Page 81 of A Game with the Rakish Duke
“Do you think he deliberately misled her?” Kenneth asked, looking at him sharply. “Do you think he invented this rumor to make her doubt you and turn away from you?”
Thomas shifted uneasily on his feet. “That thought has crossed my mind.” He hesitated. “I have never liked the way he looks at her. He touches her in an inappropriate way as well.” He looked embarrassed. “But I convinced myself that perhaps I had just been bitten by the green-eyed monster, and it was all in my mind.”
Kenneth looked towards the marquee. He frowned.
“I cannot see Lord Afferton anywhere now,” he remarked, his frown deepening. “I do hope the gentleman has not taken it into his head to console your wife and whisper poison in her ear again, Newden.”
Thomas turned around. Kenneth was right. Lord Afferton was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared.
A cold chill ran down his spine. Where was the Earl?
“Oh, I just remembered,” Philip piped up, his eyes alight. “There was a nasty rumor about the Earl and a scullery maid. Apparently, he was rather forceful with the girl, but his mother managed to hush it up quickly…”
Thomas swore aloud. His friends looked startled. The bad feeling was growing. It was invading his senses like a rotten smell.
He turned, not saying another word to his friends, and sprinted towards the maze. His heart was in his throat. He could barely breathe.
All he knew was that he must get to Catherine as soon as possible. He had told her that he would leave her alone, to walk in peace, but the bad feeling was intensifying. He had to know she was safe.
He reached the maze and ran through it, calling her name. A part of him remembered when he had done the exact same thing atNewden Estate, drawn to her like a mouth to a flame, chasing her through the hedges.
But it was different this time. He felt danger closing in on her. He must get to her.
He heard a muffled cry, followed by the sound of a sharp slap. His heart almost stopped beating.
“Catherine!” he yelled, forging ahead, not knowing what path to take, desperate to find her. “Catherine!”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“Patrick, please,” Catherine said, trying to keep her voice steady. “Think about what you are doing. You’re not yourself. You’re talking nonsense.”
Patrick paused, blinking at her, and for a moment, she thought she might have reached him.
“Not myself?” he repeated, a strange light in his eyes. “I am more myself than I have ever been. I have never been so sure of anything in my life. You are my destiny, Cathy.”
“Listen to me, Patrick,” she continued, her mind racing. “If you love me as you say, then let us discuss it rationally. You owe me that much.”
She needed to find a way out. And perhaps, if he kept talking, she’d manage to break free from him.
He hesitated, his grip on her loosening slightly. “Discuss it?”
“Yes,” she said quickly, trying to buy time. “Tell me everything. I want to know everything.”
His eyes softened, and he seemed to relax a little. “I have loved you since we were children,” he said, his voice almost dreamy. “I was going to tell you, but then mother… she intervened. She thought Edith was a better match. I never stopped loving you, Cathy! Not for a single moment.”
Catherine nodded, forcing herself to smile. “I see. And Edith? How did she find out?”
“She always knew,” he said bitterly. “She saw it in my eyes, heard it in my voice. She knows she can never compare to you.”
As he spoke, Catherine subtly shifted her position, preparing to break free if she got the chance. “It must have been difficult for you,” she said softly, keeping him talking. “To live with someone you do not love.”
“It has been torture,” he admitted, his grip loosening further. “But now, we have a chance. We can be together. Truly together.”
Catherine took a deep breath, ready to make her move. But before she could, Patrick’s eyes darkened again, and he tightened his hold on her.
“No more talking,” he said harshly. “I cannot wait any longer. I must make you mine!”
She struggled again, trying to free herself, panic rising in her chest. “Patrick, please!”
