Page 65 of Her Wicked Duke
She had not started panicking yet, thinking she was still able to stop him. Surely he would not point a pistol at his best friend. And definitely not because of her.
“I have told him to duel me or marry you,” Christian hissed. “And he would not do the honorable thing.”
“I do notwantto be the honorable choice!” Anne cried. “I wish to bethechoice.”
“And that is why I am going to duel with him, dear sister. I won’t see him get away with how he has treated you.”
“Please, Christian,” she said quietly, reaching out to hold his arm. Christian held the pistol away from her, letting it clatter onto his desk.
Only weeks ago, in this room, Alexander suggested that nobody needed to find out what they might do with each other. Now, the whole ton knew a bunch of lies that were spreading like wildfire.
Slowly, Christian’s face softened. His shoulders dropped. “All right, Anne. If you wish me not to go, then I’ll call off the duel.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you, Brother.” She sank back into her seat. “Now, tell me about Europe.”
Anne was a fool. She was a fool to believe her brother might agree to her request so easily and call off the duel. She should have known he would not give up in an instant.
She woke up before dawn, her heart pounding, sweat causing her shift to stick to her back. She ran to her brother’s room, finding it empty.
She cried out, cursing herself for being so foolish. No doubt her parents did not know about the duel, for Christian wouldn’t want to risk getting into trouble.
Who could she go to?
Mary might tell their mama immediately for Christian’s safety. But what about Patrick? He had told her during her brief stay at Yore House that he was always up at dawn while Mary often slept in. He said there was nothing like a beautiful sunrise to watch over his garden.
Anne would request this of her brother-in-law. Not wanting to risk being caught, she reached for the reins of one of their horses and hopped up with one swing of her leg.
She had lied that day to Alexander, of course.
She had lied many times.
Of course, she wanted to see him again. Of course, she wanted to know every truth, but she wanted to kiss the beautiful lies off his lips until they were all gone.
I can save them both.I have to save them both.
Dawn was not far off as her horse galloped at full speed. Soon, she arrived at Yore House and jumped off her horse before it had even slowed down. She tethered it by the front gate.
“I won’t be long,” she whispered, stroking its nose.
Then, she ran to the garden at the back of the house to find Patrick.
He had a pond set up at the back of their immense garden and a pergola with a stone bench that overlooked the fish that swam around. He sat up straight on the bench, ever a gentleman even when nobody was looking.
“Patrick!” Anne called.
He turned around, surprised.
She was breathless by the time she arrived at his side. “Patrick, you must help me! You must help my brother and the Duke—they mean to duel on Illington Hill! Please, take me to them and help me stop them. I may not be enough alone, but they might listen to another person.”
She didn’t realize it, but she had reached out to grip the sleeve of his coat. His eyes flicked down to her fingers, which were wrapped around the fabric, before they settled on her face. His thinning blonde curls made him look older suddenly, and Anne was far too focused on getting to Alexander and Christian to decipher the emotions crossing his face.
“Of course,” he said, his voice far too slow for the gravity of the situation. “We should go in my carriage, though. It’ll be faster, and we can drive them back home.”
She blanched. No,no, the horse would be faster, wouldn’t it?
But Patrick gestured for her to wait as he got the carriage prepared. He harnessed her horse along with one of his own and opened the door for her.
“Illington Hill isn’t too far from here,” he told her, patting her hand, where, in a daze, she still had not let go.
