Page 15 of Two Secrets to Surrender (Blackwood Legacy #2)

Chapter Fourteen

A t a quarter past midnight, Conrad stood in the shadows and watched the front of Bottoms House. He could no longer deny reality.

Gigi is not coming. I’ve lost her. If I even had her to begin with.

His chest felt oddly tight. Rationally, he knew there was no reason for him to feel this sense of loss, but— Too late, he heard a rustling behind him. He whirled around, fists raised.

“It’s me.”

Gigi’s whispered words were rather unnecessary, since he would recognize her anywhere. She was wearing trousers again. With her hair in two glossy, thick braids, she looked like a mischievous sprite who’d stolen some lad’s outfit. In a heartbeat, Conrad’s aggression morphed into arousal.

“I’ve been watching the front door for an hour,” he said. “How did I miss you?”

“I didn’t leave through the door. I climbed out my window and down a tree.”

“You what?” Assessing the height from the second floor, he turned a scowl upon her. “You could have broken your bloody neck.”

“I told you, descending is easy.” She wrinkled her nose. “I must say, if this is the apology you promised, I might as well climb right back up.”

“This isn’t the apology,” he muttered. “My carriage is waiting. We’ll talk there.”

“Let’s get on with it, shall we?”

Turning smartly on her heel, she headed for the front gate. He followed, his irritation fading at the sight of her long, slender legs. If he had his way, she would wear trousers all the time .

He handed Gigi into the carriage and instructed his groom, Ainsley, to drive around until further notice. As they rolled off, she sat in the corner farthest away from him. Her arms were crossed, and even in the flickering lamplight, he saw that her expression wasn’t the friendliest.

“How did you get Kenny to deliver the message to me?” she asked.

He frowned. “I didn’t twist his arm, if that’s what you are implying. I saw him being besieged by bullies and intervened. He asked me to teach him how to fight, and seeing as he could be blown away by a strong wind, I agreed. After I gave him a few pointers, he insisted on repaying the debt. I refused his savings, of course…but then he mentioned who his mama was. I saw no harm in asking him to deliver a note.”

“Hmm.”

When she did not elaborate, he drew a breath. “Thank you for meeting me.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?”

“I wasn’t certain you would show. I wasn’t certain I deserved the chance,” he admitted.

She arched her brows. “Then pray do not waste it.”

Despite her delicate beauty, she had a spine of steel. He liked that about her. He liked that while he inspired fear in grown men, she wasn’t intimidated by him—by his wealth or power.

She was a duchess through and through. His duchess.

The recognition flowed through him and illuminated the path forward.

“The apology first,” he said brusquely. “I acted like a bounder at our last meeting.”

“Yes, you did.”

“When you carried out that dashing escape and came back with the rope, I was unforgivably rude. I offer my sincerest apology for the way I acted.”

“Why did you behave that way?”

Of course she would ask.

He studied a crease in his trousers. “Perhaps I thought you would not come back.”

“You thought I would leave you stranded?”

Hearing her surprise, he looked up. “It would not be the first time I found myself in that situation.”

She drew her brows together. “Someone abandoned you in your time of need?”

“Not someone. Most everyone.” He smiled humorlessly. “Especially the females in my life.”

“You shall have to explain.”

While Gigi’s tone was firm, he took her softening expression as a positive sign. He gave her the story he had carefully prepared. All of it was true, even if certain details were glossed over.

“My papa died when I was not yet eight years old, and my mama was not able to raise me on her own. It wasn’t her fault, for I was young and she was without resources. She left me in the care of a guardian, promising she would come back for me. I never saw her again. She passed away before she could make good on her word.”

“Oh, Conrad. I’m sorry.”

From anyone else, pity would have been intolerable. Yet Gigi was different. The empathy in her liquid eyes reminded him of what he’d felt when he looked at an engraving of Pearl, kneeling naked amongst the leaves. Not just lust but a feeling of connection—of not being alone in the dark, dark forest.

He nodded gruffly. “Like I said, it wasn’t her fault.”

“What about the other females you mentioned? Were they your…um, lovers?”

He liked the hint of asperity in Gigi’s tone. Jealousy meant she cared.

“Yes. I haven’t had the best luck when it comes to my liaisons,” he said blandly. “Do you know how I made my living before I began investing?”

She shook her head.

“I was a prizefighter. I spent five years taking whatever fights were offered, saving up my winnings so that I would have money to invest.”

As she digested that information, he added, “It isn’t unusual for prizefighters to have female admirers. Women are drawn to the primal nature of the sport.”

“And you had your fair share of admirers, I assume?”

Hiding a smile at Gigi’s tartness, he nodded. “I did. None of the relationships lasted long. Most of the women wanted a taste of the forbidden—a roll between less civilized sheets—and once they had it, they moved on to the next novelty.”

“Surely you were more than a novelty,” she said quietly.

“When I became rich, a few women did want me for the comforts I could afford them.” He thought of Isobel. “Or as means to some other ends.”

Gigi frowned. “That is horrid.”

“That’s life, sweetheart, and I didn’t mind because the transaction was mutual.” He shrugged. “Except with Victoria. I met her at one of my prizefights and thought she was different. She was a widow. Her parents had married her to an old toff when she was eighteen, and when he died a decade later, she was ready to exercise her freedom. I fell in love with her, and she told me my feelings were returned. When I proposed, she said yes.”

“What happened?”

“She changed her mind and married another toff. According to her letter—which she sent rather than meeting me in person—she’d enjoyed our time together but needed a more conventional life than I could offer. I suppose the idea of being wed to a fellow whose main prospect was his ability to pound his opponents to a fare-thee-well had lost its shine. She married a title…a baron, I think.”

After all these years, the pain was no more than a sting. He realized that if he’d wanted Victoria badly enough, he would have told her the truth of who he was. But he hadn’t because some part of him had known that she wasn’t worth the risk of compromising his revenge. Now he was mostly embarrassed by how readily he’d been taken…by how weak and gullible he’d been. To his surprise, Gigi crossed the swaying carriage to sit next to him.

Her expression solemn, she said, “You are more than what Victoria—what any of these past lovers—believed you to be.”

He was stunned by the pleasure her simple words evoked. Stunned by how much it mattered that she believed this of him. That she saw past the ugliness of his history to recognize what no one else had.

“None of them matter,” he said hoarsely. “I’m telling you about my past not to excuse my behavior but to explain why I acted as I did. You…you’re different from other females I’ve known. In the past, I implied that you were nothing but a spoiled chit acting out of boredom, and I was wrong. You are a clever, brave, and resourceful woman, and when you came back for me, what I ought to have done was express gratitude and admiration. Instead, I snapped at you like a rabid mongrel.”

“I forgive you.”

At her tremulous smile, relief burgeoned in his chest.

“Thank you. You cannot know what that means to me.”

Taking her hand, he brushed his lips over her knuckles. Then he tucked her hand against his thigh and felt her tremble at the intimacy.

“Where does this leave us?” she asked hesitantly.

“I want to court you, Gigi.”

Now that he saw a way to have what he wanted, he wasn’t about to beat around the bush.

“You mean as a prelude to marriage ?” Her eyes nearly popped from her head.

“What else?” Annoyed by her response, he said, “You needn’t look so shocked. Do you think I am not good enough for you?”

“No.” Twin lines appeared between her brows. “That’s not it at all.”

“Then why is the prospect of marriage to me so inconceivable?”

“To begin with, we hardly know one another?—”

“I’ve just shared more of my past with you than I have with anyone. Lover or otherwise.”

Her expression grew wistful. “I do appreciate your trust. That you see me as brave and resourceful?—”

“And beautiful,” he muttered. “Don’t forget beautiful.”

“There is no denying the physical attraction between us, but…” She bit her lip, her gaze searching his. “We’re enemies, Conrad. When it comes to the spa.”

Relieved at the nature of her perceived obstacle, he said firmly, “We are not enemies. We merely have differing agendas.”

“What is the difference?” She shook her head. “You want to take over the spa, and I will fight until my last breath to help Miss Letty preserve her legacy.”

“I like that about you.”

Her forehead pleated. “Like what?”

“Your loyalty to those you care about. I want that from you,” he said frankly. “That loyalty and steadfast care. Which is why I am willing to give up my plans for Miss Letty’s property.”

“You are?” Disbelief and hope warred on her exquisite features. “But you have a reputation for getting what you want.”

“I want you . More than anything.”

“But the spa.” Her gaze was astute. “It is worth a lot, isn’t it?”

He knew she meant financially. She wouldn’t know that his interest in the place had been solely related to vengeance. Now that he’d set an alternative scheme in motion to ruin Abel Pearce, he no longer needed the spa.

“You are worth more,” he said. “For you, I would gladly give it up.”

“Oh, Conrad. You would do that…for me?”

The warmth in her gaze was worth exposing his past and changing his plans. While there were different ways to achieve his revenge, there was only one Gigi.

“Yes,” he said tenderly. “I would.”

“Then yes,” she breathed. “I would very much like for you to court me.”

Triumph rolled through him. Before she could change her mind, he snatched her onto his lap. She giggled, winding her arms around his neck.

“Then our courtship begins now,” he told her.