Devin guided Aggie to the large sofa in the middle of the room and sat her down. He left to gather a robe, washcloths and a pitcher of water, and wasn’t surprised when he returned and Aggie hadn’t moved a muscle. She stared straight ahead, eyes empty.
Kneeling before her, Devin gently dabbed away the blood on her neck, on her chin, and then on her hands, wrists, and fingers. When every drop of blood had been erased, her skin clean, he wrapped her in the robe and stopped, eyes level with hers.
“Aggie…Aggs, look at me.”
Her green eyes shifted to Devin’s.
“Aggs, I need you to do something. Not for me, not for your brother, but for yourself. You need to do this if you are to move on with your life. Our life.” He squeezed her leg gently.
“Aggie, you need to grieve. Grieve for your father. Grieve for your mother’s loss of sanity. Grieve for the fact you were forced to kill. Grieve for the brother you thought you lost. Grieve for all the time and all the innocence those bastards stole away from you. Grieve for the times you could not sleep because you were too scared to close your eyes. Grieve for everything…and let it go.”
His hands moved to cup her face. “This will not be easy, but you have to face all that has happened to you, and deal with it. God knows I wish I could do this for you, but I cannot. You have to do this on your own.”
Devin’s grip along her jaw hardened. “I need your best, Aggs. Right now. After all you went through, this, this is the moment you need to find your best. Find your fight. I know you have it in you. You need to pull out that last shard of courage that has kept you so strong this far, and make it through this last piece. Make it through and come out the other side. I know you can do this, Aggs. Do you understand?”
Silence. Not the slightest twitch.
Devin’s head went down, searching for words. Searching for some way to break through.
Long moments passed before he lifted his head, eyes brimming with moisture. “Aggs, I need you to come back to me. You don’t have to be whole. It does not matter to me. I will take the smallest part of you. That is all I ask. Just a little bit of you to come back.”
He swallowed, the lump in his throat threatening to cut his words.
“I don’t need you to come back to me completely. But you need to do whatever it takes to come back, even a little. Anything. The smallest bit is all I ask, Aggs. I will be here, no matter what. But please. Please try. Please just come back to me. Just a tiny part of you. I swear we will figure out the rest from there.”
Devin moved his hands down to her shoulders, then back up along her neck.
“Aggs, please, do you understand what I am saying?”
Finally, a tear trailed solo down her cheek, and she nodded.
Devin searched her face for comprehension, and, finding it, gently brushed the tear with his thumb.
He stood up, took a nearby blanket and wrapped it around Aggie, then left the room, closing the door behind him.
~~~
Eight hours had passed.
Devin winced as something heavy banged into the floor. It had been quiet for the first two hours. Devin and Jason could hear nothing at all coming from the room. Eventually, soft sobbing floated into the study. Both were shocked when the first glass smashed against a wall. Devin had to pin Jason to the floor to stop him from going in.
Since then, screams, glass shattering, wood splintering, cloth ripping, and an odd pounding-thumping came at a frantic pace from the room. Devin had initially thought this was a good idea, but he was beginning to wonder about the wisdom of his plan.
He took a small sip of the brandy he had been staring at for the last hour and a half. He could not stop her now. Aggie needed to finish whatever she had started in that room.
“I cannot believe you are making her do this. She obviously was not ready to think about all of this so soon after Von Traff’s death.” Jason stood up, starting a repeat of the argument they had been having since the first glass shattered.
“She needs to do this.”
“Why? What good is it going to do her? Give her a few days. Be gentle and she will be back to normal.”
“Gentle is not what she needs. She needs to fight. Fight before it overtakes her. You saw her. She was on the edge. An edge she could fall either direction from. I would rather she not turn out like her mother.”
Jason jumped. “Our mother? What is wrong with my mother?”
“I thought you saw her in London.”
“I did. I checked on her and Lizzie, but it was through a window.”
“What was she doing?”
“Sitting. I don’t know. Reading, maybe.”
Devin sighed. Jason didn’t know. “Your mother is catatonic. She has not spoken since your father died. Aggie said she sits, eats, sleeps. No reaction to anything or anyone around her.”
“What? No.”
“Yes. And I am damn well not going to let that happen to Aggie if I can help it. She would not want that for herself.”
A piece of wood hit what sounded like the ceiling.
Jason shook his head, leveling his glare at Devin. “My mother aside. This is not the way. You don’t know how she is going to come out of there. This could push her down the very edge you are afraid of. You are gambling with my sister’s sanity and I am beginning to wonder if you really do care at all for her, if you did—”
“Shut the hell up,” Devin said, voice lethal.
Jason stared at him, waiting, willing Devin to attack.
Devin rubbed his eyes with his free hand. He stared at the floor for an uncomfortable amount of time.
At Jason’s cough, Devin looked up at him, allowing Jason to see plain on his face, the torment this was putting him through.
“If I could take,” Devin started slowly, voice reverberating with raw emotion, “all the pain Aggie is feeling right now away from her, and add it one-thousand-fold to my own, I would do it in a heartbeat. There is nothing…I repeat, nothing I would not give to or for Aggie.”
Silent, Jason sat down, a man unable to help his sister.
Devin was right. There was nothing he could do.
~~~
It had been quiet in the room for an hour. Devin ordered Thompson to have a bath drawn for Aggie. Jason had fallen asleep on the leather couch, and Devin quietly left him in the study.
He opened the door to the rose parlor slowly, having to lean into it with his shoulder to move what turned out to be a broken table wedged behind it. Once in, he looked about the room under the dim light of the wall lamp, and was not exactly shocked at the complete mayhem that greeted him.
Not one piece of furniture in the room was intact. Not one glass, not one vase, not one tapestry, not one figurine, not one piece of lace. Everything had been destroyed.
Devin had expected no less of his wife.
He found her, curled in a ball, sound asleep in the middle of the mess, stuffing from the sofa strewn around her body. Walking gingerly into the room, crunching glass as he went, Devin gently picked Aggie up.
He brought her up to his room where a bath was waiting. Thompson had also delivered tea. Good man. Devin laid Aggie on the bed, stripped her, and then removed his own clothing. Not breaking from her exhausted sleep, she only twitched at his hands on her body.
He carried her to the copper tub and slipped them both into the warm water, Aggie nestled against his chest.
He washed her body as she slept, softly rubbing soap into the scabs of earlier on her fingers, wrist, and the small line at her neck where Von Traff had pressed his knife into her flesh. His stomach turned on itself once again as he examined the contorted scabs where fingernails had once been on her right pinky and ring finger.
“Hmmmm, Devin?”
Devin let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Those were her first words since the ride back from Mitlan.
“Yes, I am right here, Aggs,” he said softly in her ear, caressing her arm.
“I love you.”
De
vin stilled, his whisper in her ear, “Aggie, are you awake?” As much as he prayed she was, prayed she didn’t hate him, he didn’t want to wake her if she was actually sleeping.
Aggie slid her head on his chest so she could see his face. “Yes.” She looked at him as though he had turned daft.
“Then say it again.” Devin demanded, his face hard, for he wanted this more than anything.
“I love you.” Aggie smiled, the love unmistakable in her green eyes.
It was all Devin could do to keep from crushing Aggie in the arms he clamped around her wet body. Finally, he let her loose, and spun her in the water so he could fully see her eyes. He cupped her face in his hands.
“I am so sorry I left you, Aggs. So sorry I thought you and your brother…I did not know and I was stupid. And then I did not protect you. It was the one thing I promised to do, and I failed. I have no right to even ask, but can you forgive me?”
Aggie slid forward on her knees, straddling Devin’s waist. Her hands went behind his neck, resting on the lip of the tub as she evened her eyes to his. “You did not fail me. You were just a little late. As for the reason you were late,” her eyes twitched mischievous, “that, you are in trouble for. For some bizarre reason, I think you do not understand how there could never be another for me. How you have me, heart and soul.”
His hand shaking, it went into her wet hair, clasping her tight to him, his head buried in her neck.
“In case you missed it the first time.” Devin leaned back, pulling his eyes up to hers. “I will say it again. I love you, Aggs.”
With a gasp, Aggie choked him with wet arms. Her head turned to his ear. “Truly?”
“Truly. The worst moment of my life was seeing that knife on your neck. Seeing the blood. Your blood. My life was taken away from me in that one moment, and that will not do. I never want to have to be the man I was without you.”
She moved her face so her green eyes could meet his grey ones. “I am finally here. All of me. All of me for you.”
With a deep breath, Aggie spun around in the tub, utterly content as she snuggled onto Devin’s chest. “When did you say it before?”
Devin shrugged, his smirk hidden from Aggie’s view. “That does not matter.”
Her fingers traced the wet skin on his chest. “So when did you know you loved me?”
He smiled, letting his mind wander. “Truthfully, even though I did not give it credit for a long time, it was the night after you were shot. I was in the library, and you came for me. You swayed, could barely stand straight—injured, exhausted. But you still made it to me. You wanted me. You needed me. And then you left.”
Under the water, Devin wrapped his arm tight around her waist. “I sat in the library, arguing with my drunk self. It was only a few minutes, but it was an eternity. I wanted the safest thing for you. The best thing for you, even if it was not me. But I did not want to give you up. I could not make myself give you up. And I knew that if I got up and followed you, I could never go back. That would be it.”
She turned her head into his chest, kissing his skin. “Then you carried me up to bed.”
His lips went to her forehead. “I did. And that was it. I have never looked back—except to thank God I was not a complete idiot in that moment.”
She tilted her head up to him. “Thank you for not being an idiot. And I guess that idiot-free choice makes up for your idiot move in the woods with my brother.” She pulled up. “Speaking of which, you did not kill him.”
Devin laughed. “No, I did not.”
“Thank you. I am sure that was hard. I have had to resist once or twice myself through the years. But I am so happy he is alive and back.” She set her head back down on his chest, then held her hand up, her last two fingers catching her gaze.
“Do they hurt?”
“Throbbing. But they will heal.” She grabbed his chin with her thumb and forefinger. “I will heal. You reminded me that I was capable of that. Thank you.”
“From day one, your capabilities have never ceased to amaze me, my love.”
She smiled. “Oh, and I broke some things.”
“I saw.”
“I am sorry.”
“Do you not know,” he pulled her body up onto his so her face was next to his, “that you are more important to me than trinkets and furniture and priceless artifacts?”
Her eyes went big. “Priceless artifacts?”
Devin shrugged. “A few. But you, right here, talking to me with clear eyes. More than worth it. You are the priceless one. You are my everything, Aggs.”
He kissed her, long, gentle, taking his time, with the promise of the life they were meant to lead together no longer waiting, no longer a dream, but here. Here and precious.
Aggie dropped her head onto his shoulder, holding tight with both arms. “Did you know it is still raining out?”
Devin looked through the window into the night, surprised by the torrential downpour.
He hadn’t noticed.
{ Epilogue }
September, 1820
Aggie had him for the whole day, all of his attentions devoted solely to her after he had been in London for a fortnight. The first half of the day had been spent in bed, and now she had him just where she wanted him.
She fired her pistol.
The old chipped wine glass shattered, the shot echoing back to them from the trees.
“Well done.” Devin swatted her backside as she set her pistol on the table.
She turned to him, eyes twinkling. “I am impressed. It only took a year, but you have finally learned to compliment me with grace, my husband.”
“I am not about to chance capturing you back in bed a few hours from now with a sulk. Besides, there is still one glass left and it is my turn.”
“So your sportsmanship will not last?”
Devin smiled. “Let us see how my turn goes.”
Aggie eyed him as he loaded his pistol. “Did you have any real discussions with Killian when you were in London?”
“No. We only spoke about business. Since the wedding and what he has chosen to do, I am leaving him to his own devices for the moment.”
Aggie sighed. “I had hoped…it is just so disappointing.”
“He will right himself eventually, Aggie.”
“Will he? Or will it be too late by then?”
Devin shrugged. “It is not our concern at the moment.” He looked sharply at his wife. “Most pointedly, not your concern, at the moment, dear wife. I can see your mind spinning. We did what loyalty dictated, and now we will stay out of it. No interference. Do you understand.”
“Fine.” Aggie rolled her eyes that it was a command rather than a question from him. Some things refused to change about her husband—not that she necessarily wanted them to. There was a reason she loved him as much as she did, after all.
Aggie shook her head as she tucked a rogue curl behind her ear. “I guess I have enough to be concerned with at the moment as it is.”
“Your brother?”
She nodded. “He did not care for mother and Lizzie coming to Stonewell. Lizzie was right to make the request to come. She is happier here, but Mother is still only marginally better. Only a few words here and there. Jason wants to fix everything—change everything back to the way it was—but he cannot, and he is fighting it. It is clear he is on a precipitous edge. An edge I have no way of understanding, try though I did while I was there.”
Devin fired. Shards flew through the air.
“How in the world…” Aggie stared at the empty spot on the wooden rail that had just held the last glass. Devin had just outshot her twelve-to-eleven.
She moved in front of him, arms crossed. “You have been practicing on me. Admit to it.”
“Possibly.” He grabbed her wrists, pulling her arms apart and settling them around his waist. “You did not think I was going to continue to let you trounce me every time we were out here, did you? I do not know why you would believe my bruised pride would allow
you to continue to beat me in our matches.”
She tightened her arms around his waist, looking up at him. “I will just have to spend more time practicing myself, then. Although I doubt you are going to let me touch a pistol for a while.”
“I am not?”
“Since you brought up the topic of pride, I have a suspicion that your pride—the good kind of pride, that is—is going to increase tenfold in about nine months.”
“Nine months? Whatever for?”
Her face cracked wide in smile.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?”
She nodded, chin hitting his chest. “Yes.”
He picked her up, smothering her as he swung her in a circle. Setting her down, his hands went up to frame her face. “Yes? Truly, Aggs?”
“Yes.”
“Then you are right. No more pistol for you. And I will resist reminding you that I am the reigning victor in our matches. At least for the next year.”
She chuckled, poking him in the ribs. “You, my dear husband, are a gentleman like no other.”
Devin laughed. “Never forget it, my Aggs. Never forget it.”
~ Author’s Note ~
Thank you so much for taking a trip back in time with me. The next book in the Hold Your Breath series is now out: Unmasking the Marquess. Killian is the star of this one!
And, as there is more to come, be sure to sign up for news of my next releases at www.KJJackson.com (email addresses are precious, so out of respect, you’ll only hear from me when I actually have real news).
If you liked reading Stone Devil Duke, please consider leaving a brief review on Amazon—I truly appreciate the reader’s words and thank you so much! Reviews are the best way to help others like you find something they will like too.
Like other genres?
If you want to switch genres and check out my Flame Moon paranormal romance series, Flame Moon #1, the first book in the series, is currently free (ebook) at all stores. Flame Moon is a stand-alone story, so no worries on getting sucked into a cliffhanger. But number two in the series, Triple Infinity, ends with a fun cliff, so be forewarned. Number three in the series, Flux Flame, ties up that portion of the series.
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