Page 16 of The Blind Duke's Ward

“And they were speaking of…harming you?” Nathan said, leaning toward her, frowning.

“I did not hear the full conversation. I heard it through a thin wall panel between two rooms. I thought…I thought they were discussing what had happened to my father. Dunkeswick definitely said that only I stand between him and my father’s estates. And I thought I heard Stamford say…that I needn’t be an impediment.”

Her voice was beginning to shake. Nathan calmly put down his glass and reached for her hand, finding it, and enclosing it in both of his.

“I see now why you lied about who you were.”

“I didn’t intend to. I came to this house with the two of them hunting me with dogs. A maid mistook me for Emily and I…”

“Did not correct her. Do not worry,” Nathan said. “You may stay as long as you need to. And I will see that justice is meted to those two rogues.”

“But I have no proof!” Gemma said plaintively. “I cannot prove what was said. I cannot even be certain of what their exact words were. I may have misheard or misconstrued. Stamford is the very devil and has the oddest sense of humor. It would be like him to make a black jest of my…demise.”

Nathan growled in his throat but his hands remained gentle. “We shall see. I will not allow them to harm you here though.”

Gemma closed her eyes against sudden tears. The tension within her had broken down. The relief was overwhelming. She lowered her head to his hands and kissed them. Nathan tenderly stroked her hair and eventually, reluctantly, she pulled back.

“They will try and make trouble for you,” Gemma said.

“Let them. I am a Duke and Dunkeswick is a Baronet. The lowest rung of our aristocratic ladder. Let him batter himself against the walls of Hutton. I can afford more expensive solicitors and judges than he.”

“Why would you want to go so far to help me? You don’t even know me.”

“I already know you better than any woman I have met since I lost my sight,” Nathan said wryly.

Gemma blushed again. “I must have had a moment of madness.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Was it so unpleasant?”

“Good Lord, no!” Gemma exclaimed, seizing his hands in hers this time. “It was wonderful…”

She trailed off and there was an awkward moment of silence. Gemma wondered if Nathan was going over that moment in his mind, as she was.

“I am helping you because…” Nathan frowned, then sat back in his chair, looking thoughtful.

He did not let go of her hand though. Gemma also sat back, able to do so while her fingers were still entwined with his.

“I joined the Army to give my life some purpose. To fight to keep this country free of that blackguard Bonaparte. It was a worthy cause. When it was over…I have had no worthy causes. This feels like one.”

“I am flattered,” Gemma said. “I have never been considered a cause.”

Nathan smiled. “I have a tendency for drama. Perhaps it is simply the right thing to do?”

“I hope so,” Gemma replied.

For a long moment they sat, listening to the crackle of the fire that occupied a small fireplace set into one wall.

“We are really trapped in here for the rest of the night?” Gemma asked.

Nathan nodded.

“What kind of things need to be locked away? I see nothing in here that seems to be of value.”

The room contained some odd objects. Bits of wood that had clearly been carved and then polished. Stones, some polished, some naked and looking as though they had been hewn from a cliff face. Books, papers, and maps were pinned to walls or stood on tables and easels. She would be able to amuse herself for hours perusing the bric-a-brac.

“Not things.People,” Nathan said. “I should not tell you something so…personal after knowing you less than a day but. Whiskey is a great tongue loosener.”

He threw back the remains of his drink and poured another. Gemma was glad that he did not offer her another.