Page 85 of Her Wolf of a Duke

“No, you stopped it. We are all safe. You did it, Emma!”

That made the pain that she was in worth it, at least.

Sarah had brought gowns with her, as they had planned to be away for some time, and so Emma was at least able to wear something more flattering than that hideous thing she hadthrown onto her body in her haste to leave. She took one of Sarah’s pink gowns gratefully, lacing herself in and then fixing her sister’s corsets for her. They left for breakfast, and when they reached the room they saw that Rosendale and Levi were on opposite ends of the room, not acknowledging one another’s presence.

“Another day of battle, then,” Sarah said quietly. “Good luck, Sister.”

“And to you,” she nodded, heading to where her husband was sitting.

“Good morning,” he greeted gently, as if his voice might break her if it was too loud. “You look better.”

“And I have certainly looked better,” she joked, “but I am pleased that all of this is over with now, and that you and I can return home.”

He looked at her with a very measured way, and it unsettled her.

“What is it?” she asked. “The duel did not take place. They can now go and be married, and we can go home. That is what we all want, is it not?”

He sighed, placing the teacup that he was drinking from gently onto the table.

“There is still much to be done before we can do that. Rosendale must apologize for what he did, and given that he did not join me this morning, I must assume that he does not want to.”

Emma cast a glance over to Sarah, who shared her look, which suggested that their own conversation was going in a similar way. Emma couldn’t believe what she was hearing. After everything that had happened, was he truly going to stop Sarah from doing what she wanted?

“Levi, our father will make her marry the Viscount. If she does not run to Gretna Green with Rosendale, she will be forced into a marriage that she does not want, and it will not be like you and me. She will not fall for him in time, and instead she will forever yearn for the man that she truly loves. We cannot allow that to happen.”

Levi truly did seem to be listening to her, but she could see the resolve in his eyes. He knew what was the proper thing to do, and she knew he intended to keep to it.

“I do not want her to marry the Viscount any more than you do,” he replied. “I would much rather return to your father and force him to change his mind, and then Sarah and Rosendale can marry in the proper way. This business with Gretna Green, however, will not be tolerated.”

“Then what do you propose that we do? My father will not listen to reason, and he will certainly not listen to you if you tell him about what my sister wants. He does not care. His interests lie in what he can gain from such things, and a deal such as this withhis friend is not something that he will change his mind about, whether you are a duke or a commoner. Believe me, I know my father.”

She could see him thinking, and she wished she knew what such thoughts were. She so desperately wanted to change his mind, as she could not imagine her sister married to an awful man that did not care for her, and that she did not love, but there was only so much that she could do.

When they had eaten, Emma having still been quite ravenous after the previous day, they met outside. Sarah was ill-at-ease, and Emma wondered just what Rosendale would say. She was terrified that he would declare that he was unapologetic and that he was happy to issue his challenge to Levi if necessary, but instead when she looked into the man’s eyes she couldn’t help but pity him.

“I know that I cannot change your mind,” he began, “and I know that the correct thing to do is apologize and give her back to you, Your Grace, but I cannot do it. I refuse to apologize for loving Sarah, no matter the cost of such a decision. I want her to be my wife, and if returning her to her father means that I will lose her, I cannot do that. If it was what Sarah wanted, I would have let her go without question, but I cannot look the lady that I love so much in the eye and tell her that this is for the best, because it is not.”

When the Baron had finished, he took a deep breath. Sarah burst into tears, throwing herself into his arms and crying into his chest. Emma looked pleadingly at Levi, and she could see that hewas at war with himself. He couldn’t bring himself to allow the match, even if he did believe it was the right thing to do, Emma could tell. His expression was pained, but she knew what had to be done.

“Go,” she said gently, looking at them kindly. “Go to Gretna Green, and do what you must do. We will not tell a soul about it, you have my word.”

Sarah pulled away from Rosendale and looked at her with uncertainty, then casting her eye to Levi. His mouth was agape, and he struggled to close it again.

“This may be the biggest mistake that I have ever made,” Emma continued, “but it is my mistake to make. Sarah, if this is what you want, then you can have it. I would never be able to forgive myself if I did not allow you to do what you felt was right for yourself, not after I have been in scandals of my own.”

Sarah took her hands tightly, smiling through her tears.

“Oh, Emma, I knew that you would understand. It had been my hopes when I wrote you that letter that you would never hold it against me, and I was right to believe in you. Truly, you are the most wonderful sister.”

“You must visit us, though,” she warned. “Elopement or not, I expect to see you often.”

Sarah nodded profusely, and the Baron took his hand in hers. Levi, however, cleared his throat pointedly.

“I do not mean to ruin all of this,” he said politely, “but I want to ensure that you know the gravity of what you are choosing to do. Thetonwill not look upon this with kindness, and it could lead to the both of you being shut out from thetonfor the rest of your lives. Is that truly something you are prepared to face?”

“Of course,” Sarah replied firmly. “I knew what I was risking by coming here, but it never made a difference to me because it is what I want. I would rather be in love than be invited to some ball. This is a sacrifice, to be certain, but to me it is an easy one to make. I shall never regret it, as one never should when it pertains to their marriage.”

She smiled at Levi as she said that, and Emma remembered what he had said to her the night before. In amongst all of the fighting, he had confessed that he loved her, and she had told him she loved him too. It was what she had needed to hear for so long, but it was also proof that Levi knew how her sister was feeling.

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