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Gabriel gazed at her gently. “I am afraid that is not enough anymore.”
“Oh, for God’s sake. Please, Gabriel.” Evie was so irritated she was ready to stomp her foot.
“I w-will not agree to this.”
“Name your second, coward.”
Evie rounded on Gabriel, blocking his view of Bingham. “Gabriel, this is unnecessary. Please, let us leave now.”
“There is a crowd watching us and listening to our every word, dear. They need to recognize that you, my dear wife, are not to trifle with.”
“Dueling is illegal. You are creating a major scandal!”
Gabriel raised a careless brow. Of course, scandal was practically attached to his name.
Evie took his hands in hers. “You might not care about a scandal, but I do. If my feelings matter to you at all, please, walk away from this. Walk away now. With me.”
Gabriel didn’t move a muscle.
Evie pulled out her last card. “If this is how you’re going to act every time someone looks at me funny, I am not ever getting out of the house again.”
Gabriel looked down at her. “He didn’t just—”
“You don’t know what happened. He didn’t even touch me.”
“I didn’t,” Bingham agreed.
“So you are being irrational,” Evie pressed on.
“If I walk away now, those people—” Gabriel tipped his head to the gathering crowd.
“Since when do you care about those people? Or do you truly hold them in higher esteem than me?”
She could see the moment Gabriel surrendered. He heaved a sigh and then narrowed his eyes on Bingham. “Don’t think that this is over.”
Bingham radiated relief. Evie laced her fingers with Gabriel’s and led him away. The whispers grew louder with every step they took, turning into a thunderous roar. They kept on walking, not paying any heed to either whispers or stares directed their way.
They left the hell, and Gabriel helped Evie settle into the carriage before sitting down across from her.
“What were you thinking?” Evie threw up her hands in frustration the moment the carriage lurched into motion.
“Oh, you mean why I was defending the honor of my wife?”
“My honor does not need defending.”
“How many?” Gabriel’s tone grew so cold that Evie felt chills racing up her arms.
“How many what?”
“How many people have accosted you with lurid propositions since we married?”
Evie picked nervously at the fingertips of her gloves.
“And do not lie to me, my duchess. I know you well enough by now to see the difference.”
“I didn’t keep count, all right? Many. So what? Are you going to challenge every man—”
“I don’t have to. Once should be enough to show them I am not going to tolerate any more disrespect toward you.”
