Page 138 of Never Besmirch a Wallflower: Dukes and Wallflowers

A soft snore rippled out from beneath a closed door leading off the side of the kitchen—Mrs. Hawkins’ chamber. Creeping over to the door, Eveline placed her ear against the wood, listening. Another snore crawled out of the room. With a frown, Eveline opened the door and walked into the chamber.

Stretched across the bed, one arm flung over her face, Mrs. Hawkins snored peacefully. Eveline snuck closer and glanced down, her gaze drawn to a half-empty small brown bottle on the nightstand beside the bed.

Laudanum.

That explained why Mrs. Hawkins hadn’t appeared when Eveline screamed. She’d need to have a discussion with Mrs. Hawkins tomorrow regarding her use of the drug. If the Duke of Lennox hadn’t arrived, Eveline would be… She shuddered, unwilling to speak the words in her mind.

After closing the door to Mrs. Hawkins’ chamber, Eveline returned to the kitchen. She stoked the fire, adding several logs to the dying flames, and set the kettle over the fireplace to heat some water. While waiting, she collected several cloths and lined them on a silver tray beside a large porcelain bowl, to which she added the steaming water.

“Please don’t be dead,” she murmured as she lifted the tray and shuffled out of the kitchen.

The Duke of Lennox hadn’t moved—not that she expected him to—from his position on the floor. However, his increasingly pale color caused her great alarm.

She sat on the rug, stationing the tray on her left, and tucked her legs beneath her. Selecting a cloth, she unfolded the material, dipped it into the bowl, and wrung out the excess water. Then she daubed the cloth across his face, wiping the grime from his skin.

“Thank you for rescuing me,” she said, dunking the cloth back into the water.

When she returned her arm to his face, his hand grabbed her wrist, and his eyes opened, his intense gaze pinning her in place.

“I’ll always come for you,” he said, a low moan accompanying the words.

“Levi!” She flung herself at him, crushing him in an enthusiastic embrace.

“Wait.” He pushed her backward, his face tensing. “Where’s Mr. Drummond? I don’t recall anything after I pointed the pistol at him.”

“He walked away.” She gestured vaguely toward the street. “Then you fainted and fell backward into the snow.”

“How did you manage to get me inside?”

“I dragged you.”

His jaw dropped. “From the garden?”

Blushing, she lowered her gaze and returned the cloth to the bowl. “I may have ruined your clothing.”

“My clothing doesn’t concern me.” The Duke of Lennox reached out and touched a shredded piece of lace dangling from the destroyed bodice of her gown. “However, yours does.”

“You prevented Humphrey from following through with his nefarious intentions. If you had arrived a few minutes later…” She shivered and turned away, collecting the cloth from the bowl of steaming water. “How did you know where to find me?”

“Miss Sinclair sought me out.” The Duke of Lennox winced when Eveline wiped the cloth across his forehead. “She reported that she’d seen you with a man of whom you seemed frightened.”

“You deduced the person was Humphrey?”

“Mr. Hughes and I reached that conclusion at the same time.” He pushed the cloth away from his face. “Why did you leave with Mr. Drummond?”

Looking away from the Duke of Lennox’s probing gaze, Eveline returned the cloth to the bowl and released a shuddering sob.

“When he found me hiding in the library, he pulled out a knife and threatened to slit my throat if I drew any attention to myself. Then, he said… he said that you stepped aside after he laid out his grievance to you regarding stealing another man’s fiancée.”

The Duke of Lennox struggled into a seated position, then turned his body and leaned against the sofa.

“First,” he said, his breathing erratic from the effort, “I would never step aside. Ever. If it cost me my last breath, I would happily pay for one more minute in your company. And second, I didn’t steal you, Miss Braddock. By your own word, you never belonged to him.”

He patted the space on the floor beside him.

Eveline crawled over and sat on the rug, leaning against his arm. “If you didn’t steal me, what did you do?”

“I fell in love with you.” He cupped her face and gently rubbed his thumb over the bruise on her cheek. “That looks bad.”