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“Where are you sleeping tonight, young lady?” Gran asked Evaine in the hallway outside their bedroom.
“Will you think less of me if I go to him?” Evaine asked. “It’s our last night together. We have things to discuss.”
“Mhm. Discuss. I see.” She winked. “No. I won’t think less of you. I’ll see you in the morning, my dear.”
Evaine hadn’t exactly consulted the duke before inviting herself to his bedroom. She knocked on his door half expecting him to tell her to go away. Instead, he called out, “Come in.”
Nervously, she did.
You are a fool, she scolded herself. You didn’t think twice about stabbing a woman from behind. Yet your nerves are a-flutter going to visit a man you’ve already slept with? You make no sense, Evaine Ballard.
Gareth was sitting propped up in his bed, shirtless, with his bad foot elevated on a pillow.
“How’s your leg?”
“A bit worse for wear. Not nearly as bad as it would have been if not for your triumphant return.” He stretched out one hand. Evaine took it and squeezed. The duke didn’t let go. “I cannot believe you ran a woman through for me today.” He kissed her knuckles. “You were very brave.”
“She was threatening to shoot you. Gran wanted to use the pistol right away but I convinced her that we’d have a bloody battle with Vernon and his axe if we did. I sneaked out a window in the dining room into the ruins and found your cane-sword.”
The box with Marina’s baby’s body was sitting in the kitchen downstairs. Waiting for its final internment tomorrow. After seeing the Cogswell’s cottage, they had agreed not to involve the authorities. Marina and her child deserved peace after all these years.
“Did you suspect the Cogswells?” he asked.
“I was fairly sure Bess had been stealing my cloak and moving the statues in my room,” Evaine admitted.
“You should keep them. A gift,” he said.
“I can’t take them, Gareth.”
“I owe you money.”
“It isn’t about the money. They’re too heavy and bulky for me to transport safely. I would hate to see them broken. Promise me you’ll find a good home for them…and get a good price.”
“Yes to both.” He blew out a long breath. “You still intend to leave, then. You won’t come to Wulfmere and stay with me?”
“I can’t. If and when you do pay me for my work here, I still want to return to Girton. If they’ll have me back. I would have to convince the administration that there won’t be a repeat of what happened last time. Staying with you, even if we were to keep it innocent—which we won’t—would likely close any chance of me ever returning to school.” She sat on the bed. Still unsure what to do. She wasn’t ready to fall into bed with him yet. Gareth had made it clear that he had never intended to harm her, only drive her away, but she still wasn’t sure about marrying him. Locking herself into a lifetime with a man who had threatened her seemed imprudent.
Although…he was a duke. No matter how tarnished his reputation was, he still held the kind of authority and power that Evaine craved.
“What if you don’t get readmitted at Girton?” he said.
“Then I’ll find something else to do with my life. But I have to give it my best shot, you understand?”
Instead of answering, he pulled her in for a kiss. Slow and tender. Memorizing the press of her lips against his. Evaine’s fingers trailed across his shoulders. The weight of tomorrow pressed down on them.
They had tonight. When daylight came, they would have nothing keeping them together anymore. She had nothing to offer him.
“I didn’t want it to end this way.” She sniffled.
“I didn’t want it to end.” He smoothed away her tear with the pad of his thumb. “Let’s not spoil it by dwelling on what’s to come. Just be with me tonight?”
They had reached the end of their road together. Evaine thought her heart might shatter. He pressed a kiss to her collar bone, then another, lower. Soon her night rail was on the floor and they were both naked. Skin-to-skin. Their kisses were slow and unhurried. There were no words left to speak, except the one she couldn’t bear to say. Goodbye.
She arched into him, her fingers tangling in his hair, pressing every part of her as close to him as she could. Each touch was a whisper of Don’t go, don’t leave me, I’ll miss you.
Stay with me.
Evaine wanted the impossible.
