Jaxon stood stillfor a long moment, fists clenched, staring at the closed door. Then he turned to Gracie, his anger easing into concern.
“Are ye harmed?”he asked through gritted teeth.
She shook her head,tears pricking her eyes. “Nay,” she said. “Because ye were there.”
“What were ye doin’here alone with him?” Jaxon demanded, his voice low and tight. “In the dead of night, half-clad, meetin’ me brother in the library?”
Gracie’s mouth fell open.She shook her head at once.
“I dinnae meet him,”she said quickly. “I came lookin’ for ye, Jaxon, I swear it.” Her voice trembled with disbelief that he could even think such a thing.
Jaxon scoffed under his breath,pacing once across the room. “That’s nae how it looked,” he said sharply. “Ye whisperin’ in the dark like some secret rendezvous.”
Gracie felther chest tighten painfully.
“Rendezvous?”she repeated, wounded. “Have ye lost yer senses entirely?” She stepped toward him, hands open. “I was frightened,” she said, her voice breaking. “He cornered me, he threatened me, and ye think I invited him?” Tears burned her eyes, born more of hurt than fear now.
Jaxon stopped moving,but his expression did not soften. “Ye shouldnae have been there,” he said flatly. His words cut deeper than any shout.
Without another word,he turned away.
He walked to the door,his steps measured and controlled, far more frightening than shouting.
“Ye will followme back to the bedchamber now.” he said coldly.
26
Jaxon stormed down the torchlit corridor, his boots striking stone hard enough to echo off the vaulted ceiling. He glanced over his shoulder once, just long enough to be sure Gracie followed, her soft sobs trailing behind him like a ghost he could not outrun. The sound cut at him, yet his anger burned hotter than his guilt. He clenched his jaw and forced himself forward.
Doubt crept in,unwelcome and poisonous, as his mind betrayed him.
Hasshe wanted Edmund all along? Most always preferred Edmund’s charm. Marryin’ me had been nay more than a salve to her wounded pride.
The thought festered,growing sharper with every step. His pace quickened as his anger twisted into something ugly and afraid.
His stomping grew louder,fueled by the idea that she had tried to betray him under his own roof. He told himself he was a fool for trusting anyone so completely. The castle seemed to narrow around him, the walls pressing close as if they, too, judged him. Then her voice cut through the noise.
“Stop,”Gracie said, sharp with pain and resolve.
Jaxon haltedat once but did not turn, his back rigid as stone. He could not look at her, not when his chest felt as though it was cracking open. The silence between them hummed with tension.
“Look at me,”she demanded, her voice trembling yet fierce.
“I cannae,”Jaxon replied, staring straight ahead.
“If ye willnaelook at me, I’m nae takin’ another step,” she said, planting her feet.
Jaxon laughed bitterly.“Yet ye took many steps to meet me brother in the library, clad in naught but yer chemise.”
Gracie’s breath hitched,then anger surged through her tears. “I was searchin’ for ye,” she snapped. “If ye had been in yer bed as me husband should be, I wouldnae have had to look for ye at all.” Her words echoed down the corridor, sharp and unforgiving.
Jaxon spun halfway toward her,fists clenched at his sides. “Ye wandered the castle at midnight, chasin’ trouble.” He shook his head, eyes still averted. “Ye should have stayed put.”
“Stayed put?”she cried. “Like a quiet little wife while ye disappear night after night?” She stepped closer, forcing herself into his space. “I was neglected, Jaxon, and ye werenae there.” Her voice softened for a heartbeat. “I needed ye.”
His heart ached,but pride would not loosen its grip. “Ye shouldnae have been alone with him,” he said harshly. “Ye shouldnae have let him corner ye.” The words sounded weak even to his own ears. He didn’t really mean it, but his anger got the better of him. He hated that part most of all.
Gracie laughed once,broken and incredulous. “So now I am to blame for yer brother’s wickedness?” she asked. “For his lies, his cruelty, his hands where they dinnae belong?” She wiped her cheeks angrily. “I trusted ye to protect me, nae accuse me.”
