Étienne inclined his head graciously. “Of course. Until this evening, then.”
Gabriel made his way through the consulate corridors with swift purpose, his mind already turning back to the practical matters of arranging his wedding. But beneath his efficient planning, a cold dread had begun to settle in his chest like winter fog.
He had revealed too much last night. In the aftermath of their passionate joining, when Henri had whispered her acceptance of his proposal, he had allowed himself to show the depth of his need, his desperate longing for her presence in his life. The memory of his own vulnerability made him cringeinwardly. What manner of man allowed a woman to see such unseemly emotion? What manner of husband would he prove to be if he could not control these feelings that overwhelmed his careful composure whenever she was near?
She agreed last night, but that was in the heat of the moment,Gabriel thought as he strode through the streets toward the offices where marriage licenses were procured.Now that she has had time to reflect, to consider what manner of man I truly am …
The terrible possibility that Henri might have reconsidered her acceptance grew with each step. She was intelligent, perceptive, capable of seeing through any pretense to the raw need he had displayed so shamelessly. Perhaps she had realized that accepting his proposal would mean binding herself to a man who clearly struggled with his emotions.
Gabriel felt exactly like that five-year-old boy standing in his grandfather’s library, having ruined his only chance at belonging to a family because he could not contain his weakness. Just as his boyhood tears had disgusted the old man into sending him away, perhaps his emotional display had shown Henri exactly what kind of man she would be marrying. One who could not maintain the proper reserve expected of a gentleman.
I revealed too much. I let her see how much I need her, and now she will realize what a poor bargain she has struck.
By the time Gabriel reachedLa Maison Grise, his anxiety had crystallized into near certainty that Henri would greet him with news of her changed mind. Or Tyne would reveal she was missing, that she had escaped.
He paused at the door, steeling himself for the crushing disappointment that seemed inevitable. Perhaps she would be kind about it, offer some gentle excuse about reconsidering the hasty nature of their arrangement. Or perhaps she wouldbe honest about his unsuitability as a husband, the way his emotions overcame his better judgment whenever she was near.
Gabriel opened the door and found Henri in the small sitting room, dressed in the blue gown that complemented her coloring so beautifully. She looked up as he entered, and for a heart-stopping moment, he searched her expression for any sign of regret or withdrawal.
Unable to contain himself, Gabriel crossed the room in swift strides and pulled her into his arms, claiming her lips in a kiss that was both desperate and grateful. She was still here. She had not fled after he had left their bedchamber this morning, had not informed him that she had reconsidered. It was so overwhelming that for a moment he could barely think beyond the warmth of her body against his.
“The negotiations are concluded,” Gabriel said against her hair, his voice rough with emotion he was already trying to suppress. “We can be married on Wednesday.”
Henri smiled up at him, but Gabriel was already pulling back, mentally rebuilding the walls that had crumbled so completely the night before. He had shown her too much already. From this moment forward, he must be the reserved, controlled husband she deserved. Not the desperate, emotional man who had laid his heart bare in a moment of weakness.
As he settled into a more somber and distant demeanor, Gabriel told himself it was for the best. Henri needed a husband who could protect and provide for her, not one who would burden her with the intensity of feelings he clearly could not manage properly. He would give her everything she required, but he would not make the mistake of revealing the depths of his need again.
She deserved better than a man who behaved like a sniveling babe, clutching affection that might be snatched away at any moment.
Henri had been sitting quietlyin the small parlor, attempting to read one of Gabriel’s books, when Lisette burst through the door with an energy that was startling in its intensity. The French woman’s entire demeanor had shifted overnight. Where before she had been respectful but reserved, she had practically glowed with excitement.
“Mademoiselle!” Lisette had exclaimed, her hands clasped together as if in prayer. “Oh, but this ismagnifique! You are to marry Monsieur Grantham!”
Henri had blinked in surprise at the sudden flood of enthusiasm. “Yes, we are to be wed.”
“Ah,mais non, you do not understand,” Lisette had interrupted, settling into the chair across from Henri. “Monsieur Grantham, ’e is … ’ow you say …très bon homme. A very good man,oui?”
The way Lisette spoke the words suggested depths of meaning that Henri had yet to grasp. “What do you mean?”
Lisette’s eyes had glistened with tears. “Myfrère… brother, Jean-Claude, ’e was in very big trouble, some years ago. Ze authorities, zey say he was smuggler. But it was not true.” She had paused, dropping to a reverent whisper. “Monsieur Grantham, ’e save Jean-Claude from certain arrest.”
Henri had felt her heart skip. This had been the first real glimpse she had been given into Gabriel’s character beyond his composed exterior. “How did he?—”
“’E use ’is connections, ’is influence,” Lisette had continued, her words growing livelier with emotion. “But more than that, ’e do it to ’elp a man ’e barely know, just because it was right. Jean-Claude, ’e would ’ave gone to prison, but Monsieur Grantham … ’e find a way.”
The revelation had left Henri speechless. It was evidence of the man she had sensed beneath Gabriel’s reserve. Someone capable of great courage and compassion, even if he was determined to hide these qualities from her. And it certainly shed light on Lisette’s willingness to turn a blind eye to Henri’s captivity.
“Monsieuris so private,oui?” Lisette had said with a knowing look. “Too much alone, that one. ’E need a wife to care for ’im, to bring ze love into ’is life. You, I think, you be very good for ’im.”
Before Henri could respond, Lisette had left the room, but not before giving Henri a meaningful smile that suggested she understood far more about their situation than anyone had given her credit for.
The door opened suddenly, and Gabriel strode into the room with swift purpose. Before Henri could even greet him properly, he crossed to her and pulled her into his arms, claiming her lips in a kiss that was both aggressive and gentle. The intensity of it left her breathless and slightly bewildered.
“The negotiations are concluded,” Gabriel said against her hair, his voice rough with emotion. “We can be married on Wednesday.”
Henri smiled up at him, pleased by this news, but almost immediately she noticed him pulling back, his expression becoming more reserved. The warmth that had been in his eyes moments before retreated behind his usual careful control.
When Henri seized the opportunity to ask about his work—“What exactly were these negotiations about?”—she watched his expression close off with disappointing swiftness.
