Planting his feet, Anthony tried to remain standing while Drew threw his weight against him. He shifted to the side and Drew went down, but he took Anthony with him. Drew’s grip broke when he hit the rug. Anthony scrambled to pin him to the floor, but Drew threw a hand up to block him and jabbed Anthony’s eye.
Fury escaped him in a guttural howl. “Goddamn your bony fingers!”
He rocked back on his heels, covering his left eye. It throbbed like a sharp stick was lodged in his eyeball.
Drew was propped on his elbows, frozen in place.
The absurdity of their situation must have hit them at the same time, although their reactions differed. The fight drained from Anthony while dimples pierced his friend’s cheeks.
“Bony fingers?” Drew said with a chuckle.
Anthony uncovered his eye and blinked to clear his vision. “They are like bloody daggers.”
There was a delicate clearing of a throat. He looked up to find Gabby standing in the corridor as if she had just climbed the stairs and stumbled across their mess. “What is going on?”
Drew stood and dusted shards of porcelain from his trousers. “There was a little mishap. Nothing to fret over.”
Anthony remained on bended knee, not wishing to scare her away with any sudden movement. “We need to talk.”
Nineteen
Gabby stared dumbly at Anthony down on one knee among pieces of a broken vase strewn on the Turkish carpet. It was as if she were viewing the scene through cloudy spectacles. Nothing seemed real.
“We need to talk,” he repeated. He was supposed to be in the drawing room receiving news of her betrothal from Drew, not in the corridor outside of her chambers. She had felt cowardly slinking above stairs to avoid him, but she had wanted time to absorb what had happened today. She wasn’t getting it.
Uncertain she could speak, she nodded. She led Anthony to the larger drawing room rather than receive him in the same room where she had betrayed him. Drew trailed at a distance, then stopped outside the doors.
“I’ll be here if you need me.”
Suppressing a sigh of resignation, she closed the doors and turned to face Anthony.
“Why?” His pained voice cut through her calm facade. Violent shaking overtook her. She groped for a chair and dropped into it before her knees buckled.
Why? She still didn’t completely know how this had come about herself.
The reason didn’t matter, because she was as good as leg-shackled to Lord Thorne. She would never allow her brothers to risk their lives.
Anthony came to stand before her. Her gaze slowly traveled up his lean body to meet his troubled blue eyes. “Gabby, tell me it isn’t true. You can’t be planning to marry him.”
She swallowed hard. How had the tables turned? It seemed like only yesterday she had been begging him not to marry someone else, to choose her. Their past should make her want to see him hurting as she had, but she only felt the pain more deeply now. She loved Anthony. She would always love him, but she couldn’t put her happiness above her brothers’ lives.
Luke was newly wed to Vivian and destined to bring an heir into the world. Richard was deeply in love with his wife, Phoebe, and he had two sons who looked up to him. Then there was Drew and Lana. Her dearest brother had found his other half in his wife, and he was a better man for it.
Still, giving up Anthony was killing her inside. Every instinct told her to fight for her survival. But she wouldn’t. She had put herself first two years ago and lost her father because of it.
Her throat was scratchy and her tongue felt coated with sand. She couldn’t bear losing Anthony completely. “Y-you told me the day of your wedding that we would always be friends.”
He knelt at her feet and clutched her hands. His forehead was scrunched in concentration. “Is this what this is about? Are you punishing me for doing the right thing? You were young and the world was yours for the taking. It would have been selfish to take you as my wife.”
She shook her head sadly. “I’m not punishing you.” She was punishing herself. That he was injured in the process made everything a thousand times worse, but she too was doing the right thing. By marrying Thorne, she would protect her family from scandal. And most importantly, no lives would be put at stake. “Lord Thorne is a good man. He will make a decent husband.”
“Dammit!” Anthony shot to his feet, startling her. “How can you do this? You are promised to me.”
“You never asked me to marry you.”
His mouth dropped open as if he would argue more, but then he clamped it shut. He simply stared at her, his eyes aflame. She could see the moment he closed down, the tightening of his jaw, his gaze becoming icy and hard.
A sharp pinch in her chest made her breath catch.
“Is that it, Gabby? You wanted the matter settled, and Thorne asked you first.”
How much easier would it be if she allowed him to believe that was true? If he hated her, he would get on with his life, wouldn’t he? And he would hate her. How could he feel anything but revulsion for a lady who had led him on a merry chase then accepted the first proposal tossed her way? She wanted to tell him yes, it was true, but the ache in her heart wouldn’t allow the lie.
“I must marry him. There’s no choice in the matter.”
“Your brother is forcing you to marry Thorne?”
“No,” she said softly, but he didn’t seem to hear.
“Luke said he would never do that. We’ll just see what he has to say about the matter.”
When he stalked toward the door, Gabby leapt up too. She grabbed his arm before he made it to the door. He was too strong for her to detain, but he stopped.
“What’s done is done,” she said. “I made the decision and I stand by it.”
He grabbed her upper arms to pull her close. “You still haven’t told me the reason. Tell me you love him, that you don’t love me.”
His nearness made her tremble. This would be the last time he touched her. The knowledge wrecked her. She closed her eyes and drew in a shuddering breath. “You know love is not a factor in deciding one’s mate.”
It couldn’t have been a consideration in his marriage to Camilla. Images of Anthony’s daughter with his mistress broke through her numbness. He couldn’t have loved Camilla. If he had, he never would have forced his wife to claim his illegitimate child.
Her anger flared and her eyes flew open. “We both know there was no love between you and your wife.”
He released her, his body jerking as if she had struck him. The hurt in his expression confused her. “I was trying to fulfill my duty.”
“And I’m trying to fulfill mine.”
“You’re hiding something.”
His accusation fanned the flame inside her, consuming her. “You think I’m hiding something from you? That’s rich when you’ve been hiding Annabelle’s mother under your roof.”
“What did you say?”
She crossed her arms, refusing to be swayed by his wide-eyed bemusement. “I saw your daughter and her nanny yesterday. That woman is no more Annabelle’s nanny than I’m a hat.”
“And you think Miss Teague is Annabelle’s mother.”
“Among other things,” she said under her breath.
Anthony’s jaw jutted forward. “If you are going to hurl accusations, speak up.”
“You aren’t denying the relationship.”
“Because it’s ridiculous. My wife gave birth to our daughter, and she died giving life to her. Have some respect for the dead.”
His vehemence gave her pause. His eyes were nearly black and his chest rose and fell rapidly.
“I meant no disrespect to Lady Ellis, but I overhead Annabelle referring to Miss Teague as her mother.”
“She is the only mother Annabelle has ever known. I was fortunate Annabelle’s relation was willing to take her in. I certainly wasn’t equipped to care for a baby.”
Anthony met her gaze directly, his expression guileless. Gabby’s stomach roiled
as she realized he was telling the truth. If Miss Teague were related to his daughter, that would explain their similarities. This was his reasonable explanation, the one she would have gotten had she waited for him. Her distrust had destroyed their chance at happiness together.
Her head throbbed as she fought to hold back her tears. For the past year, she had vacillated between her desire for true love and believing herself undeserving of it. Today her questions could be put to rest. Gabby’s only true love stood before her, his heart hardened against her. And she couldn’t even blame him for hating her. She was marrying another man.
Twenty
Luke groaned under his breath when his wife dug her fingers into his knotted muscles. She stood behind his chair in the drawing room, applying her healing touch. He hadn’t had a headache like this for months, but he also hadn’t dealt with a mess like he’d had tonight in… He searched his memory and couldn’t remember ever having a similar situation arise.
“Sisters are an unpredictable lot.”
“I’m sure we are,” Vivian said with a droll quality to her voice. She squeezed his shoulders, releasing some of his tension. “Perhaps you could think of something else for a bit. Fretting over Gabby isn’t helping your head.”
“I don’t fret.”
She bent forward and placed her warm lips against his neck. “Of course you don’t. Although if you were to fret like a dotty old aunt over your sister’s well-being, that would be perfectly understandable.”
He grabbed her hand and walked her around the chair. Every time he laid eyes on Vivian, his heart skipped a beat. Months of marriage had done nothing to diminish his desire for her. He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you patronizing me, water sprite?”
Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she offered a coy smile. “Maybe.”
As he tugged her onto his lap, a knock sounded at the door. He released her with a sigh and helped smooth her skirts before bidding the person to enter.
His mother eased the door open and frowned. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Of course not, Rosemarie. I was just telling Luke I was ready for bed. I’ll leave the two of you alone.” Vivian’s mouth turned up slightly at the corners when she glanced at him. She wasn’t thinking about sleep.
“I’m not long for bed myself,” he said.
When Vivian quit the drawing room, his mother claimed a seat. “I won’t keep you long. I just want to know what you make of Gabby accepting Lord Thorne’s proposal.”
Luke joined her on the settee. “She is adamant she wants to marry him. I thought her affections lay with Ellis, but I was mistaken apparently.”
“Did you get any sense she is hiding something?”
He shook his head. His sister’s emotions had always been easy to read, but her motivations often remained elusive. “She was upset, but I didn’t know if it was because she felt bad for hurting Ellis, or if she doesn’t really want to marry Thorne.”
His mother’s shoulders drooped. “I understand the conversation between her and Anthony didn’t go well. I simply can’t accept that they are not meant for each other. Your father and I used to comment on how compatible we thought they would be when they became adults. Anthony is levelheaded, which is what Gabby needs, and she would bring some liveliness to his life.”
Luke put his arm around his mother. She was a tiny woman, but her will was strong. “Only Gabby can know which gentleman feels right for her. We should trust her judgment.”
“Perhaps if they spoke again, Gabby would see she is mistaken.”
He sighed. He didn’t want to become embroiled in a battle between his mother and sister, but he had a soft spot for his mother. “I could encourage Anthony to call on her once more, but then we must accept whatever decision Gabby makes.”
“Very well, so long as you promise to allow her to cry off if she changes her mind.”
“Of course, Mother. She is free to choose her husband. I won’t stand in her way.”
***
Gabby wanted to do nothing more than to hide away at Talliah House until her wedding—that is, besides not marrying Lord Thorne at all. Nevertheless, she had a role to play and if she didn’t act the part of happy bride-to-be, her family would figure out the truth. At least Thorne had kept his distance the last few days and given her time to lick her wounds in private.
More than once she had considered telling Luke what had really transpired in the drawing room the day Mama and Lady Eldridge discovered her in Thorne’s embrace. But she couldn’t. Not when she watched Luke and Vivian together and knowing he would make good on his promise to challenge Lord Thorne.
Her brother and his wife were either unaware she could see them through the conservatory windows as they strolled the gardens or else they didn’t care. Luke had his arm around Vivian’s waist, and when they stopped on the path, he tipped her chin up to kiss her gently on the lips.
Gabby’s attention returned to her drawing, her heartache as fresh as it had been when she’d said her good-byes to Anthony. As much as she tried to accept her fate and tell herself she deserved what she had gotten, part of her rebelled against it. Her state of mind was reflected in her artwork. Dark slashes marred the paper where she’d pressed down hard, almost ripping it.
“Here you are, my darling girl.”
Gabby startled at the sound of her mother’s voice.
“Are you ready to visit the modiste? There isn’t much time to prepare your wedding gown.”
Ordering a mourning gown seemed more fitting, but she forced a smile. “I don’t believe Vivian is ready to leave yet.”
Mama came to sit beside Gabby on the settee and nodded toward Luke and his wife beyond the window. Vivian lifted her face as they shared a laugh. “All I have ever wanted was for my children to be happy in love. It does my heart good to see them together.”
Gabby’s nose tickled, a sign she might start crying again. She rubbed it furiously then went back to her drawing.
Mama smoothed her hand over Gabby’s back. “I want all of my children to be happy?” Her inflection made it sound like a question that hung between them.
How Gabby would love to unburden her heart to her mother, and perhaps she would if not for the word “all.” It was impossible for all to be happy now, so it was Gabby’s duty to make certain most were happy. But she could pretend for her mother’s sake.
“Oh, I quite agree. It’s wonderful to be in love.” At least she wasn’t forced to lie to her mother on that account. Gabby had been gloriously happy during her short time with Anthony.
Mama sighed and took Gabby’s sketchbook to study her drawing. “It’s a spider’s web.”
“Yes.” She pointed to a shrub close to the window where a web stretched between thin branches. Earlier, dewdrops had glistened on the strands, making it beautiful. She wondered if insects were more likely to be drawn to the web because of the light glinting off it. Perhaps they judged it harmless just as she had misjudged Lord Thorne. In the end, she was as trapped as they were.
Vivian and Luke were walking arm in arm back toward the house. “It appears Vivian is ready now,” Gabby said.
“We should commission a few more dresses as long as we are at the dressmaker’s shop. If you intend to go through with this marriage, you must begin to make appearances again. It isn’t right to ignore invitations and then expect friends and acquaintances to attend your wedding.”
She didn’t care if anyone attended her wedding. She would miss it if she could. But her mother had a point. A happy bride would not be hiding out after her betrothal, and she feared she wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all her family.
“Yes, Mama. I would be delighted to attend whichever events you deem appropriate.”
Her mother’s lips curved down. “Are you certain you aren’t still ill?”
Gabby chuckled for the first time in days.
***
Anthony’s gut felt rotted inside, as if he’d eaten rusted metal instead of the three-course meal Lady Sor
in had served that evening. In actuality, he’d only been able to force down a few bites before his throat refused to work any longer.
Gabby had been placed far away from him at the table, so there had been no opportunity to speak with her. She’d looked up several times to catch Anthony staring, and a bright flush had colored her cheeks. As soon as dinner ended, Thorne had been at her side, cutting off any hope Anthony had of stealing her away for a private word.
Anthony had been certain everything wasn’t rosy between Gabby and the baron, and he’d come to the dinner with the intention of uncovering the truth. But seeing them waltzing together was killing him. They seemed like any other happy couple.
Gabby smiled when Thorne smiled, she laughed when he spoke, and she spared him the dark looks he deserved when he held her too close during the dance. And as far as Anthony was concerned, one would think Gabby had never met him with the way she actively ignored him when they danced past.
Frustrated, he grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing footman bearing a sterling tray, then stalked onto the terrace.
Bollocks! Why am I here? Perhaps he was a masochist, because watching Gabby and Thorne together was torture. She wouldn’t even meet Anthony’s eye. Was this how things would be from now on? Never speaking to one another again?
A sharp pain ripped into his chest as if to shred his heart. Not only was he losing the woman he loved, it appeared he would lose the only family he’d ever known. The Forests may not be related to him, but they had accepted him as if he belonged. They were the reason he could accept Annabelle completely, because Gabby’s parents had shown him the ability to love was not dictated by blood. If it were, he would have still had a mother after losing his father and brother.
Two shadowed figures strolled onto the terrace, the glow from the ballroom behind them hiding their faces.
“Ellis, are you all right?”
It was Drew and Luke. Anthony didn’t want them to see him this way. “I’ve been worse,” he lied.
Luke slapped him on the shoulder before embracing him as if they were brothers. “I don’t believe that’s true. I have seen you down and out, but nothing like this.”
One Rogue Too Many Page 15
