Page 19 of Caught with the Beastly Duke (Dangerous Dukes #3)

Chapter Nineteen

“ P lease, let him come quickly,” Rosalie prayed out loud.

The minutes were ticking by. She didn’t know how long Clara had been gone for, but it felt like hours.

“It can’t have been hours,” she reminded herself. “It’s only been a few minutes. She’ll be back soon, and then Nathan will save me.”

It was the first time she had called the Duke by his first name since he had come back into her life, but she barely even noticed. Her body was too tense; fear was crowding out any other feeling, and she was sure, as the minutes slipped by, that if he didn’t come soon, she would fall to her death.

Her legs were beginning to scream in pain. She was standing on her tiptoes on the slanted floor, trying to keep from slipping forward and falling down into the hole. The effort to keep herself from sliding forward was beginning to strain her muscles. Her thighs were full of pins and needles, and her calves were inflamed with pain.

Meanwhile, her fingers were beginning to slip on the windowsill. There wasn’t much for her to grab onto, and with every passing second, it grew harder and harder to hold on.

What if something has happened to Clara, and she isn’t able to alert Nathan of what’s happened? What if he’s out riding, and she can’t find him? What if no one comes and…

She squeezed shut her eyes and tried to force herself not to think of the what ifs. Clara would find Nathan. He would come. She would be saved.

Not that she had any idea how: it was impossible to cross the room. She was stuck on the opposite side, and no ladder was going to be tall enough to reach her from outside the castle.

“Rosalie!” The sound of her name being shouted was still faint, but her eyes snapped open the moment she heard it. “Rosalie, I’m coming!”

There was no mistaking that voice: it was her husband’s. Her heart began to hammer against her chest, and tears pricked her eyes.

He’s coming!

“Nathan!” she shouted back. “I’m in here!”

“We’re coming, Rosalie! Just hold on!”

She could hear footsteps now, the sound of several people approaching, and another sound, as if something was hitting the walls. She didn’t know what that might be, but she could only hope it was her husband’s rescue plan.

Seconds later, Nathan’s face appeared in the doorway across from her, and Rosalie thought she might burst into tears. Never in her life had she been as glad to see someone as she was to see Nathan now.

“Rosalie!” he shouted the moment he saw her, his eyes wide. “Don’t worry, we’re going to get you out of there. How are you doing? Are you holding on all right?”

“I’m starting to s-slip,” she said, and the tears began to leak out of her eyes. Her fingers had begun to sweat which made holding onto the windowsill even harder, and she could feel her feet beginning to slide slowly down the stones. “I don’t think I can hold on much longer.”

“You don’t have to hold on long,” he assured. “Just a few more seconds.” He turned behind him and motioned at someone. “Bring the beams here.”

Several footmen appeared carrying long wooden planks. They looked tired, sweat dripping from their brows, but determined. With Nathan’s help, they began to lift the beams out over the caved-in floor and toward the window where Rosalie was hanging on for dear life.

“Roaslie, if you can, try to take the end of the planks and rest them above the stones below the windowsill,” Nathan instructed. His voice was very calm and steady, and even though Rosalie didn’t want to let go of the windowsill, she did as he said. When the first plank reached her, she released one hand and helped to set it above the stones so that it created a kind of bridge from the door to the window.

“Now the next one,” Nathan said. “You’re doing great, Rosalie. Just wonderful.”

He smiled at her, and she felt a surge of strength go through her. She was still scared out of her wits, but this time, she grabbed the end of the plank with more confidence and set it down next to the first.

“That should be enough,” Nathan said. He removed his jacket, handed it to a footman, and then rolled up his sleeves. Then he set a foot on the planks and pushed down with his weight, testing it.

The plank wobbled a little, but only a little. He took another tentative step, further towards the center, and this time, it seemed secure.

“All right, I’m going across,” he said, and he looked Rosalie straight in the eyes. “I’m coming across to you, Rosalie.”

“No, you can’t!” she gasped, fear once more seizing her. “They can’t be stable! You’ll fall!”

“I’ll be okay,” he said, very calmly. “I’m going to come and get you, and then we are going to cross back together.”

“I d-don’t know if I can,” she stammered, but he just smiled and took another step. “Yes you can. I believe in you, Rosalie. You’re in control of your own life, and you can do this.”

And then, before she could respond, before she could even blink, he had crossed all the way across the planks.

He had done it so quickly and with such balanced assurance that she hadn’t even had time to be afraid for him.

Now, he was standing right next to her, balancing on the planks while also holding onto the windowsill with one hand. With the other, he took hers.

“How are you doing?” he asked, smiling softly.

“I’m s-scared,” she whispered as she looked up into his calm blue eyes. “I don’t think I can make it back across.”

“You can,” he said again, squeezing her hand. “You’re just going to have to go quickly, keep your eyes focused right in front of you on the planks, and don’t look down at the hole.”

“But—”

“I’d carry you, but I think that would make it even more unbalanced.” He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers; it was surprisingly cool. “Trust me, Rosalie,” he murmured. “You can do this.”

She took a deep breath. “All right,” she whispered. What choice, really, did she have?

Nathan released her hand, and she turned to face the boards.

“I’ll be right behind you,” he murmured.

She thought she was going to be sick. The way across the boards seemed so long, so treacherous; the door seemed to be a league away. The footmen and Clara were standing in the doorway, watching anxiously, and she had to look away so as not to see the fear on their faces.

Look at the planks. Keep your eyes ahead of you. Don’t look down at the hole.

But it was very hard not to look down at the hole when she had to look at where she was putting her feet.

At last, she took a step forward and released the windowsill.

Beneath her, the boards trembled, and she had to fight down the scream.

A hand came to her waist, and she realized that Nathan was holding onto her from behind.

“You’ve got this,” he murmured. “I’m right behind you.”

Once the boards had steadied, she took another step. Then another. She was now fully away from the wall. There was nothing to cling to, should she fall.

But Nathan’s hand was still on her waist, so she took another step.

The boards rattled again, and she hesitated.

Then Nathan spoke. “Do you remember that scene in The Pirate Captain’s Wife when Lizzy ‘Nobeard’ Seacliff has to walk across a rope from the main mast to the mizzen?”

Rosalie blinked. She was so surprised by Nathan’s words that for a moment, she forgot to be afraid.

“Y-yes, I do remember that scene.”

“She has to balance while walking across the rope with nothing to hold onto, and the whole time, she’s trying not to think about the ship’s deck below her.”

“And she looks down at one point and almost falls, but she keeps going,” Rosalie said. Without thinking, she took another step forward. “Yes, I remember.”

“I always loved that scene,” Nathan observed, his hand still on her waist. “She gets across and is able to fix the mizzen sail, allowing Captain Blackthorn to navigate them away from the Whirlpool of Andores which would have sunk their ship with all crew still onboard.”

“And then afterward, she and the Captain share their first kiss,” Rosalie remembered. She took another step then another across the boards. For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine how Lizzy had felt in that moment: the fear but also the rush of excitement, of confidence in herself and her abilities. Lizzy felt fear, but she was brave and competent, and she always overcame it.

I can be like that, Rosalie thought. I can be brave, too.

She took another step forward. She was now more than halfway across. Underneath her, the beams trembled again, but this time, she kept her eyes focused ahead of her and thought of Lizzy. She could almost feel the sea spray on the back of her neck… could almost hear the seagulls crying in the distance and the sound of the wind whipping through the sails…

She was Lizzy on the pirate ship, crossing the rope and then about to fix the sail to save the day before going downstairs to share her first kiss with her one true love.

And then she was across.

It happened so suddenly that she almost didn’t realize it when it happened. Her feet were touching the solid ground of the doorway, and then she was stumbling forward, falling into Clara’s arms, letting out a sob of relief.

The footmen were cheering. She couldn’t believe it was over. Clara was hugging her tight.

And then Nathan was across as well.

He lifted her out of her lady’s maid’s arms and folded her into his, and she buried her head in his shoulder. At last, she let herself go completely; sob after sob racked her, and she didn’t even care if the servants could see it. She was safe; he was safe; it was over.

“It’s okay,” he murmured. “You can let it all out. You’re safe now. Cry if you need to.”

She clutched him more tightly and sobbed uncontrollably against him while he continued to murmur sweet words in her ear.

“You were so brave, Rosalie, so brave,” he whispered. “I’ve never been so proud of you.”

They stayed like that for a long time. Rosalie had no desire to move; she had never felt as safe and held as she did in this moment. Eventually, her tears dried, and her sobs became little hiccups, and then she was no longer crying, just breathing slowly and rhythmically against his shoulder.

When at last she lifted her head, it was to find that the footmen and Clara had gone. She was now alone with her husband.

“Thank you,” she murmured as she gazed up at him. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come with the planks. That was very quick thinking.”

He brought his hand to her chin and cupped it, his thumb tracing across her jawline. “My brother and I used to use planks like these to explore old, abandoned buildings in the countryside. Sometimes the floors had caved in, so we would find planks to use as bridges.”

“So, you had done that before,” she said. “Like Lizzy ‘Nobeard’ and the rope.”

“I had done it before,” he confirmed, “although never with such high stakes.” His thumb continued to stroke her jaw. His other hand was still protectively wrapped around her waist, and it pulled her a little closer. He seemed to want to say something, but for another minute or so, he was quiet, as if struggling to get the words out.

At last, he spoke. “I was very scared, Rosalie. I thought… I thought perhaps you were going to… Well, I didn’t know if I was going to make it in time.”

His hand tightened on her waist, and her mouth went very dry. “You didn’t seem scared,” she murmured. “You seemed confident and in control.”

“Good,” he laughed, “that’s what I wanted you to think. But I was scared.” His eyes burned for a moment, and then his fingers went to her hair and intertwined themselves around her locks. At the same time, his other hand traced up her back, rubbing it gently. Both sensations felt so wonderful that she had to close her eyes briefly and suppress a shudder.

When she opened them again, his eyes were smoldering as they gazed down at her.

“You know exactly how to comfort me,” she whispered.

“I just pay attention,” he said, his voice a low, earthy growl.

Rosalie suddenly realized that she was trembling, not from fear or from crying but from another emotion. She had never felt so safe or so protected as she did in this moment, and as she looked up into the Duke’s eyes, she had also never felt so cherished.

His fingers tightened in her hair, and he pulled her closer. “Rosalie,” he murmured, “I just want you to know that I would never, ever let anything bad happen to you. That’s a promise. I hope you know that”

“I do know that.” Her heart felt as if it was in her throat. The Duke was so close; his eyes were melting into hers; his fingers were cupping her face.

“Good,” he murmured, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “But just in case you need more proof…”

And then he kissed her. And it was better than any of the books she’d read had ever said. It was better even than she had dreamed it would be.