Page 102 of A Rescue by the Rakish Duke
“Try me, Montrose. Yes, you can. That’s a good boy, but you know you won’t make it out of here alive,” Damian taunted, distracting him a little and nodding at his wife.
Gwendoline stepped forward before Montrose could pull her against him. Then, she elbowed the bastard in the abdomen. Startled by the pain, the earl did not anticipate Damian rushing toward him to try to disarm him.
The two rolled on the ground. Gwendoline shrieked when Montrose tried to slam his pistol on Damian’s head. But Damian was determined and angry enough to squeeze Montrose’s wristhard.
Just as the pistol fell to the ground, the constables stormed in. Damian and Evan had planned their trap well. They had the constables on standby to arrest Montrose and his henchmen once and for all.
As soon as Montrose was pulled off him, Damian fell back to the ground, breathing heavily.
It was over.
Chapter Thirty-Two
“Gwendoline,” he began, his voice unsteady.
Damian and Gwendoline were alone in the same room after what had felt like an eternity. They were dressed for bed after long baths—the duchess’s second for the day—refreshed but hurting all over.
What hurt the most, however, was that Gwendoline would not look at him. It was as if she no longer cared whether he believed her or not. The last they spoke, she hadbeggedhim—after she had suffered a blow to the head.
“Your Grace,” she replied, reminding him of the yawning chasm between them.
Her voice was cold, and her body was angled away from him.
Damian knew that he deserved her cold response. He stepped back a few paces, unable to stand inhaling the scent of thewoman who might not want him near. Who might hate him with all her heart.
“I owe you an apology.”
Her eyebrow rose, and the surprise flashed across her face. “Apology for what, kind sir? For sending me away? Calling me a liability? Not trusting me? Accusing me? So many things, Your Grace. My mind is reeling from all the possibilities.”
Her words hit him harder than any of Montrose’s blows. He took a deep breath and forced himself to meet her gaze.
“For all of it, Gwen,” he sighed. “I was a fool. I still am. None of the things I said and did are forgivable. I was torn between my fear of losing you and my fear that you were never mine.”
“Do you know what it felt like to be pushed aside when all I wanted was to stand by you? I confessed my feelings, and you banished me. I am not a fragile ornament, either, that you must shelve away.”
“I see that now. I was wrong. I let my fears and prejudices blind me to who you are—a courageous and determined woman. You’re not just my wife, Gwendoline. You are also my partner. My equal.”
“What changed? What made you realize all of this now?”
Curiosity flickered in her gaze. He didn’t see hatred. Instead, he saw hurt and openness. At least, that was what he wanted to think. He wanted to believe that he still had a chance with her.
“When I found out that you went to meet with Marston on your own, I was terrified. I was proud, yes, but I was also terrified. I didn’t want to lose you, and I don’t want to lose you now. I can take the cold shoulder as long as I know you are safe, Gwendoline. In the end, I realized I was afraid of becoming my father. Once he couldn’t see what he wanted from my mother, he banished her.”
“You’re not your father, Damian,” Gwendoline said softly but firmly. This time, she turned toward him.
More open.
Perhaps, ready to forgive him?
“No, I am not him!” he insisted to her—to himself. “But I was heading down that path. I hate myself for it. I lived my life with two goals—to avenge my friends and to become the opposite of what my father was. I almost failed with both. You helped me. I wouldn’t have done all of this without you. I was losing hope. I was lost in vice before you gave me a purpose.”
Tears welled up in Gwendoline’s eyes, but she blinked them away immediately. “Damian, I know what fear was—is. I’ve lived in fear for so long. I lived in fear when Timothy became my guardian. I was under his iron fist, waiting to be discarded or given away. To be sold off. Then, I lived in fear in Greyvale,trying to meet expectations. Trying to be what I’m supposed to be—a duchess. Trying not to be a liability.”
The last sentence felt like a dagger to his heart.
“You’re not a liability, Gwendoline. I did not mean those words. I was cruel and hurtful. But Gwen, I know you are my equal. From this day forward, I will treat you accordingly. I will not push you away. Not anymore. Not ever again.”
She had wrapped her arms around herself as if she was shielding herself from him. She was protecting her heart, and that stung.
