One Rogue Too Many (17 page)

Wesley opened the door wide to admit him as he’d done many times through the years. “Follow me, my lord.”

Waving off his offer, Anthony headed for the stairway. “I know the way, Wes.” He jogged up the stairs to discourage the old butler from following him.

Gabby’s chambers were down the corridor to the left. Outside her door, he lightly tapped against the solid wood and received a muffled command to enter. He pushed the door open and found her sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard.

“Anthony!” She jerked the counterpane up to her chin. “What are you doing here?”

“Your mother said you were ill. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight without knowing how serious it is.”

She wagged a finger toward the door, making him halt. “You have to leave. Magda will return any moment with a dinner tray.”

God, he just wanted to go to her. She looked so beautiful with her dark hair falling around her shoulders. But she was right. He couldn’t be found in her chambers.

“Do you promise you’re all right?”

She hesitated, then nodded, her eyes closed. “I’ll be fine. Now, please go. My family would be crushed if we were discovered together.”

“I am going, love.”

As he touched the door handle, she called out his name. She was sitting with her knees drawn to her chest, her arms hugging her legs. “When you went to Wales…”

“Yes?” He tried to his cover his unease with a smile, but his lips felt tight. He needed time he didn’t have to tell her what had happened in Wales, how frightened he’d been when he had found the cottage destroyed and his daughter missing.

“You went for Annabelle.”

“I did.” He watched closely for any sign of reluctance. It couldn’t be easy for any lady to accept another woman’s child into her heart. How would she feel once she knew Annabelle wasn’t even his? “Gabby, I love you and so will Annabelle. You’ll see she’s a lovely girl once you get to know her.”

Her eyes filled with tears and she swiped at them furiously.

Anthony was across the room in three strides. He tenderly caressed her luxurious hair. She held herself stiff, obviously uncomfortable. But what did he expect? He had stolen into the chambers of an innocent.

“I’m going,” he said with a sigh.

“You brought a woman back, too.”

Gads.
Mayfair had eyes and ears everywhere. “Miss Teague is Annabelle’s nanny. They are inseparable.”

Her gaze dropped to the counterpane and she picked at a thread. “I see.”

Miss Teague was more than his daughter’s nanny, but he couldn’t get into their relationship without rehashing the entire tale. “We’ll talk tomorrow when I may call on you properly. I promise to answer whatever questions you have.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Get some rest, my love.”

***

Gabby hadn’t been able to do as Anthony wished. Even when she slept, her dreams were troubled.

He had lied to her.

Annabelle had called Miss Teague her mama, and Gabby had no doubts about who Miss Teague was to Anthony’s daughter. Gabby had been under the care of the same governess most of her childhood, and she had never been confused about who her mother was. The strong physical resemblance just confirmed the relationship.

Still, a small part of her hoped there was an explanation. Her heart couldn’t bear to give Anthony up so easily. She would allow him another chance to tell her the truth when he called on her today.

A tiny flicker of optimism compelled her to climb from bed and dress for his visit. She was trying to distract herself with sketching in the drawing room when Wesley approached with his silver dish bearing Lord Thorne’s calling card.

Gabby set her work aside. “Please show him in.”

“Yes, milady.”

The temptation to question Thorne further about his accusations was too great. He hadn’t come out and accused Anthony of siring Annabelle with Miss Teague, but his insinuation was clear now. She wanted to know the source of his information, and if he truly believed the person was reliable.

When Lord Thorne entered the drawing room, his grim expression transformed with a smile. “Lady Gabrielle, how relieved I am to find you looking well this morning. Your mother painted a dire picture last night.”

“Mama has a tendency to fret, but as you can see, I’m fine. Please have a seat.” She gestured toward one of the chairs opposite the settee, but he took the place next to her. He kept a proper distance between them, but his gaze slid over her much too intimately.

“Are you certain you’re well? There are circles under your eyes.”

“You shouldn’t notice such things, sir. And if you do, you certainly shouldn’t point it out to a lady.”

He ducked his head and gave her a chagrined half smile. “My apologies. I only meant to convey my concern. You must know nothing detracts from your beauty.”

She chuckled in spite of herself. “You always have the words to smooth a lady’s ruffled feathers, don’t you? I should toss you out for false flattery.”

All humor faded as he reached for her hand. “There’s nothing false about my compliments. You take my breath away.”

His eyes glittered darkly like the deepest lakes in Northumberland. Lord Thorne was a man with a passion to match her own. He was free with his emotions and generous with his adoration. He was everything she should want in a husband.

She blinked, breaking his hold over her, and extracted her hand from his. “I’m pleased you called, my lord. We didn’t have time to finish our discussion at the Norwicks’ party and I have questions.”

“I’ll answer anything you ask.”

There was a dull throb in her chest. Anthony had made the same promise, but would he be this open with her? He always seemed guarded when she questioned him.

“Who is the source of this rumor?” she asked.

“Lords Corby and Ledbery. I don’t consider them the most reliable gents, however.” He adjusted his position on the settee, propping his arm on the seat back. “You should know I would never spread false tales about anyone. I had to seek out the truth for myself. I have no intentions of telling anyone else what I discovered, but you deserved the truth.”

She turned toward him. “What is the truth, my lord?”

He hesitated, his lips parted. Her heart warmed toward him a little in that moment. He didn’t want to hurt her. “The story goes Ellis’s wife went missing not long after their marriage. After a few weeks passed, Ellis told everyone she was visiting family abroad, but no one acquainted with the lady and her parents had heard them speak of travel plans or relations outside of England. It was rather odd, but her parents left Town abruptly, too.”

Before the Season was over? She could see the reason others might find their actions bizarre.

“After Lady Ellis left Town, Lord Ellis would go missing for weeks at a time,” Thorne said. “No one knew of his whereabouts. It must have been a year before anyone received word that Lady Ellis had given birth in Wales and died in childbirth.”

“Did she have family in Wales?”

“It doesn’t appear so, and her parents weren’t with her either. They returned to the country upon leaving London and kept to themselves. For a husband to allow his wife to travel abroad alone…” He frowned and shook his head. “Either Ellis was a fool or he lied about his wife’s disappearance.”

Gabby’s nausea returned, and she took slow breaths to quell her sickness. “You—you make it sound sinister.”

“That isn’t my intention. I don’t believe Ellis had anything to do with her death, at least not directly.”

“Then what are you implying?”

His dark gaze held her entranced. “I believe Lady Ellis died of a broken heart, and I can’t sit back and watch it happen to you, too. I’ll do anything within my power to protect you.”

She rubbed at the throb in her temple. “Why would she have died from a broken heart?”

She feared she knew the answer, but she needed to hear him say it.

He squeezed her shoulder, massaging her tight muscles. “I’m speculating about the cause of her death, but I’ve seen what heartache can do. I wasn’t sure my sister would ever recover after Benjamin Hillary’s betrayal. When I saw Ellis’s daughter with her nanny, the pieces started coming together.”

He continued to rub her shoulder muscles, and her headache eased but didn’t disappear.

“Do you believe the nanny is Annabelle’s mother?”

He blinked as if surprised by her question.

“I saw them together yesterday,” she said. “The girl referred to the nanny as her mother.”

The compassion in his eyes almost made her cry again. “I believe she is the girl’s mother,” he said, “and I think Ellis may have forced his wife to hide in Wales until the baby was born. There is no one to dispute his claim that Lady Ellis gave birth to his daughter.”

Tears blurred Gabby’s vision. “What does it all mean? Why did he keep Annabelle hidden away in Wales, and why is she here now?”

Thorne pulled her into his embrace, and she didn’t resist. She needed the comfort too badly to turn him away.

He caressed her back just like her papa had when she was little and skinned her knee. “I don’t know the answers, love. But I know it’s not right to ask you to live under the same roof as his mistress. Ellis is a disgrace. I promise you would never be second in my heart if you married me. I would love you dearly, Gabrielle, if you would only let me.”

She came back to her senses suddenly. Sebastian Thorne was a wonderful man, but she didn’t love him in return. Allowing him this intimacy was wrong. She tried to ease away from him but discovered her mistake at once.

His eyes were aflame and his mouth too close to hers. Before she could escape, he captured her face and kissed her. He held her head in place as he gently parted her lips and delved his tongue inside her mouth. It felt awkward and terribly wrong. Nothing like a kiss was supposed to be. She flattened her palms against his chest to shove away when she heard a cry of surprise.

Lord Thorne released her and turned toward the noise. Her mother and Lady Eldridge stood inside the doorway. Mama was too pale. Lady Eldridge, Mama’s dear friend, slipped an arm around her to assist her to a chair.

Gabby’s world tilted off its axis. “Mama—” Her voice broke.

Oh, God
. Gabby had seen that same look moments after her mother had discovered Papa the night he died. She couldn’t breathe. Pain and guilt crushed her.

“Your Grace, please forgive me,” Lord Thorne said as he stood. “This isn’t how it seems.”

Lady Eldridge crossed her arms. “And
how
does it seem, Lord Thorne?”

“I’m afraid it appears as if I have compromised Lady Gabrielle, and though I deeply regret my enthusiasm, I was overjoyed when she accepted my marriage proposal.”

Proposal?
The room spun, and for a moment, Gabby thought she was going to be sick again.

Thorne turned to offer his hand and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

“Is this true, Gabrielle?” her mother asked. “Did you agree to marry Lord Thorne?”

Gabby wanted to snatch her hand back, but Lord Thorne was offering her a graceful way out of this mess. Corroborating his story would mean sacrificing her happiness, but disappointing her mother again was unbearable. She tried to swallow, but her throat was so dry.

“Yes,” she whispered. “He has asked for my hand.”

Lady Eldridge’s disgruntled frown remained in place. “Lord Thorne, have you spoken with her brother?”

“Not yet, my lady. I was uncertain if Lady Gabrielle would have me.”

“Then may I suggest, young man, that you hop to it? Stealing kisses before you have received her brother’s blessing isn’t well done.”

“You’re correct, Lady Eldridge.”

“Lud! I well know I’m in the right, Lord Thorne. I don’t need your validation.” Lady Eldridge continued her diatribe, scolding the baron properly.

Gabby met her mother’s gaze and the sadness she saw made her want to sob. So, this was it. Her punishment for being careless and stupid was to be trapped in marriage with a man she might never love. She blinked back tears. Bravery didn’t allow for tears, and she
would
be courageous, for she had brought this on herself.

Mama shook her head slowly. “How could you?”

Her censorship pierced Gabby’s heart. She had always suspected she was a failure as a daughter, but now she knew it with certainty.

Eighteen

Gabby’s brothers remained behind closed doors with Lord Thorne while she had been ordered to wait in the drawing room.

This
must
be
how
a
condemned
man
feels.

With her mother’s gaze locked on her, she couldn’t even allow herself a good pacing of the room. Instead, she forced her hands to lie calmly on her lap, while every other part of her was primed to run away. She took a cleansing breath to battle her nerves.

At least Lady Eldridge had excused herself. Gabby hadn’t held out any hope of maintaining decorum with two sets of disapproving eyes aimed in her direction.

Mama shook her head slowly, her mouth puckered with disappointment. “I don’t understand you, Gabrielle.”

Guilt heaped on Gabby’s shoulders, curling her inward.

Her mother sighed when Gabby didn’t respond, but she didn’t know what to say. “I expected you to accept Anthony’s proposal. He loves you, darling. Why did you agree to marry the baron?”

She hadn’t, but how could she tell her mother she had allowed a man she’d had no intentions of marrying to kiss her? She might as well hang a sign around her neck identifying herself as a loose woman. Her hands formed fists and she trembled with suppressed rage. Thorne had made her a disgrace. She hadn’t asked for his kiss.

Didn’t I?
Her face flamed and she dropped her head. She’d admitted him without a chaperone and had sought comfort from his embrace. Was Thorne truly the villain?

“I asked you a question, daughter. Why have you accepted Lord Thorne’s offer?”

“He asked me.”

Mama made a disgusted sound and Gabby’s head snapped up. “What is wrong with the baron? He’s handsome, titled, and has the means to support a wife.”