One Rogue Too Many (31 page)

“How long is eventually?” She looked too pale of a sudden, her meal forgotten.

Anthony reached across the table for her hand. Her fingers were cold and he rubbed them between his palms. “You mustn’t worry overmuch. We’ll weather the storm together.”

Drew cocked an eyebrow. “We will
all
weather the storm, Ellis. The Forests never abandon one of their own.”

Unfortunately, eloping with another man before her wedding wasn’t the only scandal facing them, but Anthony didn’t want to dredge up everything now when she was already fretful.

Gabby grew misty-eyed as her gaze shot from one brother to the next. “Thank you. I can’t tell you how much it means to have your support, but we must consider what is best for Liz and Katie. If Anthony and I distance ourselves, perhaps their prospects next Season won’t be affected.”

Drew draped his arm around her shoulders. “I hardly think our sisters would agree to such an arrangement.”

“Put your mind at ease,” Luke said kindly. “Elizabeth and Katherine are accomplished, beautiful young ladies and they will make good matches. I wouldn’t be surprised if they, too, have gentlemen competing for their attentions.”

Gabby nibbled her bottom lip. “I hope nothing to the extremes I witnessed last night. Lord Thorne scared the wits out of me.”

Drew narrowed his eyes at Anthony. “Is that what happened to your face? I take it you were the victor since there’s no sign of Thorne today.”

“The win goes to your sister actually.”

Her brothers looked to her for confirmation, and she nodded, her eyes wide. “I rescued my future husband.”

“That sounds like something Vivian would do,” Luke said with a laugh.

Drew’s lips thinned. “Or Lana.”

Apparently, he still hadn’t forgiven his wife for risking her life to save his. When Anthony recalled how frightened he’d been for Gabby when she’d jumped on Thorne’s back, he could understand his friend’s position perfectly. She glanced up, caught him staring, and frowned.

He smiled in return, not wishing to inadvertently share his fear last night with everyone. It was one thing for her to know about his vulnerabilities, but he preferred to keep some things just between the two of them.

They needed to address the situation concerning Thorne, however. He experienced a slight pang this morning when he considered how badly their friendship had deteriorated. Anthony cleared his throat. “The baron will expect to be compensated. I will bear the costs.”

“She isn’t your responsibility,” Luke argued.

“She will be as soon as we make it to Gretna Green.”

“True.” Luke ran his gaze over his sister. “I hope you don’t expect her to exchange vows in a soiled gown.”

Gabby returned his sour look before popping a grape into her mouth.

“Fortunately, Mother had the foresight to send a perfectly acceptable gown with me,” he said.

She shuddered. “I’m not wearing the gown I was to marry Lord Thorne in. It seems like bad luck.”

“No one would expect you to wear it. Mother sent the gown she wore when she married Father.”

“Oh.” She didn’t appear as happy as one would expect.

“Mother wanted you to have it, Gabrielle. She said it marked the beginning of many years of happiness for her and Father. She wishes you the same.”

Her fingers covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes.

Drew dug into his jacket. “Now don’t start crying, princess. Unless they are tears of joy.”

She accepted his handkerchief and shook her head as she dabbed at her tears. “I don’t deserve to wear her dress. If not for me, Papa would still be alive.”

Her brothers’ frowns mirrored Anthony’s own. “I thought you had given up that ridiculous idea,” he said. “You’re not responsible for your father’s death.”

“You most certainly are not,” Drew said. “How could you think such a thing?”

She shook her head as her tears streaked down her cheeks. Anthony wanted to round the table to gather her in his arms, but he stayed put. She needed to speak her fears aloud to her brothers. She’d been holding on to her guilt for too long.

“My attempt at running off with Lt. MacFarland stressed Papa’s heart. It was impulsive and stupid, and if I could go back and change everything, I would. That’s why I can’t wear Mama’s dress.”

Luke smiled sadly. “She used to say she thought you blamed yourself. I didn’t see how that could be possible when I believed I was at fault.”

Gabby’s head came up sharply.

He reached into his jacket to pull out a folded piece of foolscap and slid it across the table. “As it turns out, neither of us caused his death. He had been having chest pains for years, but he hid it well. Mother said she tried to convince him to slow down, but he refused. He wasn’t happy unless he was pushing himself to his limits.” He nodded to the note. “Mother wanted you to have her blessing on your wedding day since she couldn’t be with you.”

“And she made us swear to remember every detail to recount later,” Drew added.

Gabby hugged the note to her chest. “I never thought we would have family present when we exchanged vows. Thank you.”

Luke set his napkin aside and pushed back from the table. “We should depart soon, but first, I need to freshen up. Could we share your coach, Ellis?”

“As long as you don’t mind me making cow eyes at your sister.”

Drew snorted. “As if you haven’t been doing that for years already.”

Gabby’s smile was brilliant, and Anthony’s heart expanded, filling with so much love for her it might burst. If it was possible to die from happiness, he was doomed.

***

Gabby read her mother’s letter for the fifth time as the young maid placed a wreath of heather on her head. Mama’s words were encouraging and congratulatory, but her letter was so much more.

She had filled it with stories about Gabby’s father: his reaction when he had first laid eyes on her as an infant; how he had loved her passionate nature; his regret over his severity after that
unfortunate
situation with Lt. MacFarland. Gabby chuckled at her mother’s choice of words, and longing tugged at her heart. How she wished her mother could be with her today, but her spirit was present, as was Papa’s.

Your papa said he had been afraid you still might defy him—he most admired your determination—so he had been very stern. He berated himself for the things he had said, but he could not bring himself to apologize. He knew you deserved someone who understood and accepted your nature. He rather liked the notion of Anthony becoming his son some day and had hoped you would make a match with him.

Gabby tucked the letter into the bodice of her mother’s gown to keep it close to her heart, then went to meet Anthony and her brothers. Happiness bubbled up inside her as she descended the stairs to find the love of her life waiting.

He was handsome in his gray trousers and black jacket, and the sky blue of his waistcoat set off his eyes. But what made him most appealing was the light radiating from him. His love wrapped around her, making her feel safe and content for the first time in a long while.

She held her hand out in invitation and he took it, his warm fingers closing around hers.

“You look lovely,” he murmured.

She returned his smile. “It’s hard to imagine I looked like a street urchin only an hour ago.”

“You’re always beautiful to me.” He tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and grinned at her brothers. “Can you believe your sister has accepted me at last?”

Drew clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t count your chickens just yet, Ellis. We still have to make it to the blacksmith without incident.”

Gabby wrinkled her nose. “If there is any
incident
involved, it is likely to be my half-boot making contact with your derriere.”

Drew gave a mock gasp. “Lord Ellis, what have you taught my sister?”

They all laughed and continued teasing each other as they walked to the smithy’s shop. Several of the villagers stopped to stare at their boisterous entourage, some with smiles and others with pinched faces. Gabby called out greetings to everyone they passed and wished them well.

In all her girlish fantasies, she had never pictured marrying over an anvil, but there had been one constant in all of her dreams.
Anthony
.

She held him back as her brothers walked into the weathered building.

He frowned. “Is something wrong?”

“No, everything is right for once.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up into the face she had loved for as long as she could remember. “I always knew you were meant for me.”

His smile was a glorious sight. “I’m forever yours, Lady Bug. Be gentle with me.”

“Always,” she promised then sealed it with a kiss.

Their ceremony was brief, and likely mundane to the blacksmith, but Gabby tried to memorize every moment to hold in her heart forever. The robust smell of a wood fire. The clarity with which they spoke their vows. Anthony’s soft smile and glittering blue eyes reminiscent of the North Sea.

Her wedding was nothing like she had ever imagined, and perfect just the way it was.

Thirty

Anthony viewed their arrival back in London with mixed emotions. He missed his daughter more than he imagined possible and he couldn’t wait to see her, and yet her possible reception caused a flutter in his chest. What would Gabby think if his own daughter burst into tears when she saw him?

He took his wife’s hand as the carriage turned onto Charles Street. “I’m not certain how Annabelle will behave when she sees us.”

Gabby squeezed his hand. “I imagine she will be pleased to see her papa. I wish we’d had time to find a nice gift. My papa always brought home trinkets for my sisters and me when he had to be away.”

Anthony frowned. He should have thought to bring something back from Scotland, but their stay had been brief since everyone in the traveling party had been eager to return to their loved ones. Their pace home had been only slightly less harried than their flight to Gretna Green.

He hugged Gabby. “I’m proud to bring you home. Annabelle will like you even without trinkets.”

He held out no hope of improving his standing with his daughter with or without presents. Having tried that path, he knew it led nowhere. Still, he’d like to live up to Gabby’s image of what a father should be.

When the carriage rolled to a stop outside his town house, he placed a hand on her leg to halt her exit. “There is a chance Annabelle won’t be pleased when she sees me. I—I thought you should know so you aren’t caught unaware.”

Gabby pursed her lips. “You mentioned once before that Annabelle is frightened of you. There must be an explanation that makes sense.”

“I’m sure you’re right.” He forced a laugh to hide his doubts. “Would you like to freshen up before we visit the nursery?”

Her brows arched. “Won’t you have her come downstairs to greet us?”

His jaw clenched. Gabby was already finding fault with his parenting. “She’ll likely be playing this time of day.”

His wife’s ivory skin flushed. “I hadn’t thought of that. I’m afraid I have a lot to learn about being a mother. Please, be patient with me.”

Tension drained from him, making his bones go soft again. Gabby had that effect on him. He cupped her cheek and kissed her sweet lips. “We have a lot to learn together. I’m still figuring out this father business myself.”

Gabby opted to freshen up before he introduced her to Annabelle and Miss Teague. Her mother had arranged to have her belongings brought to Keaton Place and his butler had placed her in the rooms adjoining the master’s chambers. He left her to set herself to rights, but no sooner had he entered his rooms to change than the doors connecting their spaces swung open. She stood in the threshold, smiling.

“There! That’s much better. No walls to keep us separated.”

He returned her smile with a ridiculously wide grin. He hadn’t even had time to miss her, and here she was making herself comfortable in his space. After so many years of solitude one might think it would be annoying, but he found her intrusiveness endearing.

“Well,” she said. “I suppose I’ll order up a bath now.”

“Lady Ellis, I don’t think you are disheveled enough yet.” He sauntered toward her, his body eager for a reunion.

Her eyes flared, but she held her ground as he advanced. “I didn’t know that was even a possibility.”

He swept her into his arms to carry her toward his big bed. “Appearances can always be made worse, sweetheart, and I’m going to muss you up splendidly.”

She squealed when he tossed her on the bed, but then reached her arms out in invitation, her gray eyes smoldering. “Do your best, Lord Ellis.”

***

Gabby sensed a tremor race down Anthony’s arm as they neared the nursery, and she squeezed reassuringly. She didn’t understand the cause of his anxiety. Annabelle was just a girl, and certainly too small to engender this much trepidation.

Entering the bright rooms brought a smile to her face. Shelves were loaded with angelic-faced dolls, a porcelain tea service complete with a tiny creamer and sugar dish, hand-carved carousel horses, and every other exquisite toy a little girl could imagine. A book lay open on the miniature table along with an abandoned slate.

A tinkling laugh, reminiscent of a fairy, floated through the doorway of the other room. She glanced up at Anthony to ask if they should announce their presence before entering and her heart melted. His eyes shone with a soft light she’d never seen, and a gentle smile played on his lips.

“You are smitten,” she teased, enamored by how loving a father he was.

His smile stretched ear to ear. “You could say that. I almost feel I’m dreaming having you both under my roof.”

“You’re not dreaming. We are here and we’re staying, so grow accustomed to it.” She lifted to her toes and kissed his cheek before tugging him toward the doorway. “Come make introductions.”

Annabelle was sitting on a plush carpet with Miss Teague, her back to the entry. The little girl chattered happily as she stacked colorful blocks one on top of the other.