Page 88 of A Rescue by the Rakish Duke
His voice was still frosty. The accusation in his tone might have eased a little, but it remained.
“I was terrified, Damian. I was scared of losing you. Of losing everything?—”
“Welosteverything. The evidence we had against Montrose—all gone! My servants are injured. My study is destroyed.”
Gwendoline choked back a sob, her hand flying to her mouth. Damian struggled to keep his composure as he watched her fall apart in front of him. It wasn’t how he had imagined the night would end.
He was angry, but not only at her. Yes, he was annoyed by what she had done—trusting that Montrose would play fair after she revealed the location of the documents. He still hit her on the head! He was furious at Montrose for making several attempts on her life.
Evan was right. There was nothing humorous about the attempts on his wife’s life. Most of all, Damian was angry at himself for letting her get hurt once more.
Still, he hardened himself. Gwendoline confessed to caring for him enough to try to save him, but he couldn’t afford to tell her that he was terrified of losing her.
Something must be done. Something must be said.
“You’re a liability, Duchess,” he said, keeping his voice devoid of any warmth or suggestion that he would listen to whatever she had to say. “Montrose may have suspected it, but now he knows for certain. Now, I do, too.”
Her whimper was louder this time as she staggered further away from him as if he had struck her. Her hand rubbed her chest. Damian could not help but follow the motion with his eyes.
“How can you say that?” she breathed. “After everything I’ve done to help you with your quest for vengeance? After the things I’ve shared with you that I have not dared to share even a bit of with anyone else?”
Damian turned away from her. It would be easier not to look at her face. Not to look at her pain. It would be for their own good. She would be safer. His sanity would remain intact.
“You will leave for Greyvale with Hannah, Cook, and Mrs. Albright first thing in the morning,” he said flatly. His shoulders ached from the tightness. His head throbbed. “It’s the only way to keep you safe.”
He might not see her face, but he could hear her breath hitching.
“You’re sending me away? Are you staying here in London?” The rising panic in her voice was evident.
“It’s for your own good, Gwendoline,” Damian explained. He struggled to keep up the walls he was building between them.
“For my own good or yours?” she asked, anger now lacing her words. “No, do not lie to yourself. You are not doing this for me. You are doing this foryourselfbecause you’re afraid.”
Damian spun around. His eyes narrowed on his wife, who was red in the face at that moment. She was angry. He was angry. It was not a good idea to talk at that moment, but she wasn’t wrong. Hewasafraid. But perhaps she did not know why and what he was afraid of.
“You don’t know what you are talking about, Gwendoline,” he grunted.
“Oh, don’t I?” Gwendoline challenged. “I hate myself for telling Timothy where you hid the documents. You think he won’t come after me in Greyvale? He already did, remember?”
Damian knew that. He would instruct his trusted men to watch over her in Greyvale. He might even send Evan there. But he and Gwendoline should not stay together. Not now.
Even as her words hung heavily in the air, he said nothing. He clenched his jaw and kept his expression stoic. He wanted to go back to the way he was before he met her.
Unfathomable. With her, he was at risk of being too open. Too easy to read.
So, he left the room, the door slamming shut behind him.
Gwendoline almost cursed. She had never done so in her life, but she was sorely tempted. After all, her husband had just lefther in a room for the third time. They all thought that Gwen was the one who often escaped the pain and confusion, but she knew someone who always escaped when things became too difficult to discuss.
Damian.
He was not a coward, no. But there were things that he kept running away from. Still, he had said so many hurtful words that her heart felt battered.
Feeling hopeless, she sank into a chair and tried to savor her last few moments in their London residence. She was being banished by the man whom she thought she had formed an unbreakable bond with.
There were no promises as to what they were, but he had at least shown that he cared for her. Tonight, all that was left in his eyes was a cold determination. His rejection stung, and perhaps she should take it as a sign not to care too much for him.
No matter what, though, she would not let Timothy win. She would have to make this all end. Even if Damian pushed her away in the end, she would not let him push her away now. They needed to present a united front against the man who had made their lives hell.
