Page 116 of His Duchess of Scandal
Hermia did not think that Lord Grenford would take heed, but his face paled as he fell back into the hedge. He nodded, silent and fearful, his eyes wide.
Charles jerked his head towards the exit, and Lord Grenford stumbled in that direction.
“Do not let me hear of your threats ever again,” Charles hissed, his gaze darkening as he made sure that the Viscount truly left.
Hermia grabbed Isabella, pulling her close and out of reach of the fleeing man. She noticed how Isabella trembled, but from the strong set of her sister’s jaw, she knew not to say anything.
As soon as the Viscount had left the hedge maze, Hermia rushed over to Sibyl, focusing on her fearful face rather than her torn skirt, at least for the moment, and pulled her into her arms.
“You are safe,” she soothed. “You are safe, Sibyl. Here, we are right with you. We came to find you.”
But her sister still trembled in her arms, and Hermia knew she would continue to do so for a while.
Charles approached and immediately shrugged off his tailcoat. “Here,” he offered. “Let her take it if she needs it. Lady Sibyl, anything you require is yours.”
Sibyl lifted her head slightly, looking at him as if half afraid, but Hermia held her securely, nodding gently.
As soon as the coat was offered, Sibyl took it, and Hermia and Isabella immediately wrapped it around their sister’s waist. They enveloped her in comfort and safety, both holding her.
Hermia’s gaze strayed to her husband. And although her heart ached terribly, she knew that she had to face this resolution.
“How did you know where we were?” The question left her lips in a breathless tone.
Charles’s voice was just as breathless. “How could I not? I went to your townhouse first, but I was also told by Levi where you would be. He heard about the garden party. I found Lady Redham, and she told me where you had gone to find Lady Sibyl. Again, Hermia, how could I not find you?”
The question felt so much deeper than it sounded, and Hermia could only gaze at him, her chest so tight that it hurt.
“I believe your friend is now causing a distraction, so there is no scandal,” Charles added. “You ought to thank her.”
Almost in a trance, Hermia nodded. “And you, too. I ought to thank you, too, Charles.”
He half scoffed. “You have nothing to thank me for.”
But his voice sounded so broken, and she saw how disheveled he was. She could not entirely ignore the dark circles beneath his eyes, nor the fact that he had forgone propriety. He was dressed so casually that she could not believe he had left his townhouse in such a state.
Yet he had—forher.
“Leave, Hermia,” Charles told her softly. “Leave the hedge maze so you may enjoy the remainder of the party. So your sisters may as well.”
And Hermia… well, how could she not be so persuaded? How could she not follow her husband’s advice when, after more than a week apart, he looked at her as though she had shattered his world?
Later that same night, once the fear had ebbed, Hermia approached her husband in the drawing room.
“You have waited here all evening?” she dared to ask.
Charles turned to her, surprise flickering across his face. “How could I not? I wanted to ensure that Lady Sibyl settled in safely.”
“She is,” Hermia assured him.
“And yourself?”
The question felt too loaded, the two of them alone in the drawing room.
“I am…” She hesitated. “I am not as safe, not without you.”
“I have been here the whole time, Hermia.”
“Except you have not been,” she whispered, feeling too vulnerable. “And even when I faced you in Branmere Manor, you were not there. Not recently, Charles.”
