“How do you do, Miss Filbee?” Gabriel said before nodding to the two men with whom she linked arms. “Mr. Axton, Mr. Beaufort.”
“Oh, this evening has just been wonderful from the start,” Miss Filbee exclaimed before eying the gentlemen on either side of her, “especially with the attention I have received from these two.”
“My mother will be pleased to know you are enjoying yourself,” he said before turning to Charlotte. “Do excuse me for a moment, Miss Rosebury. I promise to return for our next dance together. Do not stray far.”
He smiled before departing their small group, and Charlotte stared after his broad shoulders, sighing before realizing the others watched her.
“My goodness, Miss Rosebury,” Miss Filbee said with a smile appearing more like a sneer, “another dance with the fine master of Greyston Hall? How fortunate you are to have gained his favor.”
“Indeed,” Mr. Axton said with a handsome smile, “I, for one, never thought such a thing might occur.”
Charlotte struggled to control the blush spreading across her cheeks. “I am certain Mr. Worthington does not show me any further regard than he would any other guest in his home,” she said, her eyes darting to the crowd as she wondered why Gabriel had left.
“How modest you are,” Miss Filbee said. “Is it true you are to extend your stay here?”
Charlotte nodded, her heart fluttering again at the prospect of staying longer with Gabriel. “Indeed. Mrs. Worthington has asked me to stay a fortnight longer than before, and as my family will then be with my aunt in Lincolnshire, it will be much more convenient for us to return together to our home.”
“You must have found high favor with the Worthingtons then,” Mr. Beaufort said with a smile. “In truth, I have never seen Mr. Worthington so happy as he has been during your stay.”
Mr. Beaufort’s words caused a hope to bud within Charlotte’s heart, but before she could respond, Miss Filbee’s loud sigh broke through the silence.
“I tire of this dull conversation,” she said, her eyes focusing on anyone but Charlotte. “Come, my dears, let us find my cousin.”
The gentlemen were pulled away, but Charlotte did not mind, for her eyes scanned the crowds around her again for Gabriel.
Could their words be true? she thought. Does Mr. Worthington think highly enough of me to change his decision and marry after all?
At such an idea, her face flushed, and suddenly, the swarms of people around her caused an uncomfortable warmth to swarm within her.
She glanced around before spotting an open door, and she made the short way through the crowds before feeling the cool air from the darkened hallway brushing past her skirts and cooling her cheeks.
She eyed the crowd once more as she secured her gloves upon her arms, smiling before a smooth voice spoke behind her, and her stomach seemed to sink to the floor.
“At last that man has left your side.”
Chapter Seventeen
Charlotte whirled around to face Mr. Cropp directly, his stocky figure and leering eyes nearly causing her lips to curl up in disgust.
“Mr. Cropp,” she said, taking a step back, “I am surprised to see you here, as I am certain you have not been invited this evening.”
She glanced over her shoulder, scanning the crowds desperately behind her for any sign of Gabriel, her unease growing when Mr. Cropp took a step toward her.
“Of course I was not,” he said with a pointed gaze. “Mr. Worthington seems intent upon keeping you for himself. However, I could not pass on the opportunity to observe your beauty again.”
He reached forth and rubbed a finger along her arm, but she pulled back with a frown.
“You really ought to leave, Mr. Cropp,” she said, forcing herself to remain confident.
“You are right,” he said, “but I cannot until I have had more time with you.”
Charlotte made to leave, but in one movement, the man reached out and grasped her arm with his thick fingers, pulling her through the doorway behind them.
“Let go of me this instant, Mr. Cropp,” Charlotte screamed, but he closed the door and instantly covered her mouth with a gloved hand, darkness enveloping them so quickly she could not see.
“I shall release you when I am finished,” he whispered into her ear as she clawed at his hand and struggled to breathe. “Do not struggle so. I only wish for a simple taste of your lips.”
He dragged her down the empty hallway, Charlotte’s head swimming with fear as he threw her into a nearby room, her body stumbling into the arm of a chair as he closed the door behind them.
She stood, gasping for air as her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, and she scanned the room for something, anything, to aid her in her escape, but the man was upon her in an instant.
“Let go of me!” she shouted, using all of her strength to shove him away, and he fell back into a small table, catching himself before facing her and standing between her and the door.
“I have seen the way you watch me, Miss Rosebury,” he said, the faint light from the moon outside revealing his grin. “I have seen the longing in your eyes.”
Charlotte’s heavy breathing increased as anger filled her heart at the man’s insinuation.
“I have never longed for anyone less in my entire life than you, Mr. Cropp,” she said, her words slow and dripping with disdain.
“You lie!” he shouted, his smooth tone gone.
“Never,” she whispered between clenched teeth.
He bolted toward her, his arms reaching forth to wrap around her body, but the anger surging throughout her reared once more, and she yelled as she lifted her knee up, knocking the breath from his lungs.
“Do not touch me again!” she shouted, running to the door as Mr. Cropp crumpled to the floor.
She reached for the handle, but to her surprise, the door opened on its own, and she jumped back to see Gabriel’s startled face staring down at her.
“It is Mr. Cropp,” she said at once, pointing behind her.
The light from the hallway poured onto the man still struggling to stand, and within an instant, Gabriel pulled Charlotte behind him to create a barrier between her and Mr. Cropp.
“You,” Gabriel began, and Charlotte could hear the restrained fury in his tone as she peered around his shoulders.
“Thank goodness you have arrived, Mr. Worthington,” Mr. Cropp said, still struggling to stand, “before more harm could befall me. That little wretch lured me here with, I daresay, less than honorable intentions.”
Charlotte jumped around Gabriel to face the man again, all fear fleeing from her mind at his accusations.
“I did no such—”
But her words ended when Gabriel turned toward her.
“Go,” he said. “Find Mother. Tell her to fetch Mr. Harding.”
Charlotte shook her head. “No, I do not want to leave you.”
She glared at Mr. Cropp, the man sneering at her before Gabriel blocked her view of him again.
“Please,” he said, grasping her shoulders with his hands, “find Mother.”
The stern look in his eyes jarred Charlotte into silence, and she nodded her head. Turning away to leave the room, however, she heard Gabriel’s footsteps move across the floor, so she paused and peered around the door to see his tall figure standing before Mr. Cropp.
“You are not welcome at Greyston Hall,” he said, his deep voice commanding, and Charlotte could only imagine the look of anger upon his face. “You will leave. Now.”
Mr. Cropp scoffed at Gabriel in disbelief. “You mean to tell me you believe that woman’s words over my own?”
Gabriel took a step closer to him, his broad shoulders nearly blocking the man entirely from her view again. “I would believe Miss Rosebury’s words over anyone’s,” he said, “and if I ever hear of your presence upon my property or anywhere near the woman again, you shall not live a moment long enough to draw a single breath.”
“How dare you threaten me,” Mr. Cropp growled.
“I will do as I wish!”
The man launched toward Gabriel, and Charlotte gasped when he swung his hand in the air, however, Gabriel ducked the blow in time to land his own fist squarely into Mr. Cropp’s jaw, knocking him unconscious to the ground.
Charlotte remained silent as Gabriel’s commanding stance towered above the man, but when she leaned closer to see further into the room, the door creaked open, and Gabriel whirled around with lowered brows.
“Did I not ask you to find Mother?”
She hesitated, taking a step back as he approached her. “I wanted to make certain you were all right.”
He left the room and locked the door behind him before taking her shoulders in her hands.
“Are you all right?”
She looked up at him, saw the concern in his eyes, and suddenly, her shock faded away.
“Yes,” she responded as tears sprang to her eyes, “he merely pulled into the room before I managed my escape.”
She swallowed the growing lump in her throat and attempted to stop her quivering chin, but Gabriel soon closed the distance between them and wrapped her warmly in his strong embrace.
“You need not hide your tears from me, Miss Rosebury,” he whispered. “You are safe now.”
And finally, her cries escaped. She buried her face in her hands, leaning against Gabriel’s chest as her shoulders shook from the release of her anxiety.
She pushed aside all thoughts of fear and anger and focused instead upon how safe, how comforted she felt in Gabriel’s arms as he held her close, his hands gently holding her back until her tears ceased, and her breathing finally steadied.
“Thank you, Mr. Worthington,” Charlotte said when she pulled away with reluctance, the coldness surrounding her in an instant.
“Come,” he said, motioning toward the ballroom, “let us find my mother together.”
They walked side-by-side through the hallway before Charlotte paused outside of the door with an averted gaze.
“I do not think I should go in appearing in such a state.”
“Of course,” Gabriel said. “I should have realized.”
He opened the door just a crack, and Charlotte watched as he scanned the crowds before he eventually waved someone closer, and a few moments later, Mrs. Worthington peered through the door with a concerned look upon her brow.
“Gabriel, are you all right?” she asked softly. “Simon told me you had seen—”
Her words ended in a gasp and her eyes widened when she saw Charlotte, and she moved to her side in an instant.
“My goodness! What has happened?”
“Mr. Cropp attacked her,” Gabriel said. “He is in the study.”
“What a horrible man,” Mrs. Worthington grumbled, putting a comforting arm around Charlotte’s shoulders. “I shall see to Miss Rosebury while you cast him out.”
The door opened again, and Simon and Mr. Harding appeared before them, their eyes falling at once upon Charlotte.
“Both of you come with me,” Gabriel said, immediately standing between Charlotte and the men, and she watched as they moved down the hallway, Gabriel glancing back at her without a smile before disappearing into the darkness.
“I am so sorry to have ever allowed that man into our home, my dear,” Mrs. Worthington said next to her. “We should have known his intentions from the beginning.”
She took to straightening Charlotte’s hair before offering her a handkerchief.
“Now, let us get you to your room so you might rest,” she said, but Charlotte shook her head.
“Oh, no, please, I do not want to be alone. I really should like to return to the ball.”
Mrs. Worthington eyed her warily. “Are you quite certain?”
Charlotte nodded. “I assure you, I am well enough. After all, it would not do to have others notice my absence along with Mr. Worthington’s.”
Finally, Mrs. Worthington agreed, and when Charlotte’s tear-stained cheeks had cleared, the women returned to the ballroom.
Charlotte remained close to Mrs. Worthington’s side the rest of the evening, and though she smiled, Mr. Cropp’s actions had cast a pall on her happiness, for she did not see Gabriel again until the ball came to a close in the early hours of the morning.
She stood upon the balcony overlooking the estate’s grounds with Mrs. Worthington and Gabriel as they watched the lantern upon the final carriage disappear behind the trees, and Mrs. Worthington departed soon after, leaving Charlotte and Gabriel to stand together alone.
Behind them, the light from inside the home spread across the dark balcony, and Charlotte approached the edge, leaning her folded arms upon the cool stone.
“Are you not cold, Miss Rosebury?” Gabriel asked behind her.
“Not at the moment,” she said, closing her eyes, “but if you are, you may return indoors without me.”
She heard his boots moving across the balcony as he made to join her at the edge.
“Do you wish me to leave you?” he asked, his deep voice soft.
“No, I do not.”
She opened her eyes to smile at him as a cold breeze brushed past her arms and bare neck, and she shivered, chills running up and down her back.
“Here,” Gabriel said, and she watched him remove his jacket before placing it upon her shoulders. “This should keep you warm enough until you are ready to admit how cold you have become.”
He gave her a sidelong glance, and she smiled.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling the jacket closer as his intoxicating scent wafted around her. “You are certain you will not be too cold?”
“I am a man, Miss Rosebury. I do not ever feel cold.”
As he smiled down at her, Charlotte took the opportunity to admire his handsome figure, and her heart fluttered at the sight of the full sleeves of his white shirt and his waistcoat framing his barreled chest and broad shoulders.
“I have been meaning to apologize to you, Miss Rosebury,” Gabriel said, and she nearly jumped at the sound of his voice, so taken she had been with his appearance, “for I left you with Miss Filbee rather ungraciously during the ball. You see, I needed to ensure Simon had managed to remove Mr. Cropp from the premises, and the moment I discovered he had lost sight of the man, I knew you were in trouble, especially when we could not find you in the ballroom.”
Charlotte nodded, and as she once again replaced the images of Mr. Cropp’s advancements with thoughts of Gabriel’s actions that evening, gratitude filled her.
“Mr. Worthington, I feel I have not adequately expressed to you my appreciation for you coming to my aid this evening. I do not know what might have occurred had you not been there, and I thank you.”
Gabriel frowned. “I am sorry,” he said. “I should have thrown the man out the moment he entered Greyston.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. No one is to be blamed but Mr. Cropp.”
“Then I suppose no one ought to be praised but yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
She watched as a smile slowly spread across Gabriel’s lips. “I, of course, refer to your actions this evening,” he said, leaning one arm against the balcony as he turned to face her. “There are very few women who possess the strength you exhibited today in both mind and body. You are quite remarkable, Miss Rosebury.”
Charlotte glanced away with embarrassment. “Your flattery has caused me to blush, sir.”
“Did I not warn you earlier to prepare to be charmed?”
One of his brows raised higher than the other, and she shook her head.
“In truth, I quite forgot,” she said with a teasing grin.
“Well, I have not. Nor have I forgotten the reward you have promised me.”
Gabriel stood his full height, and Charlotte craned her neck back to see his handsome face lit with an enticing grin, and her heart pounded in her chest.
“And what reward have you chosen?” she asked, praying her voice remained steady, despite her quivering limbs.
“I
am still deliberating, as I have thought of several.”
“I am certain you have.”
Gabriel smiled. “First, I considered my reward would be for you to admit the truth of your cheating at chess—”
“I do not cheat—”
“But I knew you would deny it.”
She shook her head, barely hiding her smile before Gabriel removed his gloves and rested them upon the balcony ledge.
“I then thought,” he continued, “that I should like to have you tell my mother you were the cause of all of our early disagreements.”
“Which I was not.”
“But she would still find you faultless, as she tends to do.”
Charlotte smiled. “So what have you finally settled upon?”
When his gaze fell upon her, his blue eyes peering at her with an intensity she had never before seen, her stomach lurched forth, and she struggled to draw in a single breath.
“After this evening,” Gabriel began, taking a step toward her and cupping her cheek with his hand, “after what has occurred, I feel nothing would be more rewarding to the both of us, than for me to prove to you my happiness.”
He lifted his other hand to her opposite cheek as he continued, Charlotte listening as he created complete euphoria within her.
“Will you allow me, Miss Rosebury,” he whispered as he touched his forehead to her own, “to show you how happy I am?”
She closed her eyes, and she nodded with a fluttering heart.
“For you must know,” he continued, his breath upon her lips, “I am never happier, than when I am with you.”
Tears filled her eyes, tears of love and joy, and when Gabriel leaned in, gently urging her closer toward him until their lips met, she could not help but sigh.
Gabriel’s breathing became labored, and his heart raced as he felt Charlotte’s lips so softly upon his own, the sweetness of her kiss causing his fingers to tremble until he moved his hands along her smooth cheeks to hold her closer.
His mind swirled with thoughts of her, of a happiness he had never before felt, and though he knew their kiss was everything he had promised himself he would not do, he could not stop the feelings within his heart.
To Warm A Wintered Heart (Regency Romance) Page 19
