Page 92 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
And again. And again.
He pummeled the two men to within an inch of their lives. Daniel had never felt such anger. Such wrath. He had never felt such a need to protect someone he loved. He pictured Alison lying on that bed, the bruise on her face, and all he wanted to do was ensure that these men would never be able to hurt her again.
“My lord!” Godfrey hurried into the room. “My lord!” he cried and threw himself at Daniel. Arms wrapping under Daniel’s, hepulled him away as Daniel struggled. “It’s over. There’s no need –”
“Get off me!”
“You’ve won,” Godfrey assured him. “She is safe.”
Daniel could not remember much of what happened after that.
The mayor rushed into the cabin, along with five other men who were members of the local watch in Whitehaven. They subdued the two burglars with handcuffs and promises that the criminals would be taken to London on the following day. They checked Daniel for injury, just as they did Alison.
And through it all, Daniel stayed by Alison’s side, holding her hand, sobbing softly, telling her everything would be all right. But how could it be? In his mind, this was his fault, because had had abandoned her, he had made her feel as if he wanted nothing to do with her, he had… he had brought this on her simply by being him.
He prayed that she would forgive him, while knowing that he did not deserve it.
Chapter Thirty
When Alison finally came to, the first thing she noticed was the painful throbbing in her head. It was like the dull blows of a hammer, repeatedly tapping away at the inside of her skull. She grimaced, keeping her eyes shut, not at all where the pain had come from or why it was so prevalent…
That was when it came back to her.
Her eyes snapped open as memories flooded to the fore, and she went to sit up as if preparing to throw herself from the bed.
“Careful,” a voice spoke… perhaps the last one she would have ever expected to hear. “We don’t want you falling over and hitting your head again. The Earl might not be so forgiving a second time.”
“Felix?”
Alison realized then where she was, which itself was surprising as the last thing she remembered was being carried into a ramshackle cabin in the middle of the woods. Somehow, and she could not begin to fathom the reason, she was back in her own bedroom, safe and sound.
Stranger still, Felix was sitting with her.
He was perched on a stool by the end of the bed, his body hunched and withdrawn, his expression tired. Indeed, there were bags under his eyes and when he smiled, it was a weak and pitiful thing.
“You’re awake,” he said, his voice soft and unsure. “Mother will be thrilled to hear it. We were not certain when you would wake.”
“I…” Alison’s head throbbed painfully, and she struggled to understand what was going on. “How did I get here? What is happening?”
“I take it you are confused,” Felix said. “Which makes enough sense. It was two days ago now that you were brought home. Two days that we did not know if you would wake up.”
“Brought home…”
“Before you ask, Mother and Father have both visited you, and often. Nerissa and Winnie too. But I elected to stay by your side until you woke. I figured it was the least I could do.”
Felix was different from what Alison knew him to be usually. He was… softly spoken, nervous and ashamed. He could not look at her directly, and he fidgeted with each word spoken.
“I do not understand,” she said. “The least you can do? What –”
“I owe you an apology,” he spoke over her. “Perhaps too late to make such a thing, but I owe it, nonetheless. All of this…” He grimaced at her. “It is my fault, Alison. I did not mean for it to happen, but that is not an excuse. It is done, and I pray that you might forgive me.”
“How did I get here?” she asked through the throbbing pain. “What happened?”
Felix sighed and bowed his head. “The two men who took you, the same who broke into this home while we were away, they did so on account of my own actions.” He winced and turned his head so that there was no chance he might meet her eyes. “I… I have done some terrible things, Alison. Things that do not deserve forgiveness.”
“What do you mean?”
“Gambling, mostly,” he said bitterly. “Debts that grew beyond anything I might afford – that I was too ashamed to tell Father of. To pay them back, I offered an empty manor, one filled with valuables that would hopefully go some way to appease those to whom I owe money. At least that was the plan.”
