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“Yes, sir. Frank said ye ordered a bath?”
Gabe nodded. “And my—” Good God, how was he supposed to refer to Sophie? “—wifeis in need of a dress. If you have one to give her, I’ll be happy to see you compensated for the item.”
Millie’s dark eyes widened with interest. “I thought Frank said ye had a boy with ye.”
Gabe snorted. “She’s needed a dress all day, I’m afraid.”
“The poor dear.” The woman nodded. “I’ll see what I can find for her, Major.”
Gabe continued down the staircase and dropped into a seat at one of the back tables. He rested his face in his hands while that last conversation echoed over and over in his mind. He barely noticed when the barkeeper placed a tankard of ale in front of him. It was, after all, impossible to think about anything other than Sophia Hampton.
She wanted him to declare his undying love for her, to vow that even after the last several years apart that they still had a future together. And while Gabe would love nothing more than to do that very thing, the truth of the matter was that her father, no matter how much Gabe hated him, was right in this. Sophie deserved better than aligning herself with Gabe, she always had. And the fact that Gabedidlove her andhadloved her every day he’d been away did not change that fact and it never would.
“On my word, Major,” Lumley began, his voice sounding more than anxious, “I didn’t know she was a girl. I thought—”
“She meant for you to think it.” Gabe blew out a breath. “We’re going to have to return to London. We cannot take her with us.” Then he lifted the tankard to his lips and downed nearly half of it in one gulp.
“Yes, sir, of course.” The coachman began to back away. “I am sorry.”
Not nearly as sorry as Gabe was. But what else could he do? He had to return Sophie to London and pray that Beckbury wouldn’t call for his head on a platter once they arrived. The likelihood of the latter was not high, however. He swallowed the rest of his ale, glanced toward the barkeeper and asked for another with a nod. Getting properly foxed would not help, but it couldn’t hurt either.
Sophie had long since washed her tears away and washed the dirt from her skin. But she didn’t feel any better than she had before Gabe had escaped their rented room. The one single ray of hope she had was the fact that Gabe had apparently told Millie that Sophie was his wife.His wife. She could have already been his wife, and would have been for several years if Papa hadn’t refused Gabe. Of course, he probably felt he had to tell the woman something, but he could have told her anything. He could have told her the truth. But instead, he’d told her that Sophie was his.
Was it possible for her to actually be his in reality?
If she could just get him to—
The door to her room flew open and Gabe staggered inside. He blinked his eyes wide, and they had a glassy look about them as though he’d imbibed more than his share. If there was any question about that, even his cheeks were tinted red. “We should be going, Sophie.”
That was the last thing they were going to do. “I’m not going anywhere, Gabe, not yet.”
His brow furrowed. “Do you want your father to kill me? Is that it?”
“You are foxed,” she accused.
“A little bit,” he agreed. “But that won’t prevent me from returning you home.”
“Is that what you really want?” she asked, stepping toward him and wishing the dress Millie had brought her had been a bit shorter when she almost tripped on the hem.
“Are you foxed too?” he asked when her step faltered.
Sophie scoffed in response. “Don’t think to distract me, Gabriel Prideaux.” And then she stood right before him and tilted her head back to see him better. “You didn’t answer my question earlier. And I already told you I wasn’t going anywhere until you tell me everything I want to know.”
He looked positively tortured, the lifelessness of his eyes. “If you ever loved me, if you love me now, take pity on me, Sophie.” He brushed his fingers against her hair which was still slightly damp from her bath. “This is difficult enough as it is, you know?”
“Idon’tknow,” she said evenly. “I don’t know anything because all of the men I love have decided to keep me in the dark about everything instead of telling me even the tiniest detail.”
“Are we spinning?” he asked, blinking his eyes as he glanced behind her. “Or is it the room?”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake!” She slid her hand into his, and ignored the warmth that coursed through her at their touch. After all, she was not about to be distracted, not by him, not by anything. “Do lie down, Gabe. We’re not going anywhere,” she said and tugged him toward the small bed against the wall.
And he didn’t resist her, as she’d expected. Instead, he squeezed her fingers and followed her to the bed. Then he dropped onto the edge and stared directly into her eyes. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
Sophie’s heart twisted at the admission. “I think I have a very good idea.” Then she lifted her hand to his face and brushed her fingertips against his jaw, like she used to do. His skin was so warm and slightly rough from his whiskers. He closed his eyes as though he’d missed her touch as much as she had missed his. “There are so many things I want to know, Gabe.”
He heaved a sigh in response. She wasn’t certain if it was a sign of acquiescence, but thought it might be the closest she would get. If she didn’t press further now, she might not ever get any answers.
“Whydid Papa reject your suit?” She hadn’t even known Papa had disliked Gabe until yesterday. Had something happened all those years ago to make him do so?
