Page 55 of Her Rogue of a Duke
As Joshua trudged forward, one lumbering step at a time, a faint shimmer caught the edge of his vision. Was his mind playing tricks on him now? Pausing, he spun and began to frantically scan the dim surroundings for what he’d just seen. His eyeseventually landed on the glint of a bright green artifact, nestled amid stout yellow weeds, gleaming under the lunar illumination.
With cautious steps, Joshua neared it and knelt down, sweeping aside the weeds to reveal the artifact’s full form. He lifted it, turning it in the moonlight. Its distinctive green hue kindled a spark of recognition in his mind.
Where had he seen this stone before?
Suddenly, a wave of realization dawned upon him as the pieces abruptly fell into place. Francesca’s pendant. Broken… missing a piece.
A sparkle… There had been a sparkle… I foolishly mistook for an angel. There was no angel, there was a flesh-and-blood lady—
The visage of that fateful night flooded his memory with startling clarity, and a heavy sense of awareness sank into Joshua's heart.
The savior of that night, the woman who had haunted his dreams for years, the only one he had ever seriously contemplated as a wife, was truly none other than Francesca…Francesca Nightingale.
She had rescued him… on the same day he had secured the Oakvale Meadows from her family.
She could have left him to perish and secured her family's fortune, yet she chose to rescue him, sacrificing everything without him ever knowing. Guilt mercilessly gnawed at his soul, a piercing sting of remorse flooding his heart. For years, he had remained oblivious, treating her with indifference and at times, even rudeness, never realizing her extraordinary act of selflessness.
Determination surged within Joshua despite the pain and exhaustion riddling his body. Heneededto find Francesca. He needed to tell her that he knew… he knew all about the sacrifice she had made for him. But was it too late? It was still the night of the Beckinsale Ball, but he had not an inkling of how many hours had passed since he fell out of consciousness. If she accepted Hucklow’s proposal, would he even have the chance to see her again? No sane man would allow his betrothed to remain at another man’s home until their marriage.
His heart sank at the thought, but then his guilt grew so intense that it nearly doubled him over. He realized that regardless of this revelation, he truly did not deserve her. She was far too pure of a woman for him. After all the harm he had caused, the unjust treatment he had meted out to her, all while she sat back and took it with grace, he finally understood why she could never be his.
With a firm set of his jaw, Joshua resolved to release her to a future with someone more deserving, but not before he saw her one final time to amend his wrongs and express his deep regret, even if it meant facing the finality of losing her forever.
If there was still time.
Joshua had no idea for how long he’d been walking, but it felt like an eternity. His feet ached and his ribs bore heavy bruises from his fall, yet he continued trudging along the road in the vague direction of Elmcroft with a flicker of hope in his heart.
He was so utterly spent, part of him yearned to simply surrender to the muddy path, but he cast such foolish thoughts aside, focusing instead singularly on Francesca. He needed to make it back so he could talk with her, confess all that he knew, and apologize profusely. That was all that kept him going, limping along the dark road, praying he could make it home before he collapsed and lost consciousness again.
Just then, a faint twinkle of light emerged in the distance. Joshua halted, watching as it grew brighter and brighter until it eventually revealed the silhouette of a rider on horseback drawing near.
Raising a hand and peering through the dimness, Joshua tried to discern the identity of the silhouette.
Ben—Benedict?
When he finally recognized it as his friend, Benedict, a surge of profound relief enveloped him.
“Joshua?” the man called out as he approached, flashing his lantern toward him. “Is it truly you, old boy?”
“Yes,” Joshua responded hoarsely. “It’s me. And put that thing down for Christ’s sake,” he murmured, squinting and shielding his eyes from the brightness. “Why are you here—how in heaven’s name did you chance upon me?”
Benedict came to a stop before him and dismounted, the light from his lantern enveloping Joshua in a soothing glow, chasing away the shadows that had enshrouded him for so long. This also afforded Joshua his first clear view of his disheveled state, which was quite… dire, to put it mildly.
“God’s wounds man, I was about to comment on how I have seldom seen you in a worse state, but that would be a lie,” he grimaced for Joshua who mirrored his expression. “I stopped by Elmcroft when you did not show up to Lord Beckinsale’s Ball alongside Lady Susan. Thought I’d come rescue you,” Benedict explained. “There I ran into Warren, who informed me of your hasty departure and subsequent non-return. When Alexander returned without you, it had the poor man quite in a state of panic, one could have assumed you’d shuffled off this mortal coil. Regardless, I set out to find you with the faintest of inklings that you might have been foolish enough to revisit the site of your accident in this weather. Rather fortunate that my instincts are so sharp.”
Joshua let out a weary chuckle and nodded. “Right you are. I owe you one, old chap, for coming to my rescue.”
Benedict gave him a once-over, frowning in mild disapproval. “Rescue?You look terrible, I fear I am too late,” he muttered. “Take my horse—you look about ready to keel over.”
Joshua nodded, reaching out to take the reins from his friend. But as he moved to try and mount the horse, Benedict suddenly let out a sharp gasp.
“Dash it, I almost forgot,” he exclaimed, pulling something from his coat pocket as Joshua turned back to face him. Benedict extended a letter in his direction. “Mrs. Clarke asked me to pass it on to you. Said it was ‘of the utmost importance’ and that ‘it reached you posthaste’. She might have bloody had my neck if I forgot.”
Joshua, with a puzzled frown, accepted the letter. He instantly recognized Francesca's elegant script on the envelope.
Heart pounding, he tore open the envelope and quickly read through it.
Dear Joshua,