Page 15 of The One With the Wayward Duke (The One With the Wanton Woman #5)

T OBIAS RAN OUT THE front door. He had to find her. He would find the carriage and stop it in its tracks if he had. He’d ride through the night chasing her if he had to. He’d—

Apparently he would just stumble into her since the carriage and her outstretched arm were right in front of him.

She was wiping a tear from her cheek, and a wobbly smile tugged on her lips. Her arm was outstretched to the carriage.

“Freya!” He shouted that significantly louder than was necessary, but all the adrenaline coursing through his blood couldn’t be silenced.

She turned her head and gave him a curious look. Was that trepidation? Regret? He didn’t care. He would say his piece.

Just then, a man stuck his head out the carriage door.

“Tobias,” Freya’s voice was strained as she said his name, “this is Frank.” Oh, he was wrong. Her voice was much more strangled on Frank’s name. She practically choked on it.

Frank? Of course he had followed Freya. How had Tobias not considered that factor yet?

Only desperate men were traveling the muddy roads today, Frank was obviously one of them.

He was the Frank after all. The groom she left at the altar.

The man she knew she didn’t love. That was the man she was running away with?

What the hell was going on? It didn’t matter. He couldn’t watch her run.

Ignoring the awkward introduction, he turned to Freya and pulled her hand in his. “Freya, don’t go—”

“Oh, I’m not—”

He placed a finger over her lips. It was crude. It was domineering. But he had to tell her how he felt. “Don’t say anything, please. Just let me finish.”

With smooshed lips, she nodded her head slowly.

“If you had run away with him, I would have chased you down. There’s no way I could have let you run away from me.

I would have found you wherever you went.

You would not have been able to run from me and stay hidden.

” He raked his hand over his face, and let out a soft chuckle.

“But since you’re still here, don’t go. Stay.

With me. Give me a week. A day. Just one more hour.

Let me show what true love is. This morning when I saw you running, I knew I had to know you.

I didn’t know why you were running or if you were running away from something or toward something.

Now I know. You ran straight into me and then you ran away with my heart. Freya, I love you. Don’t run anymore.”

She threw her arms around him. “I love you, Tobias. I don’t know how it happened in one day, but it did. You are the most kind hearted, passionate man full of integrity that I know.”

“Ahem,” Frank cleared his throat, and Tobias could have throttled him. Couldn’t he see they were having a moment? “I had better take my leave now. It—”

“Yes, you should. And don’t think about coming after Freya again—”

“I didn’t.”

“—or next time you’ll be seeing stars, and not in the good way.”

At that Frank gave him the most bewildered look.

“Wait.” Tobias looked between the two. “What do you mean you didn’t? Didn’t what?”

Freya looked him in the eyes. “He didn’t come after me. You’re the only one who has ever run after me.”

That was a warm flood of relief that he would have to evaluate later.

“What is he doing here then?”

“He stopped in for a drink. He’s just on his way home. I had come down for some food when I saw him. I figured I owed him an apology, and I came out to say goodbye properly.”

Realization dawned on him. “So this was a coincidence?” Freya nodded. “And you’re not running away with him?” She shook her head. “And I just spilled my heart in front of him because…?”

“Because you love me.” The tender words whispered from her lips made the debacle all worth it. Warmth infused itself in his heart. Her shimmering eyes were for him. He didn’t care who he made himself a fool in front of, so long as he had the love of his life.

“All right.” And he couldn’t even get the words out before the goofiest grin plastered itself on his face. “You may continue saying your goodbyes.”

“I may, may I?”

“Of course,” he said with a wink to Freya while mumbling, “His name will go on the list for good measure.” Just before the carriage door closed, Tobias shouted, “Goodbye Frank.”

That sound of the door clanging shut was the perfect closure to that incident.

As he watched the wheels roll away, never had he been happier to watch someone leave.

And that wasn’t even that fair to Frank, since it had next to nothing to do with Frank, and everything to do with being left alone with Freya.

He was her man. The only man for her. And she was the only woman for him, runner or not.

So he took her hand and led her back inside. Up the stairs. Into the room. Onto the bed. And under the coverlet. Throughout his heart.