Page 100 of The Untamed Duke
“Sebastian…” Alan sighed. “I believe him, too.”
Nicholas was stunned. He never had the right to bargain with Grace? There was never an encumbrance giving him an excuse to have her? To kiss her? To make her his own?
Would she believe he lied to her? That he used her? Taking her shoulders, he turned her.
A hint of doubt shadowed the gold of her eyes, a tear sparkling in the depths. She caught a deep breath, snagging her bottom lip between her teeth and biting it. He could see the struggle inside her. How she was torn between believing the worst and believing in him.
Trust me, little bee. God above. Trust me and my love for you. I don’t give a damn if no one else believes me, as long as you do.
Grace sighed. She smiled and gripped Nicholas’s hand tight. He saw the cloud clear, the happiness as it spread over her features. The love for him shining through her until she glowed with it. Grace never doubted him. She would always believe in him.
“Nicholas did not know. He couldn’t know. He fought so hard against the contract, and I insisted upon it. After he ceded it, I seduced him and he fought me on that too. The encumbrance? He’d already sent in a paper dissolving it before I decided he would be mine forever. So, yes. I believe him. I believe him now, Sebastian, as you should have believed him all those years ago. Let go of the disappointment you still carry, because it is disappointment in yourself and your lack of faith in his honor. Nicholas never failed you. You failed him. You and Lord Bentley turned your backs on a friend, and now you have much to make up for. You both still love him. As a brother loves another brother. Sebastian, you entered a burning stable and pulled him out. You saved his life. In your heart you believe him, so please, for my sake, and Ivy’s, Alan’s, Sara’s, the Duchess. Most of all, for Nicholas and yours. Make your amends now.”
Nicholas couldn't stop staring at the beautiful, wonderful woman holding his hand, defending him and stating her faith in him, her eyes shining with conviction and love. He wanted to haul her against him, kiss her senseless and shout from the rooftops that this incredible creature belonged to him and would be his forever. Her impassioned words had the entire room in tears.
Even Sebastian. He slowly reached out and laid a hand on Nicholas’s shoulder, squeezing it hard, saying without words everything that needed to be said between them.
Nicholas nearly sagged with overwhelming relief. When Alan stepped closer and did the same to his other shoulder, his knees almost buckled with gratitude. He heard his mother sobbing softly and knew she was remembering the three of them as little boys, always into mischief. He understood how difficult it was, balancing the line between duty as a duchess and wife and her duty as a mother in protecting him from his father. They’d both suffered equally under that man’s heavy hand. Nicholas hoped she would now find her own happiness in life. She deserved it as much, if not more, than he did.
The three men stood still, Grace caught in their midst. His chaotic fairy, his little whirlwind, his Cornwall storm, who managed to bring them all together. Ivy and Sara joined their group with a cry, tears streaming down their cheeks.
“I’m glad this is resolved. I can reveal now it was my decision to send the original encumbrance to Sebastian,” the dowager duchess said in relief. “I believed it best nothing could be leveraged between the two of you before working out your differences. I never thought Nicholas would learn of the encumbrance. Since it would dissolve on Grace’s twenty-first birthday, I thought it an insignificant point. The duke’s barristers gave it to me before his death, and I instructed my own solicitor that it should end in Ravenwood’s hands only. I’m sorry, Nicholas and Grace. I believed I was doing the best for all involved.”
Grace flashed the duchess a blinding smile. “You did just what I would have done, Your Grace, in order to protect those you love most. No one can fault your decision, especially myself.”
Tears gathered in Nicholas’s eyes. Tears he’d held for an eternity. Tears he’d never shed before. Tears he never knew existed within him. With their release, he was free. Cleansed. Joy fluttered within him. A sense of wonder for what the future would bring. A future with her. His Grace. A lifetime of happiness and light and laughter with her at his side. It was so much more than a man of his caliber deserved. Silently, he thanked God for her. For her determination in sweeping away the dark memories and all his dark corners until it was as though they never existed.
He knew his nightmares would be no more. And his habit of writing those nightmares down when he first woke? Done and over. He’d have Grace to tell his thoughts from now until forever.
Their gazes caught and held, and the love shimmering between them was so powerful, so magical, there was not a person in the library left unaffected.
“A winter wolf found me in a garden maze, and I fell in love with him. Somehow, he fell in love with me in return. Once, I thought all I wanted in this world were my horses and books and a quiet life alone. I was so terribly wrong. Spending a lifetime with someone you love is worth more than any treasure.” Grace leaned up and kissed Nicholas softly. “Now, if you will excuse us, I think we will retire to our rooms and clean off a bit of this blood so we may celebrate Alan and Sara’s homecoming properly. I’m sure they did not expect so eventful a welcome.”
As they exited the library, Nicholas heard Alan remark in that wry way of his, “As an occasional betting man, I wager we’ve seen the last of those two tonight.”
A spate of laughter followed that, then Her Grace said, a smile evident in her tone, “Knowing my son, I would say you are right, Alan.”
Chapter 41
Neither one said a word until they reached Nicholas’s bedroom.
Grace found cloths by the washbasin, wetting them with cool water from the pitcher. Nicholas sank into a chair before the fireplace, easing out of his jacket and unraveling the cravat. While she dabbed the cut on his cheek, he unbuttoned his shirt.
She didn't realize her hand was trembling until he gently caught hold of her wrist.
“Sweetheart, there’s nothing to be frightened of now. Everything is resolved.” His tone was teasing but sympathetic. He understood the latent emotions coursing through her. The tremendous wave of reactions she rode as the events replayed in her mind.
“He could have hurt you. And all because of my foolish bargain…”
“That foolish bargain brought us together. I’m not sorry for it. Are you?” His head cocked, waiting for her answer.
“Of course not! Only, you may not want a wife after all is said and done. Now, you’re backed into a corner and—”
“Oh, Grace!” Nicholas threw back his head and laughed. “You amaze me.”
“Stop laughing at me. This is not funny,” she said between clenched teeth, dabbing at some blood on his chin.
“No. It’s not funny. I’m just astonished that after all this, you could possibly think I would not want to marry you. You won’t get rid of me that easily.” He tugged her into his lap, and Grace went willingly, full skirts spilling over his legs. Bending his head, he nuzzled the curve of her neck. “Did I tell you how gorgeous you are in this dress? How the color makes your eyes sparkle like rare topazes? And that your skin glows like the sweetest of honey?”
