Page 28 of The Duke and the Hellion Bride (Duchesses of Convenience #7)

Chapter Twenty-Eight

M agnus was caught between two worlds.

On the one hand, he wished for nothing more than to go to his wife, throw her atop his horse, and whisk her away from here while promising he would never leave her side again. And she looked so beautiful too. Mere days had passed but it felt like years, such was the way her beauty struck him. Her dark features. Her round face. Those big, brown eyes that he could see were filled with love and hope and happiness, telling him immediately that he had made the right decision in coming for her. His heart beat and it seemed to connect with hers, and for a brief moment he looked at her and she looked at him and whatever it was that they had fought about, the reasons that had brought her here, seemed completely insignificant. He was simply glad to have her in his world once more.

On the other hand, he very much wanted to climb down from his horse and punch Lord Herrod square in the face.

As luck had it, Lord Herrod made that decision for him.

“Your Grace!” he snarled. “I would ask what you are doing here, but I do not care! Be gone! You are trespassing!”

“Magnus!” Diana cried out. She stood by the carriage, having been about to climb inside, but she stepped back, the smile on her face brighter than the sun.

“Quiet!” Lord Herrod snapped at her. “And what did I tell you! Inside the carriage, now!”

“Do not dare speak to my wife like that,” Magnus warned him.

“Your wife!” Lord Herrod cackled. “Not for long! She is mine! Or she will be, once we are away from here! Now, I am warning you for the last time, be gone!”

“No!” Diana cried out. She looked caught between thoughts; half-reaching for him as if to save her, half looking at Lord Herrod, terrified of what he might do.

“What did I say!” Lord Herrod stormed toward Diana and grabbed her by the arm. “Inside, now!”

And that was all Magnus needed to see.

Rage flared inside of him so hot he honestly worried his horse might catch alight. Done from the horse he jumped, striding quickly in the direction of Lord Herrod who was in the process of dragging his wife toward the carriage.

“Get in!” he snarled in her face.

“No! Please!”

“Unhand my wife!” Magnus demanded.

“As I said --” Lord Herrod turned back to spit contempt at Magnus, but he never had a chance to finish the thought.

Magnus did not hesitate. Without breaking stride, he curled his hand into a tight fist, brought back his arm, and then drove his knuckles clean into the uppity lord’s large nose with a tremendous thwack.

“Argh!” Lord Herrod cried out. He kept a hold of Diana’s arm as he stumbled, but another hard punch, again right in the nose, saw him release her as he fell back and landed in the dirt. “My nose! You broke my nose!”

“Be glad that is all I broke!”

“You will pay for this!”

Again, Magnus was caught in two minds. Diana stood there in a state of shock; eyes wide to see Magnus having punched Lord Herrod squarely as he had. And oh, how he wanted to go to her. To wrap her in his arms. To kiss her. To apologize and beg for forgiveness because this was all his fault.

On the other hand, Lord Herrod was deserving of more than a few simple punches, and how very much he wished to hammer that point home.

Lucky that again, Lord Herrod saved him having to choose.

“You’ve made a grave mistake,” her snarled from the ground as he scrambled to his knees. “Those little brats of yours! I warned you! I warned --”

“What did you say!” Magnus was on him. Miss Goldsmith had told him of the threat that Lord Herrod had levelled at Diana, but to hear it uttered from the man’s mouth, and so freely, was more than he could handle. He threatened their safety. He laughed in the face of Magnus’ brother in so doing. All Magnus had done for them, all he had promised, was laid bare and exposed and in that moment, he realized that he would very well kill Lord Herrod if he was left to it.

“I said – owe!”

Magnus grabbed the man by the back of the head and drove another fist into his face. He felt bones break against his knuckles, but he did not release the man’s head. Another punch, and another. He then drove his knee into the man’s stomach, and before he knew it his hands were around his neck... squeezing... squeezing...

Lord Herrod’s eyes turned wide, and his face went purple. He grabbed a hold of Magnus’ arms, trying to pull them free. But it was no use, such was Magnus’ rage that nothing in this world could stop him.

Well, almost nothing...

“Magnus...” A soft hand rested on his shoulder. “Magnus,” the voice spoke again, a balm in his ear. “Leave him. He is not worth it.”

Magnus came to suddenly, realizing what he was doing. He looked down at Lord Herrod, his face purple and swollen, the life draining from him. Then he looked at Diana, her expression soft and caring. She was not judging him. She was not scared for him. She simply wanted him to stop because it was over, they had own, and Lord Herrod could hurt them no longer.

He released Lord Herrod immediately. The man cried out and fell into the dirt.

Next, he turned so he was facing Diana. Now that it was just he and her, the adrenaline of the moment rescinding, he felt a momentary stab of panic. He had thought long and hard about what he was going to say when he arrived, the apology he needed to give, the love he had to appraise her with. But the words caught on his tongue...

“Magnus...” Diana licked her lips, looking away sheepishly. Her cheeks flushed red and she fidgeted furiously. “I... I need to apologize for what I said.”

Magnus blinked. “Apologize?”

“I did not mean it,” she said, forcing herself now to look at him. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she might have been the most beautiful creature of all time, were it not for how upset she was. “Truly, I did not. I had no choice. Lord Herrod... he threatened the girls, and I would do anything for them. I should have told you. I wish that I had! And it was only after I said those things to you that I... that I... that I.... what? Why are you smiling?”

Am I ? Magnus hadn’t even realized that he was.

“Diana...” He shook his head as he stepped into her, his hand moving to her face. There, he rested his hand under her chin, making sure she would not look away. “There is nothing that you need to apologize to me for. Ever.”

“But --”

“I am the one who is sorry,” he said before she could speak. “That night when I left you, there is nothing I can say to justify it. Nothing . I was scared. I was terrified, truthfully, this foolish notion that I was not worthy of what I knew we had – of how I felt for you.”

“But --”

“I did as I always do when things became difficult, I ran.” His smile grew and it reached his eyes, growing further to see her do the same. “And the following morning, I had hoped that I could pretend it hadn’t happened. Why I hoped such a thing, I cannot say – I do not want to pretend it didn’t happen. It did, and for that I could not be happier, because it made me realize something.” He paused and raised an eyebrow.

“Wh -- what did it... what did you realize?” she asked him.

“The reason I was so scared.” He laughed and shook his head. “I love you, Diana. I loved you that night. I loved you the next day. I loved you after you left me. And I love you now. I love you as I know I always will. Some people can’t change. But some can. And me... I pray you believe that I am the latter.”

“You... you love me?”

“I do.”

Diana’s chin began to wobble, a familiar sign, only this time for unfamiliar reasons. The tears came next, thick and heavy, paired with noises escaping her mouth that were as horrid as they were beautiful.

She tried to look away with embarrassment, but he would not let her.

“I take it that this is not bad news?” Magnus laughed.

“What do you think!” she cried happily. “Oh, Magnus, I love you too!” She then threw herself at him, arms wrapping his neck, lips moving to his mouth, a kiss shared that was wet and sloppy and messy and perfect in every way because it said more than words ever could.

Magnus loved his wife, and he was no longer afraid to admit it.

Diana loved Magnus, and she knew that this time, admitting such a thing would not bring her pain.

The two kissed fully and passionately, all the worries that had beguiled them melting like tears in rain because what had come was in the past and both seemed to understand that what mattered was in the future.

“This isn’t over!” Lord Herrod snarled from the ground, hacking and coughing up blood. “If you think it is! Ha!”

Magnus turned back and sneered at the pitiful creature. “What should we do with him?”

He was saved from having to answer that question a moment later as through the front gates suddenly streamed eight men on horseback, seven of whom Magnus recognized to be the local watchmen. And leading the charge, a triumphant smile on his boyish face, was none other than Theodore.

“Just in time, I see!” he cried out as they rode in at pace. “Or did we miss the fun!”

“Theodore!” Magnus couldn’t believe it. “What are you doing here?”

“Saving you from doing something foolish,” he declared. He pulled the horse up by the carriage, spying Lord Herrod in the muck. “And not a moment too soon, by the look of things.”

“What is this!” Lord Herrod cried out. “Constables! I want this man arrested!”

In this, they chose to ignore Lord Herrod’s commands. The seven constables climbed down from their horses and quickly got about arresting Lord Herrod.”

“What is going on!” he cried out. “What is this! I am the victim! I am the victim!”

Theodore came in beside Magnus and Diana. “After seeing the look on your face last night, I figured that if you were left to it, you might do some not very smart things. So, I decided to be proactive. I hope I didn’t overstep.”

“Not at all,” Magnus laughed.

“Last night?” Diana looked between the men. “Wait a minute. There is one thing I do not understand. How on earth did you know? Clearly, you understand more than you are letting on. Who told!”

To this, Magnus and Theodore looked at one another and grinned.

“The answer to that,” Theodore said. “Is waiting for you at home. And might I say, she is going to be tickled pink to see that her little clandestine adventure worked out for the best.”

“She?” Diana frowned.

Magnus chuckled and then took her hand. “Speaking of, shall we be heading home? Wife.”

“Yes.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “I think we shall. Husband.”

And that was exactly what they did.