by Dayna Quince
But that was Fanny. Fanny was filled with so much light, not even the death of her husband could dim her. She always looked for the good in everything, including Rose. Rose suspected that was why Fanny hadn’t interrogated her about Gabriel’s attentions. Fanny was too good, and Rose didn’t want to mar the reputation of her home any longer. Belfrost would always hold a special place in her heart, even that awful lodge.
Gabriel had fetched the remainder of their things after his uncle’s funeral and made sure there was nothing left to cause any suspicion that their time there wasn’t as chaste as they had proclaimed. The story of the spider nest under the curtains was a favorite among the staff, and he told it with such enthusiasm that Rose still laughed every time she heard it. She was going to miss him, Belfrost, the staff, Fanny—everyone so dreadfully.
She washed and dressed, trying desperately to hide her morose attitude by the time she reached the breakfast parlor. Fanny and Gabriel were already there. Gabriel stood as she entered and offered to make her plate. She waved him off and made her own before claiming her seat.
Richard poured her tea, and she bid him a good morning, then she took a deep breath, a piping hot sip of tea, and blurted the first words that came to mind. “I’m leaving.”
Fanny stilled, and then slowly lowered her spoonful of egg. “Leaving?”
She waited for Gabriel to say something, but he didn’t. She didn’t want to look at him, or her courage would desert her.
“I’ve abused your hospitality long enough. I should really try to reach Scotland before the snow.”
Fanny’s eyes grew misty. Rose’s heart began to clamber, and her palms grew sweaty. She pressed them to her thighs under the table.
“I want you to know that you mean everything to me, and more. I can never repay you for all you have given me. You’ve filled the hole in me that was missing a mother, even though I didn’t want to know it needed to be filled. I will forever be in your debt, my lady.”
“Oh, Rose!” Fanny held her napkin to her nose.
“Please, don’t cry,” Rose begged. “You’ll make me cry.” But it was already happening. She could see Fanny was hurt, and it was too much to bear. Rose bolted from the table and ran to her room. She closed the door and leaned against it, her lungs hurting from the sudden burst of action with too little air to accommodate it. She pushed away and went to her vanity. The longer she stayed, the more pain she would cause. She needed to write to Heather immediately and explain her pending arrival. She felt horrible about relying on the charity of others, but she had no other choice, not until she found herself a laird to marry.
That mere thought made her laugh aloud, but the laugh was followed by a sob, and then she fell to pieces. She pushed her brush and pins out of the way and collapsed into her arms. There was a scratching at her door, and she froze.
“Go away.”
* * *
His aunt had turned to him furiously after Rose ran from the room.
“Fix it,” she hissed. “Do whatever you have to do to make her stay. She belongs at Belfrost.”
“I can’t force her to stay.” Gabriel remained seated, his stomach turned sour by Rose’s words.
“If you think you’ve been fooling anyone with your sneaking about like a rutting mouse, think again.”
Gabriel blinked. “I don’t know what you’re implying, Aunt.”
Fanny slammed her hand on the table. “She loves you, and you love her, do you not?”
Gabriel swallowed. He didn’t have a response to that, only a visceral gut reaction that made him woozy. “I…”
“Ah, you’ve ceased to tell her. How very manly of you. If you let her leave, you will never see her again. You will be the greatest fool to have ever walked the earth.”
Gabriel nodded. His aunt was right of course. He left the breakfast parlor and took the stairs two at a time until he was at Rose’s door and he could hear her crying. He stood there for a moment, stricken by the sound of her sobs. He’d completely forgotten about her plans for Scotland. He’d grown comfortable and complacent, never remembering that, for her, the situation was far less permanent. She had no reason to stay because he hadn’t given her one. Well, now he was going to. If he could become a competent landowner in the span of three weeks, then he knew he could spend the rest of his life becoming the perfect husband.
There was no other alternative. His life would be meaningless without her. What was the point of the big house, the seemingly endless acres, if not to share with someone like Rose, to fill the rooms with their laughter and that of their future children? None of it was worth a damn without love, and damn it all, he loved her. It crashed through him like lightning, stunning him, lighting him up from the inside until it burst out of him.
He loved her, and he’d die before he let her leave without at least knowing exactly what she was leaving behind. First, he scratched at the door.
“Go away.”
Gabriel scowled at the door and knocked firmly.
“I am not receiving visitors,” was her reply.
“I will break it down if you don’t open this door,” he returned. He heard her dragging her feet to the door. He would find it amusing, but the emotions in him swirled so violently that he couldn’t. He could barely breathe. She opened the door a crack and barely had the nerve to meet his eyes. He pushed his way in.
“Gabriel! I did not give you leave to enter my chamber!”
“It’s my chamber now.”
“That’s rather arrogant, don’t you think?” She stepped back until she stood in the middle of the room and folded her arms.
He closed the door and locked it.
“What are you doing?”
“Ensuring we have adequate privacy.”
“Everyone will think the worst.”
“Per my aunt, they already do.”
Her face paled. Her hands shook as they dropped to her side. “They know?”
He closed the distance between them and took her face in his hands. “I’m sorry. That is not what I wanted, and I’ve been reckless with our relationship.”
She tried to wipe her nose with her sleeve. He offered his handkerchief. She took it and glared at him. “I should leave immediately then.” She turned away.
“You won’t. I won’t allow it.”
She turned and pointed at him. “You haven’t any right to tell me what I can and cannot do. I am not your property. I can’t help but notice how quickly you’ve adapted to the idea of being an arrogant lord. You think you can order me about like a servant? I’m not your employee. I’m not your anything.”
“That is where you are wrong.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him. “You’re my everything. I’ve been remiss in showing you exactly what you mean to me, and I’m going to rectify that right here, right now.” He held her tightly to his body. Her eyes widened. Just when he thought she might fight him, she melted into him.
“Gabriel,” she whimpered. She closed her eyes, his head bent to hers, and he took her mouth softly, reverently. She was his, and before she took a step from this room, she would know how deeply he was hers. Eternally, infinitely.
He quickly shed them of their clothing and carried her to the bed. He laid her down and covered her with his body and the coverlet. She was sighing his name, her hands everywhere at once, but this next part was the most important of all. He teased her legs apart and stroked her until she was clawing at his back to pull him over her. He kissed her, quieting her for only a moment until he seated himself between her thighs, holding himself at the gates of heaven until he had her full attention.
“Gabriel?”
“Before we go further there is something you must know.”
“I need you,” she cried.
“And I need you, Rose. More than you could possibly know. I’ve never said these words before, but I’m finding they come quite easily to me when it comes to you. I’ve been an ass, I’ve been using you, never thinking that I may be leaving you with les
s than you deserve, and I cannot live with that.”
Her eyes glistened, but he couldn’t read the emotion there.
“I love you. I’ve never loved a woman before, other than my mother, but I love you, and I find I am quite unwilling to live another day without you. I very much want you to be my wife if you will have me.”
Her tears spilled over as she shut her eyes, but she smiled, and more importantly, she nodded.
“Yes, I will.”
He slid home in that instant, the feeling so acutely rapturous that he almost cried himself. She whispered yes, over and over, as they came together swiftly. Gabriel groaned his release, and for the first time in his life, he did not pull away. He buried himself inside her, the pleasure so piercing, he may have blacked out. He opened his eyes and looked down at her. He kissed away the tears lingering in her lashes and waited for her to open her eyes. She looked up at him and smiled. He returned her smile and kissed her again.
He rolled to his side, and she snuggled against him. “What do we do now?”
“Well, perhaps Scotland isn’t completely out of the question. I want to marry you as soon as possible.”
She giggled. “There is no rush.”
“There is. I won’t be able to stay away from you for a proper wedding to be announced, and the bans read.”
“But your aunt, what will she say?”
“She will say it’s about damn time.”
Rose giggled. “She will wish to see us marry.” She leaned over him to meet his gaze.
“Then we’ll take her with us. We’ll take anyone who wishes to come.”
“To Scotland?”
He nodded. “Let’s dress. I can’t wait to see her face when we tell her.”
Rose didn’t look as thrilled, but Gabriel was elated and growing more excited every second. He practically had to carry Rose from the room and drag her to the drawing room where his aunt was doing needlework. She looked up expectantly as they entered, her gaze bouncing from Rose’s reddened cheeks and his—he was sure—absurd grin, then down to their entwined hands.
“Aunt Fanny, we intend to be married,” he announced.
She didn’t look convinced. She looked to Rose. “Are you… sure?”
Gabriel rolled his eyes and pushed Rose forward. “She thinks I’m forcing you.”
“You are.” Rose spat then turned even redder. “Not the marriage part—I readily agreed to that.”
Fanny beamed and clapped her hands. Then she swallowed Rose in a hug. Rose returned the hug. Fanny broke away to hug her nephew and then urged them to sit.
“Then what is the issue?” Fanny prodded as they sat.
“He wants to elope,” Rose said. “But I know you will want a real wedding.”
“I don’t want to wait.” Gabriel folded his arms petulantly. “You hate attention. I think you wouldn’t want a public wedding any more than I do.”
“Well, what do you want, Rose?” Fanny cornered her. “I have to agree, you dislike attention, and being a bride garners quite a bit of attention.”
“But wouldn’t you want a large wedding here at Belfrost? You spoke of it often enough when discussing his return.”
Fanny sighed. “Of course, but it doesn’t matter what I want. I had a large, ostentatious wedding here at Belfrost, and it was everything I could dream of. Now it’s your turn to do what you want.”
Rose looked between them. She was torn between doing the expected thing, bans, wedding breakfast, a long engagement because they were both in full mourning, but on the other hand, she would have to endure the attention of all the guests. She didn’t like being the center of attention. It made her anxious and crabby. She looked at Gabriel, and he grinned, then he winked. He knew he could sway her and it wouldn’t be difficult.
“Fine.” She sighed. She was going to marry over an anvil.
“Please try to sound happier when we recite our vows,” he chided.
She tried not to smile, but she couldn’t stop it. It was rather exciting the more she thought of it. He jumped to his feet and whooped. Hubert came to the doorway to see what all the commotion was about.
“Ladies, pack your bags. Hubert, summon the carriage. We’re going on an adventure.”
Chapter 21
Gabriel and Rose were married over the anvil in Edinburg with Glennis and Fanny there as witnesses. It was a very small and quick ceremony, but to Rose, it was perfect. There was no fuss or elaborate fanfare. They stayed in a cozy inn and elected to stay for a small honeymoon while Fanny and Glennis returned to Belfrost.
They scarcely left the room, to Roses scandalized delight. She didn’t care who saw their besotted looks or entwined hands when they dined in the inn’s main dining room. She was in love, and she was newly married. Nothing could burst her bubble of happiness.
They woke the morning of their fourth day in Edinburgh to a fresh dusting of snow. Neither of them had the proper clothing for such weather, so they readied themselves and took to the shops for some shopping. It felt strange to Rose to have resources again, and it also occurred to her that she was now Lady Belfrost. They entered a shop, and the shopkeeper bowed and scraped to her, calling her ‘my lady’ with such reverence, she wondered if he meant it to be insulting.
His wife was an excellent seamstress with dresses that could be tailored to Rose in only a day. She would have three new dresses to wear, and at Gabriel’s insistence, none of them was black or considered half mourning. Moving on to another shop, they stepped out the door, and Rose spotted a tall man with black hair under a bowler cap. There was something familiar about him.
“I think I know that man,” Rose murmured to Gabriel.
“Oh? Do you want me to hail him?”
“No, I’m not sure.” But just as she said the words, a woman popped out of the shop with blonde curly hair. Rose gasped. “Heather?”
The woman turned, her eyes lit, and a smile erupted. She rushed over. “Rose, is that you?”
Rose was embraced in a tight hug and smothered with curly hair. She closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry. She’d forgotten what it meant to have friends. Fanny and Glennis, even Mrs. Gilfurt had been wonderful substitutes, but there was a connection with Heather and all the ladies of the Ivy Society that Rose had been sorely missing.
Heather pulled away and looked her over in a motherly fashion. “I haven’t heard a word from you,” she scolded. “We’ve all been worried sick!”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been remiss in my letters.”
“More like downright neglectful,” Heather chided. Her husband came to her side to greet Rose, and Rose remembered she had her own husband to introduce.
“I present the Duke and Duchess of Ablehill.” Rose couldn’t help grinning at Gabriel.
“My husband,” Rose blushed, “Lord Gabriel Connor, Baron Belfrost.”
“Husband!” Heather squealed. “Lord Belfrost, it is a pleasure.”
“The pleasure is mine.” His eyes twinkled with mirth. “Rose has frequently spoken of you. Please, call me Connor. I’m still adjusting to my title.”
“And you shall call me Heather, and my husband prefers Calder to Ablehill among friends.”
Calder shook Gabriel’s hands. “Please do. Shall we find a spot for some good whiskey and tea for the ladies?” he suggested.
Gabriel liked him instantly. He was nothing like a duke. He was friendly and a little intimidating with his height and dark hair, but nothing about him was pompous or belittling. He seemed… genuine. Yes, that was it. As they turned to follow Heather and Calder, Rose leaned in close. “What do you think?” she whispered.
“They both seem very likable.”
“Calder is a duke, but he doesn’t act like a duke. He is a very nice fellow.”
“I think he acts like a duke,” Gabriel commented.
“You do?”
“Yes, a duke who knows that his title doesn’t make him better than other men.”
“I suppose that is a good way to describe
him,” Rose agreed.
They spent an afternoon enjoying each other’s company. Rose and Heather snuck away to finish shopping while the gentlemen stayed and tended their whiskey.
“They seemed to get along,” Rose mentioned with relief. She didn’t know what her friend would make of Gabriel. He wasn’t a typical gentleman in any way.
“Fallon rubs along with anyone as long as they aren’t fools or crooks. Your husband is neither. He seems a wonderful man.”
“He is.” Rose couldn’t help blushing. She was feeling absurdly optimistic as she walked arm and arm with Heather. She wanted to reconnect with all her dear friends, to first apologize, and then nurture their friendships back to health. There were so many possibilities now. Because of Gabriel, she had so much in her life to look forward to.
They returned to their husbands, who were a bit jug-bitten and bid their goodbyes. They exchanged information so they could resume writing and plans for visits. Heather made Rose swear that they would come to Ablehill Castle before leaving Scotland.
“Do you think we could manage it?” Rose asked Gabriel as they returned to their room.
“Calder and I already made plans. We’ll leave the day after tomorrow and finish our honeymoon there.”
“We will?” Rose squealed with excitement.
“I’m glad you are in agreement. I was a bit hesitant to make plans without you, but you looked so happy to see Heather.”
“You’re the most thoughtful, caring, and perceptive husband a woman could ask for.” Rose threw her arms around his neck.
“Am I?”
“Oh, yes.” She pressed her body to his and slid down slowly.
His breathing hitched as her hands went to the buttons of his falls, and she sank to her knees. “Rose.” His throat tightened. Desire coursed through him. He’d been thinking about getting her back to bed all day, but this… this made his knees weak.
