Page 56 of Gabriela and His Grace (The Luna Sisters #3)

“There you are,” Sebastian murmured, stepping fully into the room. His arctic eyes roamed over her, relief evident on his face. Seeming to realize she wasn’t alone, Sebastian stiffened, before turning to Lady Yardley and Ana María. “Good evening, ladies.”

“Your Grace,” Lady Yardley drawled, crooking one judgmental eyebrow. “I suppose you’d like to speak with Gabriela.”

Sebastian nodded, glancing back at her. “If she’s willing to speak with me, that is.”

Three pairs of eyes turned to her, and Gabby fought not to squirm.

Hadn’t she just declared she would depart for Whitfield Manor?

Yet now that Sebastian stood before her, his painfully handsome face so dear, his gaze so pleading, Gabby wanted nothing more than to flee to her room.

She longed to escape the maelstrom of feelings crashing about in her chest, sentiments that always left her off balance.

Gabby’s gaze drifted to Lady Yardley, who was staring back at her expectedly. She could almost hear the older woman say, Are you going to get on with it?

Setting her jaw, Gabby slowly rose to her feet and skirted to stand behind a nearby armchair. “Ana? My lady? Would you mind giving the duke and me a moment alone?”

“Por supuesto,” Ana murmured, immediately making her way toward the door. “Your ladyship?” she said, glancing back at the viscountess.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming.” Lady Yardley glowered as she stood, and pinned Sebastian with a gimlet stare. “You may have more than a moment, but only because I’ve always believed you were more your mother’s son than your father’s. Don’t prove me wrong.”

A flush swept over Sebastian’s cheeks, and he ducked his head. “I won’t, your ladyship.”

“Hmph.” And with that, the viscountess looped her arm around Ana María’s and they quit the room.

The air seemed to grow thick and taut in the women’s absence, and Gabby curled her hands around the chairback to keep them from shaking.

She also pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth so she wouldn’t nervously blurt out nonsense to fill the awkward silence.

Sebastian had followed her to London to speak with her, so she would let him speak.

The duke walked to the unlit fireplace, where he gripped the mantel and stared into the hearth. His shoulders were tense, his jaw like granite. At one time, Gabby would have thought him angry, but she knew him better now. He was uncomfortable. Good. She was uncomfortable, too.

After another quiet moment, Sebastian raked his fingers through his hair and pivoted to face her. “The boys are my brothers.”

Gabby inhaled sharply. It was just as the viscountess had said. A bright beam of relief pierced through her chest, but she refused to let it warm her.

Sebastian paced back and forth before the fireplace. “I only learned of James and David some eleven or so months ago, and managed to track them down to an orphanage in Dover. Their mother had placed them there after my father died and the checks stopped arriving.”

She clamped her eyes closed. Those poor boys. “How long were they there?” Gabby finally asked.

“Several years.” Sebastian’s throat bobbed. “Long enough for James to become a bit jaded. He’s fiercely protective of his younger brother, and it’s taken me time to earn his trust. I’ve been…protective of him in turn.”

His eyes shined like aquamarines, and Gabby could understand his apprehension. Wouldn’t she battle La Lechuza with her bare hands if it meant to harm her sisters?

“I’m sure getting to know each other has been a slow process.

” Gabby thought of Ana María and Isabel, and how they didn’t have a relationship until they were sent to England.

Forming their sisterly bonds had created the most fulfilling friendships of her life, but it had not been easy.

Gabby couldn’t imagine doing it with two small, scared boys.

“It has been,” Sebastian agreed, glancing down at his feet. “If I hadn’t already had my trip to Mexico planned, I never would have left them.”

But he had, and the trip had changed everything about their relationship with each other. Gabby could never be sorry for it, even if her trust had now been broken.

“Were you ever going to tell me?”

She hated how her voice cracked.

“Of course.” Sebastian took a step toward her, his hand outstretched. He stumbled to a halt, his expression stricken. His arm fell to his side with a thud. “I had every intention of introducing you to the boys. They’ve asked frequently to meet you, especially David.”

Gabby pressed her lips together to keep from smiling.

“It just never seemed like the right time. I wanted you to have an opportunity to adjust to life at the manor.” His shoulders fell on a sigh. “I know you were hesitant to marry me, so I didn’t want to give you a reason to leave.”

Would the news have changed the way Gabby viewed him? Would it have confirmed the fears she once possessed about Sebastian and his rakish past?

The truth must have shown in her eyes, because Sebastian ran a hand across his forehead. “I had hoped that after we’d been married for a spell, perhaps your feelings for me would soften any ire you felt when you learned the truth.”

She froze, static filling her ears. “You thought if I fell in love with you, I wouldn’t feel betrayed that you lied to me?”

Sebastian’s mouth opened and closed. “I suppose…yes.”

“Well, you pompous idiot, I fell in love with you a long time ago, and I’m still livid you kept the truth from me!”

The room was as quiet and still as a tomb. Gabby couldn’t believe she had said such a thing, especially because she didn’t realize how much she loved him until the moment the words flew from her mouth.

“Ella,” Sebastian whispered. He advanced a step but paused, a bit breathless. “I love you, too.”

Tears clouded her vision, her chest so full it ached. Gabby mercilessly blinked them away. “You do?”

“Of course I do. How could I not?” Sebastian wandered closer, his blue, blue eyes glassy. “You’re the smartest, kindest, most stunning woman I have ever known. There is a smile on my lips when I awake at the simple promise I’ll see you. Hear your laugh. Exchange verbal barbs with you.”

Gabby pressed a hand to her mouth to hide how her lips trembled.

“I told myself that just being married to you would be enough. I didn’t need you to love me because I had enough love for the both of us.” He shrugged. “Because even living in the shadow of your smile would have sustained me.”

Sebastian loved her. It seemed so surprising, but hadn’t he shown her, in ways big and small, that she was precious to him?

Ignoring the tears that trailed down her cheeks, Gabby threw her arms wide. “Why then did you lie to me? You can’t love someone if you don’t respect them, and you disrespected me when you withheld the truth. When you made me feel like an outsider in my new home.”

“Christ, Ella, I’m sorry.” He deflated before her. “My intention was not for you to be excluded. I was just…afraid.”

Gabby moved around the armchair. “Afraid?”

He nodded. “Yes. That you would realize that life with me, at Whitfield Manor, was not what you wanted. That scandal had forced you to settle. I was afraid you would come to believe I locked you away, just as my mother had been.” Sebastian roughly yanked a hand through his hair.

“Every morning I’ve had a knot in my throat wondering if that would be the day you finally left, because I knew you leaving wouldn’t just break my heart, it would break James’s and David’s hearts, as well. ”

Closing her eyes, Gabby swallowed back a sob.

Ay Dios, did he think she was so uncaring?

But you did flee the second you suspected something was amiss .

Despite how Sebastian had proven himself to be kind and gentle, Gabby had left for London without a word to him, confirming his worst fears. Regret twisted and churned in her gut.

“Every person in their young lives has abandoned them, and despite the big, loving heart you have, I was terrified that if I wasn’t enough, you would do the same.

” Sebastian exhaled noisily. “Still, I should have told you about the boys the afternoon I asked you to marry me. You should have been introduced to them the moment we arrived at Whitfield Manor, but the secret was already so big, that I knew you would feel betrayed. I’m sorry.

If I could go back and change things, I would.

Your regard seemed like such a fragile thing, and I wanted to protect it.

In reality, I shattered it into a million pieces. ”

Gabby believed him. Despite her own fears and the heartache she’d experienced that day, the love that burned and glowed in her chest had not been extinguished.

“Not a million pieces. Just one or two. But together”—she reached for her bravery and went to him, wrapping her arms around his waist—“maybe we can glue it back together.”

“Together,” Sebastian breathed.

She let loose a sigh when he enfolded her in his embrace…

but to her great horror, the sigh turned into a sob.

A violent sob that tore from her chest and rattled her frame.

“I’m sorry I made you think your love”—she hiccuped—“and this life we’re building together, wasn’t enough.

But it will never last if you don’t trust me. ”

Sebastian held her tighter, his cheek pillowed against the crown of her head. In between her shuddering cries, Gabby heard him whisper, “Never again, my love. Never again.”

Eventually, her sobs quieted, but Gabby was not ready to leave Sebastian’s arms. The day they had spent apart had felt like a lifetime, and Gabby was ready to return to the manor. “I’d like to meet the boys,” she murmured softly.

He paused. “You would?”

“Of course I would.” Gabby looked up to meet his gaze. “Sebastian, you have brothers. After your solitary childhood, you have a family to fill the manor house with love and laughter. I’m happy for you.”

His smile was crooked. “You’re the most important part of my family, Ella. The boys have brought a sense of purpose to my life. But you”—Sebastian’s hold on her tightened—“my darling wife, have brought it joy, and a love so bright it blinds me.”

That emotion she once refused to name, but now knew was love, threatened to burst free from her chest. Gabby rose up on her toes and kissed her husband, allowing that love to flow into him instead.

“You really want to meet the boys?” Sebastian asked several minutes later.

Gabby panted against his lips. “I would. Very much.”

“I’m glad, because they’re here.”

“They are?” Gabby jumped back, peering around him to look toward the door. “Where? Have they been waiting for us this whole time?”

“Relax, my love. I’m certain your sister and Lady Yardley learned they were in attendance as soon as they left the room, and have been entertaining them.” Sebastian grinned down at her. “Shall we go find them?”

“Sí, por favor.” Gripping Sebastian’s hand, she led him to the door, but halted. Biting her lips, she dared to ask, “Do you think they’ll like me?”

Sebastian grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. His knuckles caressed along her cheek as he tucked a curl behind her ear. “They’re going to love you. Just like I do.”

Gabby exhaled, confident he was telling the truth.

It was not hard to find the boys, because Sebastian and Gabby followed the sound of their laughter.

Opening the door to the drawing room on the first floor, they discovered James and David standing in the center of the room, their faces animated as they gestured wildly.

Lady Yardley and Ana María were seated side by side on the sofa as the boys apparently recounted a harrowing experience with a ram.

Gabby glanced up at Sebastian in question.

“I’ll tell you later,” her husband murmured from the corner of his mouth.

For her part, Ana María played the part of a captivated audience perfectly, her dark eyes appropriately large as she said, “You were both very brave.”

“I’m sure if you had heeded the steward’s warning and not gone into the sheep pasture, you wouldn’t have had to worry about the ram.” The viscountess cocked her head. “Right?”

The taller of the boys ducked his chin, but the younger one planted his hand on his hip and replied, “Sure, but what fun is there in that?”

A bark of laughter exploded from Gabby’s mouth, and all the heads in the room turned in her direction before she could contain it. Ana María’s gaze bounced between her and Sebastian, a pleased smile lighting her face when she saw their hands linked.

“I should have known you’d find such behavior humorous. You probably would have been in that pasture, staring down the ram, with them,” Lady Yardley drawled, although there was no ire in her voice. She glanced at Sebastian. “Perhaps you could make proper introductions, Your Grace.”

“I would be happy to.” Sebastian stepped forward and the boys moved to his side.

“Duchess, allow me to introduce James White and David White, my brothers.” The elder boy bowed respectfully, while the younger boy, David, grinned impishly.

“Boys, this is Gabriela Luna Brooks, the Duchess of Whitfield. You will address her as Your Grace or Her Grace.”

“Actually,” Gabby said, crouching down so she could meet their eyes, “I’d prefer for you to call me Gabby. We’re family, after all.”

“I like Gabby much better than Your Grace.” David scratched behind his ear. “Although I knew a Grace at the home and she was perfectly swell.”

“Davey,” James hissed, “stop blabbering.”

David scowled. “I’m not blabbering. I’m just talking to the duchess.” He turned his blue gaze, so much like Sebastian’s, on Gabby. “You’re just as pretty as Polly said you were.”

“It’s true, Your Grace,” James said quietly, his cheeks coloring.

Gabby, too, flushed to the roots of her hair. She had never put much stock in remarks on her appearance, but no compliment had touched her quite like the one just uttered by these two young boys.

“She’s also a talented hopscotch player,” Sebastian said, sliding his arm around Gabby’s waist.

“You are?” David exclaimed, looking at her with added interest.

James stepped forward, his handsome little face solemn. “Will you be returning with us to the manor, Your—er, Gabby?”

Filling her lungs with air, Gabby glanced up at Sebastian. Her husband cocked a brow, and the ghost of a smirk tipped up his lips. She grinned.

“The manor is my home. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”