“I didn’t mean to worry you,” she said finally in a soft tone.
Nicholas sighed, his hands pausing their careful work. “Reckless,” he muttered under his breath. “Completely reckless.”
“I was trying to be careful. It was an accident, Nicholas. These things happen.”
“That’s exactly my point,” he shot back. “Accidents happen. And when they do, you don’t always get to walk away with just a scrape.”
Violet’s brow furrowed. “I didn’t realize you were so invested in my riding skills.”
“I’m invested in your well-being,” he blurted.
She blinked, perhaps taken aback by his candor. “Oh.”
He resumed cleaning the scrape, his touch surprisingly gentle. “I cannot imagine what I would have done if you were seriously hurt.”
There was something very raw in his voice. He did not know how to conceal it.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said after a moment.
“You didn’t scare me,” he replied brusquely though his eyes betrayed him. “Youterrifiedme.”
The admission hung in the air between them. Nicholas finished bandaging her leg, his hands lingering for a moment before he leaned back, creating distance between them.
“There,” he said, his tone carefully controlled once more. “You’re patched up.”
“Thank you,” she murmured, tugging the hem of her gown down hastily.
Nicholas stood abruptly, the shift in his demeanor jarring. “I need to go.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “Go? But?—”
“I’ve done what I came here to do,” he interrupted, his voice clipped. “You’ll be fine now.”
She frowned, her confusion evident. “Nicholas?—”
Nicholas didn’t respond. He couldn’t. The emotions swirling inside him were too chaotic, too overwhelming. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He wasn’t supposed to feel like this.
By the time she called out to him again, he was already halfway to the door. He didn’t dare look back as he left the room, his mind littered with all kinds of thoughts.
This is dangerous.
The realization hit him like a thunderclap. The panic he’d felt at the thought of losing her, the unbearable weight of seeing her hurt—it was too late.
He was already in love.
The worst had happened.
He sat with that thought long after he had left her. It was a startling realization, but one that prompted more severe action than he had ever taken with her.
He would have to keep his distance, both physically and emotionally. He would have to remind her—and himself—of the practical nature of their union. He would have to act as if nothing had changed, even though everything had.
And, most importantly, he would have to ensure she never felt the same way about him. Because if she did… Nicholas’ throat tightened at the thought. If she did, he would ruin her.
No. This endednow.It had already gone on for far too long.
“I suppose I made the Duke quite angry, didn’t I?” Violet mused out loud.
She sat propped against the plush pillows of her bed as Maria knelt beside her, carefully changing the dressing on her leg. The sting of the fresh bandage grounded Violet’s thoughts, but her mind refused to let go of what had transpired earlier.
