you?”

“It’s a formality,” Griffin explained patiently. “I would feel better if you at least would grant me that.”

“Very well, if you feel it is necessary, then by all means do it.”

“It is my duty as a gentleman, so yes, I will do it. Besides, I do not want to start our marriage off on the wrong foot. I always want to do the respectable thing by you.”

“Thank you.” Adel stared into the depths of his black eyes, eyes that were now so familiar and comforting to her before asking, “Do you think your father will come to the wedding?”

Griffin exhaled slowly. “I do not even wish to invite him, truth be told.”

“Because it will hurt worse if you do and he doesn’t come?” she ventured guessing.

He didn’t even need to respond, for the vulnerable look in his eyes told her she was correct. Squeezing his hand she said, “I will leave it up to you to decide how you wish to proceed.”

“Thank you,” he answered sincerely, then purposely changing the subject he asked, “How is Rose doing?”

“Better. The bruises on her face are beginning to turn yellow and fade. I think her physical wounds will heal much faster than the wounds to her spirit. As cruel as it sounds, it is indeed a blessing that Lord Moncreif killed himself.”

“His situation must have been worse than any of us could ever have guessed that he would choose death over the prospect of facing debtor’s prison.”

“Poor Rose. What do you think she will do now?”

Griffin was thoughtful for a moment. “I am uncertain. We will have to find out the entirety of the situation her husband left her in, but I would venture a guess that it isn’t good. Worst case scenario is that he leveraged himself to the hilt and will lose everything and be left penniless, in which case I wouldn’t hesitate to take her under my wing. If that were acceptable to you, of course,” he was quick to add.

“Of course it would be,” she insisted without hesitation. “But perhaps she will wish to return to live with your father.”
Griffin scowled at her, “You forget that my father is the reason she was ever married to that buffoon, to put it nicely. I’d venture to say that she has no desire whatsoever to return to my father’s care. I am uncertain how much contact she has even had with the man since she wed. No, I would never subject Rose to another tyrant’s care. I have no qualms about taking care of her for the rest of her life, if only to ensure her well-being.”

“Wouldn’t it be lovely if she could find someone to love her?” He looked at her skeptically, as if the very idea was ludicrous. “Why are you looking at me like that? Your sister is a very lovely girl who deserves to be loved and cared for. Every girl dreams of finding a dashing prince to rescue her and Rose is no different.”

“If someday she wishes to be courted again, I suppose I would allow it, but only when she is ready. And I can assure you that I will be very protective of her. I would rather her be alone the rest of her life than to be in an abusive marriage again.”

“I think she would very much agree with you on that point.”

Silence settled over them as Adel watched Griffin’s eyes drift closed. As much as she desired to continue their conversation, she didn’t wish to wear him out when his health was still so fragile. “Griffin,” she said as she gently nudged his side, “I think that it would be best for you to get some rest. Let me assist you in lying down then I will leave so you are not tempted to talk.”

“I’m tempted to do more than just talk,” he said as his eyes came open and he scanned her body boldly, reminding her of the time not so long ago when he had done the exact same thing on the balcony. Then she had found it offensive and crass, now it caused a warm tingling in the pit of her stomach. She placed her hand over the spot where the tingling began as if she could somehow temper it down, but it was to no avail.

“I’m afraid you are going to have to control your desires,” she scolded gently, though she smiled as she did so. “Now please, lie down and get some rest.”

It was a testament to his weakness that he did as she said, for if he had been healthy he would have surely ignored her and done as he wished. She had to admit that she was slightly disappointed that he couldn’t do more than lay his weary head down to rest.

She tucked the blankets tightly around his chest before reaching up and stroking his jaw, enjoying the warm feel of his skin contrasted with the coarse, stubbly hair. Griffin’s eyes opened, probing into hers as he spoke groggily. “Adel, have you found your prince?”

“I’ve found more than just my prince. I’ve found my hero,” she stated simply but firmly. “Have you found your princess?

“No,” he whispered huskily. Adel flinched slightly as disappointment filled her breast, but he continued, “To call you a princess seems too trite. You’re more than the woman I love; you are my savior. You have filled an emptiness inside of me that I thought would forever remain barren. As I laid here writhing in pain, feeling my strength and the very life blood being sucked out of me, I thought I was going to die. The thought of leaving you was the only thing that kept me fighting to live.”

Happiness swelled up inside of her. “Oh Griffin, I love you.”

He turned his head so he could kiss her palm. “And I love you. When I saw you standing by the pond with Lord Moncreif’s pistol aimed at your heart, I made a vow right then and there that, if we both survived, I would never do anything to hurt you ever again. I recalled that promise a thousand times in my subconscious state, telling myself that if I gave up it would hurt you beyond repair. You are literally the reason I survived. That and the fact that you brought those leeches,” he said with a smile. “Dare I ask where you got them?”

Adel returned his smile, her heart so full of love and joy that she could barely contain it. “I waded in the pond until they clung to my foot. If you weren’t fully convinced of my love for you before, knowing what I did for you should solidify that fact.”

“I should be surprised, but nothing you do surprises me anymore.”

“Oh I hope there are at least a few surprises left in me. How very dull life would be without them. Don’t you agree?”

“Life with you is never going to be dull, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Adel sat in her chair, her head spinning with all of the commotion surrounding her. Her lady’s maid was hastily pinning her long curls into an elaborate style at the back of her neck, pulling her head every which way in an ungentle fashion, while another maid was flitting around the room laying out her clothing and shoes. And if that wasn’t enough, Rose was pacing about the room acting more nervous than the bride herself.

With the final hairpin in place, Adel turned around and looked at Rose. “Please stop pacing. You’re nerves are making me jittery.”
Rose stopped in her tracks, wringing her hands together. She instantly looked contrite. “I’m sorry, there’s just something about weddings that sets me on edge.”

Adel walked towards the girl, taking her hands into her own. “It’s probably the memory of your own unhappy union that provokes such feelings in you, but you needn’t worry. Griffin and I are very much in love.”

“I know that,” Rose whispered softly.

Just then Katherine burst into the room carrying her bonnet, followed by Aunt Tabitha and Lady Danford. Adel gasped at the unexpected sight of Gillian. She ducked her head, feeling instantly foolish at the thought that she knew it was her who had written such deplorable things about her husband in
The Morning Post
.

Aunt Tabitha scurried over towards her, “Why are you not dressed yet? Hurry up child, or you will be late for your own wedding.”

The two maids ushered her behind the Chinese partition, quickly removing her wrapper and instantly starting to dress her in all of her layers. As soon as she was fully dressed, Katherine placed her bonnet atop of her head and stepped back, “You look beautiful, Adel.”

“Yes, you truly do,” Lady Danford cooed as she came near, admiring the canary yellow taffeta gown with floral embroidery crawling up the hem of the skirt and the sleeves.

Adel smiled wanly at Gillian, unsure of how to proceed. She finally settled on stammering an awkward apology. “I am sorry for the things I wrote about your husband.”

Gillian surprised her by laughing. “I find it all the more amusing now that I know it was you who wrote them. How very sneaky of you.”

Adel looked at her in surprise. “You truly aren’t mad at me?”

“I may have been more upset had I learned about it before things were fully resolved between Benedict and myself. The mention of his name in the scandal sheets caused quite the embarrassment to his mother, creating an inordinate amount of tension between the two. But all of that has been settled now and I consider the whole thing to be water under the bridge.”

“You are a saint,” Adel muttered in disbelief.

Gillian laughed once more. “You do not know me well enough if you honestly believe that.” Then, leaning forward she planted a kiss on Adel’s cheek. “I better go find my husband and make sure he is behaving himself, though that is hard for him to do when he is around his friends.”

Adel knew exactly what she was talking about. Griffin’s three best friends had arrived two days prior, and there had hardly been a moment of silence at Terrace Manor since. Adel had just been grateful that Griffin felt well enough to participate in their antics. In the last three weeks he had made great strides in his recovery. His color had returned along with most of his strength. The only thing left behind to hint at his brush with death was the scar on his arm where the ball had gone, resulting in some stiffness and limited movement.

“We best be on our way as well,” Aunt Tabitha cooed as she made her way towards the door behind Gillian.

“Wait,” Rose called out. Aunt Tabitha stopped and turned. “I have something I wanted to give Adel first.”

Rose walked towards Adel carrying in her hands a small package wrapped in brown paper. She held it out to Adel and said, “I came across this while I was packing up my stuff back in London and I wanted you to have it.”

Adel untied the string from around the package, letting it fall to the ground, as she gently unfolded the paper revealing a square of white fabric. She turned questioning eyes on Rose as she unfolded the square and held up the white christening gown she had embroidered for her first child that was never born.

“I wanted you and Griffin to have it,” Rose said shyly.

Adel held tightly to the gown as she threw her arms around Rose’s neck, nearly knocking off her bonnet in the process. “Oh, Rose I would be honored.”

Pulling back, both girls wiped the tears gingerly from their eyes. “It’s the very least I could do for all you are doing for me.”

Adel humbly accepted her token of gratitude. Rose had traveled to London a fortnight ago with Adel’s father and man of affairs to try and set her own affairs at rights. While there she had discovered that her husband had debts of such large proportions that even if all his property was sold, he’d never be able to repay them. She had returned to Terrace Manor with nothing more than her trunk of belongings.

Adel had never been more grateful for her family’s wealth and generosity than she had been at that time. In addition to her large dowry that Griffin would receive after their marriage was solemnized, her father had given her a small country cottage on a modest parcel of land that had belonged to her mother when she was alive and had come into her marriage as part of her own dowry. She had immediately offered the use of the cottage to Rose for as long as she might need it.