Page 35 of A Wager With A Rake
Rebecca wrapped her arms tightly around her brother.Court would prove himself worthy of Theodosia’s love, no matter what it took.He would lay his heart in the palm of her hand and hope with everything he had left that she still felt the same.For a future without her was no future at all.
“I must depart tonight,” he declared.Court had left her under the cover of darkness, and he would return to her in the same manner.He couldn’t wait another moment as he’d already wasted far too much time already.
Court summoned his butler and requested his carriage to be readied.
“I will return as soon as I can,” Court said, refocusing his attention on Rebecca and Harrison.“Will you look after Eli and tell him where I have gone?”
Rebecca smirked at him, nodding in agreement.
Court hurried from the room.Not needing to waste time packing anything.With any luck, he’d bring Theodosia back so they could plan their wedding while Rebecca and Harrison were in residence.Their wedding?He drew a deep breath, hoping she’d accept him.Because now that he’d accepted that he wouldn’t go on without her, he wasn’t certain he could walk away again.
He raced for the door, deciding he’d wait impatiently for the carriage to roll up in front of the house so he could depart immediately.He wouldn’t even bother waiting for Jenkins to accompany him.
Turning the knob, he flung the door open and was startled by the figure in front of him.His heart jumped into his throat, and he gripped the doorframe for support.
“Tess?”
Chapter 14
Theodosia
Theodosiadrewadeepbreath, steeling herself to say what she came for after Rebecca had all but dared her to do so.For a moment, she hesitated, then raised her hand, but before her gloved knuckles could make contact, the door swung open, revealing Court’s handsome silhouette in the opening.
His chiseled jaw went slack at the sight of her.“Tess?”
Theodosia’s heart skipped a beat, and she was rendered speechless.Weeks had passed since she’d seen him, and the days were the most agonizing of her life.Even more so than her marriage to Dundas, which said something about the constant state of misery she had been in.
Court blinked rapidly as if not trusting his own eyes.“What are you doing here?”His voice was gruff with surprise.
She lifted her chin, feigning more confidence than she felt.Each second that passed, she questioned how desperate she must appear to him.Wasn’t he supposed to be the one to come after her, to grovel at her feet and beg her to love him?Or something of the like?
Theodosia drew a deep breath.Fuck that.She had played games and spun tales to avoid facing what she truly felt, but she’d put all that behind her for good.The only thing she had patience for was truth and fact.And the fact was that she loved him.“I’ve come to see you.To clear up a few things between us.Might you invite me in?”
Snapping out of his momentary daze, he nodded and stepped aside.“Yes, yes, of course.Where are my manners?”His eyes followed her hungrily as she swept past him, grinning to herself at his reaction.At least she wasn’t the only one who remained affected.
Theodosia turned to face him, then pulled out a letter from her reticule and handed it to him.
Court took the letter and eyed it in his hands, but only shook his head in response.“I’m not reading this until I speak first.”
“Isn’t the standard typically that ladies are first?”Her tone was teasing.
“I hope you’ll forgive my breach of etiquette once you hear what I intend to say.”His emerald eyes bore into hers with an intensity that stole her breath.And would do so every single time he looked at her.
She swallowed hard, pulse racing in anticipation and trepidation.Hopeful, but tempering her expectations that he might not feel as she did, regardless of what Rebecca had believed.
Court took a step closer, and it took every single bit of her restraint not to throw herself into his arms.
“Tess…” He reached out as if to touch her cheek, then seemed to think better of it, curling his fingers into a fist.
She held her breath, heart suspended in her throat as she waited for him to continue.
Court took a deep, bracing breath as if steeling himself for a herculean task.“Theodosia… I love you.I didn’t intend it, nor did I believe love was possible for me.But here I am, dreaming of you every night and aching for you every day.I should have never left as I did… and I don’t expect you to forgive me or even feel the same.After what you’ve been through, it’s understandable if you couldn’t…” His voice was low and pleading as he continued to speak, until she held up her hand to stop him.
“Why did you leave?And in the middle of the night without so much as a word.”The question escaped her lips before she could stop it.
He dragged a hand through his hair, agitation rolling off him in waves.“Because I didn’t believe myself worthy of you… of your love, of the life we could have together.”His shoulders slumped in defeat.“After years of my father’s constant derision and believing me a useless disappointment, that was all I could hear repeatedly in my head.That I would never be good enough, that I was fundamentally lacking as a man, and most certainly as a… husband.Especially after your first husband was such a disappointment.”
His gaze fixed on hers when he spoke the last word.He swallowed hard before speaking again.“But I believe differently now.”
