Her lips curved faintly, though her tone held a challenge. “I thought this was your home now.”
“No. My home is wherever you are.”
His voice was intense. A velvet promise that slithered down her spine. Her heart gave a treacherous leap, but she held his gaze. “And yet you keep leaving me.”
Another turn. His hand tightened around hers, the pressure deliberate, grounding. “Not by choice. I would have you with me always. But you will not follow me.”
“Perhaps I will now.”
That made him look at her—really look at her. His piercing grey eyes locked on hers as though he could see straight into her soul. “Not questioning my good fortune,” he said slowly, “but I need to know, what changed your mind?”
“Your mother.”
His step faltered—almost—but he recovered, guiding her smoothly through the next figure. “I’m surprised my mother spoke to you,” he said at last, his tone clipped, “or that you listened to her.”
“Oh, I didn’t.” Her lips curved into the faintest of smiles. “I don’t think her words had the effect she intended.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will.” Her voice was low, charged with meaning. “Later.”
The music built to its crescendo, sweeping them along until the last chord faded. He did not release her hand. Instead, he towed her toward the edge of the room, his grip sure, determined. A discreet door in the paneling opened into a narrow service corridor, where maids and footmen hurried past with trays of champagne and canapés. The air was cooler here, scented faintly with the aroma of baking bread from the kitchens.
Maneuvering her around the servants, Nathaniel led her into one of the house’s main corridors, dimly lit, silent, the hush almost conspiratorial. The darkness was probably meant to discourage wandering guests; instead, it was as if the house was encouraging their secret rendezvous.
He opened another door and ushered her inside, following and turning the key in the lock with a soft, decisive click. The flare of the lamp he lit cast a warm glow across the room, chasing away the shadows. They were in a study. His study. She knew it at once.
“Now we have privacy,” he said, turning to her, his voice rough with urgency, “No prying eyes, no curious ears. Tell me everything, Alice.”
Alice took a slow breath, her gloved hands clasped before her as if to steady herself. The lamplight gilded Nathaniel’s profile, making him look at once fierce and heartbreakingly vulnerable. The time had come to bare her soul. To be as vulnerable as he.
“You truly wish to know?” she asked, her tone soft but laced with challenge.
“I must,” he said simply, stepping closer. “I need to understand what changed your heart, so that I may never lose you again.”
She turned so that she faced him fully. So that he could see every truth written on her face. “Not my heart. My heart’s always known what it wanted: you. But perhaps I needed a nudge toovercome my fears. Your mother found me the other day at a milliner store where I was shopping with Abigail. She thanked me for setting you free. Complimented me for realizing I was unsuitable for the role of Lady Greystone.”
“Shewhat?” His voice was sharper than she expected, and his hands curled into fists at his sides.
“She spoke as if you intended to proceed with the divorce,” Alice continued, ignoring the shock in his expression. “As if it were a foregone conclusion. She went on to mention that she was certain you would find asuitablewife to give you heirs. Someone who would not disgrace the Greystone name with her…inadequacies.”
Nathaniel swore under his breath and crossed the space between them in three strides, his hands gripping her shoulders, not harshly but with a desperation that made her breath catch. “Alice, whatever she said to you—whatever poison she tried to pour into your ear—you must know that it’s not true. I am never going to divorce you.”
“Oh, I know you won’t. I made sure to remove that possibility.” Her voice rose with her emotions, but she was past caring. “I went to a solicitor and instructed him to respond to your petition. I claimed innocence on the charge of adultery. John presented an affidavit. So did Dalton and Lady Hartfield. What’s more, John presented proof that I am his sister. Letters from his father to my mother, where they discuss me. Payments made by the marquess throughout the years to support me. In short, if you try to proceed with the divorce, you will lose.”
As she spoke, his smile grew. At the end, it was a satisfied grin from ear to ear. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” she said, her gaze holding his, steady and unflinching. “I won’t stand passively while you divorce me. I was a fool to have even considered it. But the thought of you taking another wife… I can’t countenance the idea. It nearly destroyed me. And I knowit’s my fault for refusing to be the wife you need. For refusing to be any sort of wife, really. I thought I was protecting you by letting you go, when I was really protecting myself. But I have been living half a life without you.”
“Alice, I’m honored that you went to so much trouble to destroy my divorce case.” He approached, reaching out and snatching her up in his arms. She braced her arms against his chest. “And I absolutely adore the way you showed up here like an avenging angel set on claiming her due. But it wasn’t necessary, sweetheart. I had already instructed my solicitor to withdraw the petition.”
“You did? Even before I agreed to come back to you?”
“Yes. I gave him the instructions before leaving for the country. I’m not sure I could have gone through with it, even when I thought you had been unfaithful. I had already resolved to forgive you. After I found out… Well, there was no way in hell I was going to let you go.”
“What if I hadn’t come around? What if I had wanted a divorce?”
“But you never said you wanted a divorce. You just didn’t want to be a viscountess. I would have accepted whatever type of relationship you had allowed until I could convince you to agree to more.”
