At mention of the popular boxing establishment that only a few and highly select individuals inhabited, for it was a blood bath of sport for only the roughest and toughest of patrons, Constance caught a glimpse of a smile touching his hardened mouth.
Chapter Seventeen
The day dawned particularly bleak and rather ominous, the threat of rain evident in the dark, swollen clouds. For Triana, having felt as if her entire body had been depleted of tears, the scene suited her mood only too well.
“I can’t take much more of this infernal waiting.”
Gabriel’s impatient words had been like a slap in the face. Had their time together truly been that unbearable? Was the pleasure they’d shared honestly nothing more than a passing of time?
Then again, was she truly surprised that their affair was over as quickly as it had begun? She only had herself to blame for this present misery, for Gabriel had made her no promises. He had whispered no words of love or affection.Shewas the one who had chosen to give herself to him when she knew nothing further could come of it.Shewas the one who had lost her heart.
But, if nothing else could be said of her time at Chiltern Hall, she’d managed to outwit Eastbury.
A sudden knock at her bedchamber door sent her heart jumping into her throat. At the sound of her brother’s voice on the other side, she forced herself to paste on a smile at his entrance.
He sat down beside her on the window seat and regarded her thoughtfully. “How are you?”
She shrugged her shoulders, and dropped her gaze to her lap. “Well enough, I suppose.” With a sigh, she looked back at him. “Have you heard anything new?”
Travell shook his head, small lines of concern creasing his brow. “No, but I am convinced that Logan and Gabriel will unearth something.” He watched her closely. “They left for London not long after you went upstairs.”
Triana gave a nod, the only thing that truly registered was that Gabriel was gone. He’d left without a single word. Without goodbye.
She met her brother’s steady gaze, those blue eyes so like her own, and reached out a hand, holding one of his in hers with a reassuring squeeze. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“Are you?” he asked softly.
“Of course. What kind of question is that?”
“Only that I got the impression that there is something… deeper going on between you and Gabriel.”
A fresh round of tears clogged Triana’s throat at the understanding in Travell’s gaze, and she found she couldn’t lie to him any more than she could to herself. “I love him.” A sudden clap of thunder had her glancing back outside at the rain already beginning to pelt the windowpane. “But it doesn’t matter, because I’m engaged to Eastbury.”
Her brother snorted. “Gabriel won’t let that happen.”
“How can you be so sure?” she whispered.
“Because he loves you.”
Triana closed her eyes against the sudden stab of pain. “If only I could believe that.”
“How can you not?” he persisted. “Don’t you see the way he looks at you?”
“Like another burden, I should imagine,” Triana returned stiffly.
Travell gave her a gentle smile. “No, like a man utterly besotted.” He paused, as if weighing his next words. “I’ve known Gabriel a long time. While there was a time I wasn’t sure what sort of man he would become, I can say, in all confidence, that there is not another man alive that I would trust with my life… or that of my sister. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have faults like any other person, but believe me when I say that man loves you with all his heart. If he hasn’t said so yet, it’s only because he is waiting for the right time. All I’m saying is to have a little faith.”
A brief silence followed as she absorbed everything he said. Finally, a small spark of her old joviality returned. “Still trying to prove that you know more than me?” she teased.
“But, of course.” He grinned. “That’s what bossy overbearing brothers do.”
She couldn’t help but laugh as Travell tilted his head to one side, his expression sobering. “Well, who could have guessed it?” he murmured thoughtfully. “My little sister is all grown up.”
“I’ve been telling you that all along, dear brother,” she countered. “You just chose not to believe it.”
“Touché,” he said with a chuckle, and then continued in all seriousness, “I’m sorry, Triana. For everything.”
She reached out and gave her brother a hug, tears swimming before her eyes to rival the pouring rain outside. “I’m sorry, too.”
