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20
Georgina thought he would leave her.
Leo cursed himself a thousand times over for all the things he’d said and didn’t mean. All flung at this brave girl he wanted with everything he was because he was a bloody idiot. How he’d railed at his brother for treating his wife with such little care and Leo had done the same to Georgina.
Never again.He pressed a kiss to her temple.
“I’m not leaving, Georgina. I will never leave you.” He thought she would need to hear him say that quite a bit. She’d been disappointed by men in the past, Leo included. If he had to stay in New York indefinitely, he would. Tony could run Elysium in his absence perfectly well. Not as well as Leo could, of course, but that couldn’t be helped. Tony was a duke. Thetonwould arrive to lose their purses at Elysium just to watch his brother prance about. And Leo liked New York. This was a good place for his son. For Georgina.
I don’t want her hurt anymore.
Leo carried her toward the door she indicated, kicking it shut before laying her on the bed. He took in Georgina’s bedroom as he returned to the door, locking it firmly behind him. There weren’t any signs of anyone else in the room. Not his son. Nor Georgina’s lover.
He tamped down the spurt of jealousy.
It was a pretty room. Feminine but not frilly, like Georgina. Tastefully decorated in shades of green and gold, much like her parlor. The furniture wasn’t ornate but possessed clean, elegant lines.
“I wanted to come sooner, Georgina, but we were both angry.”
She sat back on her knees, curls of gold springing from her head to tumble against one shoulder. So bloody beautiful, she made his heart ache.
“You, especially,” she said. “It was a very hostile waltz.”
“Yes.”
“His name is Daniel,” she said in a quiet voice. “Our son. He looks like you, Leo. I could never have passed him off as Masterson’s even if I’d wanted to. He’s with my sister, Lilian. In Brooklyn. Daniel is”—her face took on a glow of sorts—“wonderful. Learning to walk. He likes rocks quite a bit. You’ll have to take a ferry to see him. I’m sorry about that.”
Happiness bloomed across his chest. “He’s safe? Well?”
Georgina nodded. “Everyone thinks he is the orphaned child of a distant relation of William’s. Lilian’s husband. Until I can claim him.”
“We, Georgina.” He stopped before the bed, took off his coat, and tossed it aside before unbuttoning his waistcoat. Leo suspected how she meant to do that. By marrying. He had an opinion on her remarriage but would keep that to himself for the time being.
“I won’t let you take him from me, Leo.” She tilted her chin.
My defiant American.“I wouldn’t dare.” He untied his cravat.
Georgina watched his movements with wide eyes.
“I told you, I’m not leaving, Georgina. I don’t even care if your staff is indiscreet.” He looked down at her. “I found our time apart to be...unbearable.”
“Yes.” She looked up at him. “I was always lonely in London. Separate from everyone else. Different. Strange.” A smile tilted her lips. “I brought much of that on myself. But not with you, Leo.” She pressed a hand to her heart. “I always felt as if you understood.”
Because he had.He did.It was the same for him.
Leo tossed his waistcoat aside and sat on the edge of the bed to remove his boots.
“Harold sent someone to Beechwood Court to kill me.”
His boot dropped to the floor with a thud. “What?”
“An assailant.” She waved a hand. “He smelled of onions. I was terrified. All I could think of was that my grandmother would be so upset to know I didn’t keep a pistol about. I hit him with a clock. I went to Elysium because it was the safest place for me until I could get onboard theBetty Sue.”
Georgina had come to him in a manner of speaking, even if she didn’t see it that way. His staff wouldn’t have allowed anything to happen to her; they’d all been instructed to see to Georgina’s comfort whenever she appeared. To watch over her.
“Since he hadn’t succeeded in dispatching me that morning—”
The other boot dropped. “The same day you went to Lind? You knew how I felt, and yet you didn’t tell me about Harold?”
