The meeting with the three men who had Gabriel’s fate in their hands went easier than she had expected. She revealed her relationship with Gabriel, explaining what a comfort he had been to her after the duke’s passing. She had shed a few tears while recounting how they were in love and Brentworth had proposed, but she had refused because she was still in mourning. They had agreed to wait a year and maintain their relationship in secret. And the earl was so honorable that he wouldn’t reveal he had been with her that night when Blackwell broke in.
She told them how she had heard a noise, and they’d gone to investigate. And how they’d found Blackwell trying to harm her child. She cried in truth this time. The tears flowing at the remembered terror.
Everything she said was true. Even if she had not specified the order of events, or left out some other, rather important details. Aycliffe was right. She didn’t need to reveal everything, just enough for them to understand that Gabriel was no murderer. That he had killed only to protect the baby.
“I can’t say I condone your behavior, Duchess,” one of the justices, a balding old man with a pinched expression, chastised her at the end of her testimony. “But loose moral conduct is not a crime that should concern me. I will not pursue an investigation and trial.”
The chief constable, seeing the case slip from his hands, tried a last token protest. “But my lords, what if she is lying to protect her lover?”
“You go too far, Mr. Barrington,” Aycliffe reprimanded the constable, who blanched at the duke’s tone. “The duchess is a respected member of this community. Known and loved by all. Her devotion to the duke was always evident, and she’s also shown her dedication as a mother. There’s no reason to doubt her word.”
“Moreover, she has no reason to lie, and much to lose if this story gets out,” the other justice intervened. “There is no question of the duchess inviting Blackwell to her home. I was friends with the old duke, and there was no love lost between His Grace and his nephew. But the nephew did indeed lose much when the duchess’s child was born. He lost a dukedom he had thought of as his for years. I daresay that’s enough to drive an evil man to such a heinous act. I won’t pursue the case either. Very nasty business, indeed.”
The constable, finding himself outnumbered and outranked, had no other choice but to accept their decision.
She left the building with her reputation in tatters, but her heart whole.
CHAPTER 49
GABRIEL WATCHED THEfront lawn of his country house from his study window. Bare trees lined the long driveway, giving the winter scene a desolate appearance. Soon, night would set in. The sun had not come out in a week, which suited him. It matched the state of his emotions.
A movement in the distance caught his attention. It looked like two coaches. Black coaches, pulled by a matched team of four black steads. Had they come to arrest him at last? He had been expecting it since his last conversation with Aycliffe. Mercy was something he had never received in his life, but he thanked the heavens for the temporary reprieve, which gave him the opportunity to tie up loose ends in his business affairs.
He was not afraid of death. As a soldier, he had stared it in the face often. However, he regretted not having more time with Hannah and his son. Would he ever see them again?
Unlikely. He was about to become a suspected criminal. His presence in their lives would only be a liability for them. A pang of infinite sadness caught him by surprise. No, he was not afraid of death. It might actually be preferable to living without them.
The coaches were now going around the fountain in front of the house. He looked at the first one, and his breath caught at the sight of the crest emblazoned on the lacquered door.
The Duke of Stanhope’s crest.
Only one person had the right to use that crest now. But what was she doing here? Had something happened to their child? He was sprinting towards the entrance hall before the thoughthad completely formed in his head. Dear Lord, don’t let anything happen to their child.
He skidded to a halt at the bottom of the staircase just as the butler opened the front door and Hannah entered the hall. She was wearing all black. A hooded cloak obscured her features, and he couldn’t make out her expression in the dimly lit entrance.
“Hannah, what are you doing here? The baby...” He trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.
“He is well. I have him right here,” she replied as the butler took the cloak from her, revealing the sleeping bundle in her arms.
The rush of relief was so great that he feared his knees would buckle. He took one step forward, wanting only to enfold them in his arms and hold them close to his heart. But then he stopped, looked at the butler. Hesitated. He could not create an unseemly display.
She stepped towards him. “We have made a long journey. I hope we can stay here?”
Gabriel frowned, confused. She was asking him if she could stay? “Of course.” Then he remembered his manners. “Come to the drawing room.”
As she walked past him, he glimpsed the babe’s sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. So happy and secure in his mother’s arms. Thank God he had been able to protect him. Anything that came his way as a result would be worth it just to keep his son safe. He turned to the butler.
“Send refreshments to the drawing room. And have the best room in the house made up for the duchess and her son.”
“Of course, my lord.” The butler bowed and left to do his bidding, and Gabriel led Hannah to the drawing room, opening the door for her to enter.
Only a few candles, struggling to ward off the encroaching night, dimly lit the room. The fire was low, allowing a chillto hang in the air. That would not do. He led Hannah to a comfortable sofa next to the fireplace and stoked the fire, then lit a few more candles.
“What are you doing here, Hannah?” he asked her again.
It came out sharper than he intended. She looked at him with such vulnerability that he immediately regretted his tone. But he was desperate to know what she was about. Having them here, under his roof...it was every dream he had ever had. She was dangling heaven in front of him, but it was a mirage.
“Gabriel, I... I can’t hope for your forgiveness when I can’t even forgive myself. But would you consider giving me another chance?”
