Page 3 of The One With the Wayward Duke (The One With the Wanton Woman #5)

L ITTLE DID TOBIAS KNOW that his opportunity for redemption was about to present itself in the most astounding state.

If he had had time to list possible opportunities for redemption, this would have never—in a million years—made his list. Pigs flying, Lucas taking care of his own responsibilities, affordable tea.

All of those would have made the list first. But not this.

More than several yards away, the door to the church flung wide open. It was so loud and fast he was sure he heard a crack.

And then, shock overtook his body. Unable to move his feet and hands, he stared at the most glorious creature he had ever seen glide down the steps.

Her blonde tendrils were loosely pinned up, and she wore a vibrant pink dress that made her face glow.

Or perhaps her face made the dress glow.

Whatever the source of glowing, the woman was pure radiance.

But strangely, she bore the most peculiar look on her face.

Tobias couldn’t quite place all the emotions vying for space.

Her eyes shone with eagerness, yet at the same time, they were rife with unease. And also, wonder.

He shook his head, trying to get a handle on what the woman might be feeling since it obviously wasn’t one clear emotion. What was clear was her goal. She wanted out of the church, for she was headed toward a hack at the pace of a jackrabbit. But what was her motivation?

Rooted in the spot, Tobias watched. His curiosity filled with fascination and intrigue at what this woman was doing.

To hire a hack as a single woman—which she looked to be—was unheard of.

And the way the driver was leering at her was the direct reason for the fists Tobias was clenching at his sides.

If a man, or some other acquaintance wasn’t showing up in three…two—Tobias strode over to the hack.

As he moved, he caught fragments of the conversation.

“Where can I take you?” the driver asked in the most unsettling way.

The woman was glancing around, looking back over her shoulder at the church, not paying enough attention to the very present danger in front of her.

“Anywhere,” she mumbled.

The driver raised his brows, studying his prey. Jabbing his thumb at the squabs, he said, “I’ll take you exactly where you need to go. Come on in.” He held out his hand to offer her a lift up to the seat.

Just as the woman was about to place her hand in the driver’s, Tobias stepped up. “What’s going on here?”

The woman whipped her head around to face him, her jaw hanging down, lips open, as if she were trying to say something, but nothing came out.

And still, in that state, her beauty shot right through his concern and landed on his heart with an odd warmth.

His hands tingled at his side with the primal urge to touch her.

Caress her. Experience the softness he just knew had to be her cheeks.

But since he didn’t even know her, he forced those thoughts away.

Her safety had to be his primary concern.

“Can I be of assistance?” he asked, effectively severing the driver’s offer to take her to God only knew where.

Her eyes danced toward the door of the church, and he knew she was on the run, but he had no idea why.

With his own reasons for delaying his entry into the church, he knew just how personal those reasons could run, so he didn’t inquire.

That, and the fact she was almost frantic indicated she was in trouble.

Since he wasn’t about to let her hop from one frying pan into a boiling pot of water, he knew there was no chance he was about to let her go anywhere on her own.

“I-I don’t know.” Her eyes darted around again, barely resting on him for longer than a second. “I just need to leave. Now.” Intensely, with that last word, a plea, her eyes sought him out.

“I can take her—” the driver started to say and Tobias glared at him. He would have to make note of this man for future reference.

“I’ll be taking care of her from here on out. Go offer your services elsewhere. Or better yet, don’t offer them anywhere.”

That shut him up, and Tobias took the woman’s hand in his. “My carriage is just over there. I can assure you that you’ll be safe with me. I’m a friend of the groom’s.”

A winced flitted across her face, but she composed herself instantly. “Won’t they miss you?”

With a scoff, he answered, “Not enough. It’s not like I’m the groom.”

Her eyes cascaded down his torso. “No. You certainly are not.”

If they had time, he would have asked her what she meant by that, but something imminent was hanging in the air, and he had time only to act upon instinct. And instinct demanded that he redeem himself. Surely rescuing a damsel in distress made him eligible for redemption.

“Can I find someone for you?”

She stared at him.

“Back in the church?” He pointed back to the building where she was flickering her gaze.

Her hand caught his mid-air, “No.”

The zing from her touch, the heat that flooded his body was a shock to his system.

He wanted to revel in it, absorb it, and attempt to understand it.

But none of that was possible with the time they had before them.

Besides, it was probably nothing. Just a hot day and a beautiful lady.

Nothing more. It couldn’t be. His heart was too beaten up for it to be anything more than that.

But then she said, “Take me away.”

Coincidentally, that was all he wanted to do. Take her away. The words. Her eyes. That touch. It was complicating the options before him.

But he ignored every other choice.

“Let’s go.” He gripped her hand and without much of a tug, he pulled her toward his carriage. They hopped in and fled from the church.

Without a word, they sat facing each other, each staring out their respective windows.

If he was the type to believe in love at first sight, that attribute had surely fled him weeks ago, faster than they raced away from the church.

But if he was the type to believe…she might make the most likely candidate.

He didn’t even know her name, but he could sense some truths about her; namely that she was following her heart.

And even though someone usually followed their heart toward something and not away from something, he felt an awareness about her.

That she was…guileless. When her eyes flashed about, he didn’t detect even a trace of manipulation.

Above all, she was sincere. And that was a very admirable trait.

Besides, who believed in love at first sight?

Not this duke. That was for certain.