Page 83 of Wedded to the Beastly Duke
Her mouth was dry. She felt as though her heart would burst in her chest.
At the sight of her, Adam rose, and guilt swamped her at the sight of his face. Even under the lamplight, she could see the redness from the sun.
“Emmeline,” he said hoarsely, stepping toward her and then stopping when she moved back. “You came.”
“You refused to leave,” she said. “What else could I do?”
“How could I leave without seeing you?”
“You managed it once before.”
Lines bracketed his mouth, and she saw his throat bob as he swallowed. “I am ashamed of how I acted,” he said, his voice quiet, and she thought she must be dreaming, because how could this man in front of her—this man—be the proud duke she had once known?
“Adam,” she said, and his fingers flexed at his sides at the sound of his name on her tongue. “What are you doing here? Why did you come?”
“Because,” he said, looking her in the eye, “I needed to apologize.”
For weeks, she had yearned to hear those words. “You are apologizing to me?”
He nodded. “And I’m hoping I might take you back to Crowny Castle. With me.”
Hope filled her, but she pushed it back down. “Why should I go with you?” she asked. “Why should I forgive you?”
This time, when he stepped forward, he caught her hand in his and squeezed tight. “Because I miss you. Because every time I close my eyes, I see you. You haunt my every waking moment, and you inhabit my dreams. If I ever thought I could go back to my life before you entered it, I was a fool. You are everything I ever wanted, even when I was too much of a fool to admit I wanted it.”
He brought her knuckles to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to them that inexplicably made tears prick her eyes. Hadn’t she felt the same way about him? As though, despite all the odds, he had inhabited her dreams, too?
“Adam,” she whispered, her voice thick.
“I love you, Emmeline. More than you could ever know—more than I realized until it was too late and I lost you.”
Twin tears streamed down her face, and he brushed them away with his thumb. “I pray you will give me the chance to prove my feelings for you,” he murmured, his voice soft in the night air, “Forgive me, Emmeline. Come back home with me. And I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”
She sniffled, all her arguments for convincing him to leave crumbling to dust.
“I thought you never wanted to see me again,” she said, her voice cracking. “How can I know you won’t do that to me again?”
“Let me show you I won’t.”
She shook her head, still sniffing, feeling as though her world had been turned on its head, and with no warning. “Tell me you believe me about Nicholas. Tell me that you were wrong and that I did see what I told you I saw. Then I will forgive you.”
“An easy task.” He smiled, a beautiful and rare thing bathed in the lamplight. “I believe you, Emmeline. I have for a long time, and yesterday Rickard confirmed to me that Nicholas has been sneaking into the house.”
“Truly?”
His smile faded, and she saw the pain the thought caused him. “I believe… I have come to suspect that Nicholas has something to do with my brother’s death.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
After spending the night at the Sunton estate, Emmeline and Adam set out for his country estate in her father’s carriage—one which Adam would return as soon as they arrived. The necessity for this generosity rankled, but he had ridden there as fast as he could, with no thought to the return journey, and the most expedient method of returning with Emmeline was to accept her father’s generosity.
The need for speed was encouraged by the resolution they had come to the night prior. Before they could return to their life, they needed to learn once and for all what happened to William. Only then could they find a modicum of peace.
Emmeline reached across the carriage and took his hand in both of hers. “I know how much this must be affecting you,” she said softly.
After inviting him inside and introducing him, once again and properly, to her mother and sister, they had the opportunity for little conversation, and he didn’t dare speak of his suspicions about Nicholas, or even the true reason he and Emmeline had briefly separated. From what she had intimated, her family had not believed her, either.
Now she was here, sitting opposite him, more lovely than ever, and the only thing he could do was thank his lucky stars again and again that she had agreed to forgive him.
