Page 76 of Claiming His Scottish Duchess
Richard hefted the limp body, his muscles straining after such exertion and stress, into his arms as he carried him away. He unceremoniously dumped Lord Mortridge across his horse’s back and took a long, steady breath.
Just then, a small group emerged from the trees in a hurried rush. Eliza, her face tearful with worry, was followed by several breathless members of the Wilthorne staff. Mr. Johnstone asked no questions and took the reins of his horse. He gave a single nod as he led the unconscious criminal back to the estate.
“Uncle!” Lydia ran to Richard, her small arms wrapping tightly around his legs.
For the first time, Richard returned the embrace. He scooped her up effortlessly into his broad arms, holding her close to his chest.
“It’s all right. You’re safe now,” he said as he squeezed her close, “No one will hurt you ever again.”
“I think that’s all the information I need,” Constable Barker said as he took one last note. “I cannot tell you how sorry I am that it came to this, but we assure you that justice will be served this time, Your Grace.”
“I am just grateful no one was truly hurt and hopefully now we can put this whole messy business behind us,” Richard offered, taking a long sip of his well-deserved brandy. “If you need anything further, you know where to find me.”
“Of course, Your Grace,” he said as he watched Sampson’s still-unconscious body carted away by the Bow Street Runners.
After they left, Richard went straight to Catriona’s quarters.
He gave a soft knock, and she opened the door. Her expression was a mixture of relief, tinged with a lingering guardedness.
There was still so much unsaid, so much that had gotten between them.
He stood there, his chest tight with regret. The words he desperately needed to say caught in his throat.
“Catriona,” he finally managed as he entered the room, raw emotion prickling just behind his eyes as he took in her effortless beauty. “I… I am so sorry. I should have been here. I failed to protect you both when you needed it most.”
He paced for a moment, still struggling to gather his thoughts.
“I was so consumed by my own grief, my foolish pride. I convinced myself that pushing you away was the right thing to do, not just for me but for you. I thought that needing you mademe weak, preventing me from doing my duty. But… God help me, I can’t deny it anymore. You are my duty now.”
He took a shaky breath, his gaze searching hers as the words began to pour out of him.
“I love you, Catriona,” he said as he nervously ran a hand through his hair, trying to organize his scattered thoughts. “If I am being honest, I think… well, I think I loved you from the first moment I saw you, pointing your pistol at that thug in Hyde Park. But I was too much of a fool, too blinded by my own arrogance, to see it.”
Catriona listened, her expression unreadable. She held his gaze, her eyes clearly searching him.
He braced himself as he waited for her to say something, expecting her to tell him it was too much too late. Or that his coldness had irrevocably broken what had begun to blossom between them. That there was no coming back.
Instead, she took a step closer, her hand reaching out to gently touch his cheek.
“You hurt me, Richard,” she said softly, but with a firmness that struck his heart. “But I forgive ye all the same because I need ye as much as I need the air in me lungs. Much as fate and circumstance tried to dissuade us, I love ye. I love ye, with all me heart.”
She ran her fingers tenderly over his beard as she offered the slightest smile.
“Aye, I have found me second home here…”
Catriona led him by the hand to her bed, as electricity surged between them. It had been too long, and the single touch of their embrace was all-consuming. How she had longed for him to take her in her bed after those long nights apart. As angry as she had been, she needed him. And now, here he was in front of her.
He looked at her with lust. She watched his gaze as he undressed her with his eyes first, his gaze darting up and down her curvaceous figure.
“You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen,” he cooed as he brought her into his arms in front of the mattress.
He scooped her all the way up and cradled her there for a moment before placing her gently on the bed.
He began to remove her clothes. He moved slowly at first, she felt it almost reverent the way he touched her. Yet the frenetic energy of their connection became overwhelming with each moment, as his frustrated hands reached a feverish pace to remove her corset and reveal her breasts.
Catriona’s heart was racing, her nipples perked against the firmness of the corset that she sighed when he finally released it.
They had tried to resist their undeniable connection for so long, yet it was all they had wanted. Catriona was sure of his love now, as sure as she was of the breath in her lungs. They were one being, one movement.
