Page 30 of The Spinster's Resolve

D espite the impropriety of leaving them alone, the ladies promptly vacated the room without a single word of remonstration. Grace noted the twinkle in Lady Elizabeth’s eye as she departed, leaving her puzzled.

She turned her attention to the Duke. He hesitated at the threshold, looking slightly unsure of himself. His pallor struck her—he had not slept well either. Yet, despite his weariness, his gaze lost none of its intensity as it settled upon her.

‘How are you feeling?’ he asked softly.

‘I am well, all thanks to you,’ she replied, knowing she owed her life to him.

His expression darkened. ‘I would never have been able to forgive myself if anything had happened to you.’ His voice was raw, his words unyielding. He meant them.

Grace nodded. ‘If I had to do it all again, I would not hesitate. You have no reason to feel guilty for involving me—I believe I involved myself from the very beginning by writing that letter and visiting Gibbs.’ She hesitated before speaking, a heavy feeling settled on her heart, ‘Now that this matter is concluded, I intend to return to my cottage after Heather’s nuptials. I have no desire to remain here.’

Upon this last statement, he drew up a chair and sat opposite her, entirely too close. Worse still, he was smiling.

Grace was incensed. At the very least, she had expected him to look a smidge contrite at her leaving.

Indignantly, she stood—too quickly. Her head was still woozy.

The Duke stood as well, catching her arms to steady her. She tried to bat his hands away, but he held her close, his voice low and intense.

‘I will not let you leave this room again until you allow me to say what I have been holding back for far too long,’ he said fervently.

He pulled her back down to sit, this time beside him on the sofa, his grip gentle but firm. At his touch, warmth prickled up her arm. His voice shifted, his eyes burned with fire.

He was... annoyed with her, Grace realised.

‘I have been in agony since the day I met you, unable to reveal my true feelings. But now, I am unshackled from those restraints, and I can offer myself to you—with a heart that has been yours since the beginning of our acquaintance.’

‘Your Grace, I have told you before—I do not wish to be your kept woman.’

She withdrew her hands. Still weak, she had to clutch the armrest for support, needing to put some distance between them.

‘No, you misunderstand me.’ His voice was firm, unwavering. Grace stilled.

‘I do not want you as my mistress. I have never wanted you as a mistress—I could never treat you with such dishonour,’ he said with quiet determination. ‘I want you to be my wife. I have wanted to marry you since the moment we met at Skye Manor.’ He took her hand, his hold possessive. ‘I love you, deeply, Grace.’

Grace gasped. ‘Then why—’

‘For the longest time, I was held back from expressing my feelings because of my engagement to Jane. So many times, I wanted to tell you when we were at Skye Manor, but I could not bring myself to do it. I wanted to find a way to break off my engagement to Jane, but I could not think of an honourable way of doing so. I felt... trapped.

‘I told myself it was for the best when I reached London.’ His face twisted in pain. ‘Harry, as I now know, had already attempted to kill me, and I knew that if he could not get to me, he would attempt to harm those I love.’ His gaze locked onto hers. Grace remembered the poisoned decanters in his room.

‘At that time, I could trust no one and had no way of knowing where the next threat would come from. I had to pretend that I did not care for you. Ever since you arrived in London, I have tried to distance myself from you. I barely acknowledged you in public. I feared for your safety—especially after multiple attempts were made on my life.’

‘Multiple attempts?’ Grace gasped. ‘I thought there was only one—the poisoned decanters!’

‘There were others,’ he admitted grimly. ‘Shadow was spooked on my usual riding route, and a friend of mine in the gambling dens tipped me off that women were being offered money to kill me. I did not know whether it was Edward, Harry, or both who were plotting against me. Not knowing if I would live past their next attempt prevented me from expressing my true feelings to you. I did not want to make promises when I did not even know if I would survive.

‘I told myself it was better this way—to not form an attachment. Then, if anything happened to me, you could move on with your life, believing I did not care for you in that way.’

Grace could only stare at him, heart pounding.

He ran a hand through his hair. ‘But you... you have a way of making me lose control. That night, when I kissed your cheek, I felt ashamed of my behaviour. Strictly speaking, I was still engaged to Jane, even though I already knew I would end things with her. She, however, beat me to it the next day.’ He gave a wry smile.

‘After I was free from my engagement, I cannot describe to you my relief. I was elated that I could now have you—properly, without any entanglements. But I held back from telling you. We were so close to narrowing down our suspect, Edward, at the time. I wanted to ensure we captured him first, and then I told myself I would tell you how I felt.’

Tears pricked and Grace suppressed a sob, ‘I was so confused with your behaviour.’ She could not prevent the accusatory tone in her voice.

His voice softened, as did his expression. ‘I needed to appear indifferent to you. It was the only way to convince others that I did not care. You must understand, Grace, as a Duke, my every move is scrutinised. If I so much as glance at a lady by accident, the gossipmongers among the ton weave an epic love story out of thin air. You know that to be true.’ He pleaded.

Sniffing loudly, Grace folded her arms. ‘I do not think you are such a skilled actor, sir. At the ball, you were atrocious! You glowered at me all night and even went out of your way to drive other dancers away.’

He held his hands up in surrender.

‘Yes, you are quite right. Despite my efforts, I still let my feelings for you slip on occasion—that waltz. I berated myself for my weakness.’ He shook his head. ‘Jealousy got the best of me that night. You looked so beautiful, and when I saw how many men wished to be introduced to you, I could not help myself. I should not have acted as I did.

‘After that waltz, in a moment of weakness, I wanted to tell you then how I felt—which is why I led you to the fountain, thinking it would be secluded.’

Grace narrowed her eyes. ‘Then why, pray tell, did you make me an offer to be your mistress ?’

His jaw tightened. ‘I was forced to make you hate me—to prevent a greater calamity. I saw someone spying on us that night—Harry, as you know—and I could not let him suspect an attachment between us. I knew your self-respect would never allow you to accept such a fate, and I counted on your temper to push me away—quite literally, may I add.’ His lips quirked in a rueful smile.

Grace inhaled sharply. That was why he had looked over her head so intently at the fountain. She recalled that moment now—how his face had suddenly changed.

He continued. ‘Yes. I realised it too late. If you had become a target for the murderer, I could never have forgiven myself. I even had to go to great lengths to keep you out of the scandal sheets. There was a rumour going around that you were my...’ He hesitated.

Grace’s eyes widened. ‘Harry was the one who started that rumour.’

‘Yes.’ The Duke exhaled.

She shook her head in disbelief. ‘So, everything you said at the ball was a lie?’

His lips twitched. ‘Every single word.’

She huffed. ‘You could have told me that sooner.’

‘I tried to!’ He sounded almost exasperated. ‘Since the ball, you have been as slippery as an eel and as prickly as the thorns on a rose.’

Grace scoffed at his imagery.

‘I knocked on your door that night, but you did not let me in. I came to your door multiple times over the following nights, but you did not answer. I have been trying to get you alone ever since, but you have evaded me at every turn.’

‘What about the night I entered your bedroom to inform you about the watchmaker?’ she countered.

He sighed. ‘By then, I realised we were on the precipice of ending this nightmare, and I delayed telling you until Edward’s arrest so that we could begin anew. That was my mistake. I should have just told you then.’

Grace recalled his hesitation that night.

‘I even tried to tell you in the library,’ he added, rubbing a hand over his jaw. ‘But we were interrupted. Again.’

His fingers tightened around hers, the heat of his touch burning through her skin. The world shrank to just the two of them—his earnest eyes searching hers. ‘Say you will have me, Grace,’ he murmured, his voice raw.

She swallowed. Her heart was soaring, yet she could not resist teasing him. He had caused her no small amount of misery these past months—surely, she was entitled to a little revenge?

Lifting her chin, she replied archly, ‘I shall consider you, sir—if and when you properly ask for my hand in marriage.’

For a moment, he looked nonplussed.

Then, catching on swiftly, he dropped to one knee and, in a rather regal tone, said, ‘I would be honoured if you would accept my hand in marriage. Now, please, put me out of my misery.’

Grace grinned. ‘I shall consider your proposal, Your Grace , but before I do, I have a few questions of my own.’

He exhaled, half amused, half exasperated.

‘Very well, sweet. I shall allow you to address me as Your Grace if I may address you as my Grace. And I shall answer any question you have—on one condition.’

‘And what is that?’

‘That I may have you by my side for the rest of our lives.’

He crowded her, his eyes alight with passion. Grace quailed slightly but quickly rallied, extending a hand to maintain some space—and sanity—before retreating into the corner of the sofa.

She laughed. ‘Odious man, you shall not bully me so easily, no matter how domineering you are to others.’

He smiled and took her hand again. ‘You are a brave woman. I shall retreat—for now,’ he murmured, his gaze mischievous. Then, lifting her wrist, he pressed a slow kiss to the pulse point. Grace lowered her eyes, suddenly shy beneath his scrutiny.

‘Ask,’ he said as he settled beside her.

‘How did you find us? Lord Harry must have had several other properties he could have taken us to. No, wait—how did you even know that he had kidnapped us?’

The Duke laughed. ‘Patience. I will tell you all. I suppose I have a tale of my own to share.’

Grace leaned forward, ‘Go on,’ she said, eager to hear the rest.

‘On the day of the picnic, A letter from Mr Smith Jr. arrived, demanding an urgent meeting. I arrived to find him in a furious row with his father. When he stormed out, he whispered for me to meet him later—in secret.’

Grace frowned in confusion.

The Duke saw her expression and smiled.

‘Yes, I was confused too—but also very intrigued. I met Mr Smith Jr. later that day and was alarmed to learn that Mr Smith was also Lord Harry’s solicitor.

‘The long and short of it is that Mr Smith Jr. had received your letter regarding the properties and, after some digging, discovered something astonishing. Though all the houses of depravity were under Edward’s name, it turns out Harry was the true mastermind behind the operation. In fact, Edward had given him power of attorney, allowing him to do whatever he pleased under his name.

‘Mr Smith, bound by confidentiality, did not disclose this to the Bow Street Runners—but between you and me, I suspect a fair amount of bribery was involved. When Mr Smith Jr. uncovered the truth, I believe he finally mustered the courage to do the right thing. He even provided me with a list of all of Lord Harry’s assets and properties.

‘When I returned, I feared the worst. I sent men to search all of his holdings, but I guessed that he would take you somewhere with an easy route to France. If it was not for your actions, I feared I may not make it on time before he managed to cross over.’

Grace let out a breath. ‘Well, I am grateful to you and Mr Smith Jr.,’ she said with a smile. ‘And to Heather, for dashing onto the road.’

The Duke laughed. ‘Yes, I have never seen anyone run so fast.’

Then, tilting his head, he studied her with amusement. ‘Have you finished your line of questioning, madam?’

‘No,’ she replied simply.

He sighed dramatically. ‘I do not see why I am being tortured in such a manner.’

‘See it as you like,’ she said playfully. ‘I remain suspicious of your proposal—no matter how charmingly it is wrapped. I would like to know when you decided to propose to me. I find it hard to believe you have been plotting and planning all this time, sir. And what made you so certain I would accept? It seems rather presumptuous of you!’

The Duke suddenly became serious.

‘You shall be convinced of my sincerity.’

He closed the gap between them. ‘What reason would I have to deceive you, little sceptic? I sleep with you on my mind, and when I wake, I think and plan for you.

‘You intrigued me from the moment I first saw you standing in that study. When I saw those lips, I knew I could not let you go—I had to see you again. The more time I spent with you, the more mesmerised I became.

‘When we sang together, I felt myself captured—body and soul. I have travelled the world, but you —you strange creature— came so quietly into my life and pulled the rug from beneath my feet. I was deeply in love with you before I even realised it.’

Lifting his hand, he cupped her face, his thumb tracing her cheek.

‘At one point, I was convinced you had bewitched me.

‘After that night you confronted me, I had already decided I would never let you go. It lit a fire under me to solve the murders and find the killer as quickly as possible. I left because I felt weak—I could not trust myself not to confess my feelings the next day. I have never been in such agony.’

Grace saw the raw pain on his face and immediately regretted teasing him.

‘Hush now, Gabriel,’ she murmured, touched beyond words. ‘I was only teasing.’

But he seemed not to hear her.

‘I could not believe I had found you. I struggled with it. Truthfully, I had no idea whether I would even survive this quest. I was annoyed at the fate I had been dealt. I had found my soulmate—and yet I could do nothing about it.

‘All I had to do was reach out, and I could touch you—but at the same time, you were impossibly far away. I had to stop myself from taking you in my arms and kissing you thoroughly more times than I care to count.’

Grace blushed furiously and turned away, walking towards the fireplace.

But he followed. In a single stride, he closed the distance and drew her into his arms.

‘I wanted to hold you when you told me you were alone in this world. I wanted to hold you the day we found Gibbs’s corpse and I saw your pale face. I wanted to dance with you all night at the ball—to keep you in my arms—it was painful to let you go.’

Her breath caught. She clung to his hands.

‘I had no idea,’ she whispered. Then, gathering her courage, she smiled mischievously. ‘In that case, Gabriel, I am yours—but on one condition.’

His brows lifted. ‘Name it.’

‘I wish to travel to India and meet my family,’ she said. ‘And I would like you to be my tour guide, as you once promised me.’

A slow smile spread across his face. Without hesitation, he swept her into his arms and twirled her around.

‘I am at your service, my Grace .’