Murray smiled, but his gaze was earnest. “I should hope that, after all these years, you know you can trust me.”
In the stillness that followed, Adam realized that the other manhadearned his trust. Despite Murray’s raffish ways, he had proved himself a good business partner, had never let Adam down, and had always been true to his word. Hell, he’d even had the bollocks to confront Adam about the visits to Mrs. Wilde’s, to try to make Adam see what a gift Gabriella was.
Adam was used to keeping his own counsel. But look at where that had gotten him. Maybe another’s opinion might help him figure out what he needed to do.
“I’ve wronged my wife,” he heard himself say hoarsely. “I have to find a way to win her back.”
He gave Murray the necessary details. About De Villier, Gabby’s trust, the fight he’d had with her last night. As he spoke, he heard his own perfidy more clearly than ever. He hated himself for hurting her, for making the wrong choice time and again. Murray listened, his expression somber and without judgement.
“She said that…she’d run out of love for me,” Adam concluded tightly.
“And you’ve never said anything that you didn’t mean in the heat of anger?” Murray shook his head. “Look, I’ve never been married, but I know women…at least in the biblical sense. Trust me, one can learn a lot about ladies in intimate situations—”
“Is there a point to this philosophizing, or are you just bragging about your prowess?”
“My point is that women, as a whole, tend to be forgiving creatures. They have to be, don’t they, in order to deal with us hardheaded bastards. And your wife, in particular, is one of the sweetest, most devoted ladies I know. She loves you, and she’s not going to stop loving you overnight, even if you’ve had your head up your arse.” There was compassion in Murray’s eyes...and empathy. “I’ve made my share of mistakes. Ones I couldn’t undo. The next best thing was owning up to them and accepting responsibility.”
“I accept full responsibility for my actions.” His throat worked. “But how do I convince Gabriella to give me another chance?”
“Just go to her and explain things. Bare your soul, if need be. If that doesn’t work, try groveling…although your lady is far too nice to let you suffer for long.” Murray regarded him with a small smile. “I’m sure the two of you will come to a compromise.”
Clarity struck Adam. Suddenly, heknewwhat he had to do. To prove to Gabriella what she meant to him and hopefully win her forgiveness.
“There will be no compromise,” he stated.
“See here, if your marriage is important to you…”
“It is the most important thing in my life.” Everything else—his past, his anger, even his vengeance—paled in comparison to what he had with Gabriella. The gift she’d given him. “Which is why I won’t stand in the way of Gabriella’s wishes. If she wants control of her trust, it’s hers. I’m not going to fight it. I’ll prove to her that I married her because I wanted her…because I love her.”
“You never do anything in half measures, do you?” Murray murmured. “And your revenge against De Villier?”
“Either I’ll find another way to take the bastard down or I won’t. But I won’t sacrifice my marriage doing it.”
He rose with single-minded purpose, the desire to see his wife eclipsing everything else. Once he saw her again, everything would be all right. Becauseshemade everything all right for him…had been doing so for years. His thirst for revenge had blinded him to what had been in front of his face all this time. What his amnesia had helped him to realize.
The peace he was looking for…he alreadyhadit.
Now it was time to show his wife that he was worthy of her love.
Murray stood, offering his hand. “Good luck.”
“I’ll need it.” Adam shook the other’s hand and added gruffly, “Thank you.”
“You gave me a second chance all those years ago. I’m just returning the favor.”
With a nod, Adam headed to the door. It swung open, narrowly missing him.
Kerrigan stood in the doorway.
“We’re leaving,” Adam said to his guard. “Get the driver—”
“Something’s happened, sir.”
The look on Kerrigan’s face sent a chill through him.
“What is it?” he demanded.
“Mrs. Garrity was ambushed. In broad daylight, on the way to her father’s house,” Kerrigan said, his voice low. “She had three guards with her, but they were outnumbered—killed.”
