Neither pulled. They just held each other’s hands. His big calloused hand over her smaller, daintier one seemed to be sharing not just strength but a story.
“Y-you said you loved me,” she stuttered, her eyes vulnerable. Her lips trembled, as if she were about to burst into tears.
“I said that,” he confirmed. “I love you. I am not afraid to repeat those words, unless you want me to stop. I hope you can forgive a silly fool who thought he could protect you. B-but I realized I was the one who hurt you first.”
“Yes, you broke my heart.”
“I did. But I won’t ever again.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
“It’s over now, Lucy. Your brother is gone,” Daniel whispered.
Lucy knew that he was trying to be strong for her, but she could also sense the tension in his voice. He had gone through hell and back for her.
He pulled her to her feet so easily, as if she were a feather. He guided her out of the destruction that was her room, his arm solid around her, keeping her steady.
Lucy felt like she was drifting through a waking dream. Or was it a nightmare? The evening was a bit of both, with Daniel’s love confession and the horror of discovering that her only sibling had incestuous feelings for her.
When Daniel led her downstairs to the morning room, she was shocked to see that dawn was breaking.
“H-how is it almost morning?” she asked in awe.
Did time really pass by so quickly, or did her mind drift off elsewhere, protecting her?
“Things went by fast,” Daniel replied as he lowered her onto the sofa.
The thrill was gone, leaving her hollow. Shaking. Wondering if she was seeing things as he sat beside her.
He put some distance between them. It was appropriate and understandable. He knew that she was bruised, that he should be careful with her. Then again, he was also bruised and possibly wounded. She had seen the blot of blood on his shirt. Thankfully, it had not spread or changed shape.
“I had no suspicions,” she murmured, sounding defeated. “I lived with him all my life. He is my brother, but I never saw the monster beneath. Didn’t even suspect it. I thought I was just a sister who wanted her freedom, and he was nothing more than an overprotective brother. I thought I was the one who was delicate and broken, and he used that to make up lies about me just so he could control me.”
While she said those words, she was fully aware of Daniel’s hand on her back, rubbing slow circles. His mere touch calmed her.
“Look at me right now, Lucy,” Daniel commanded gently. Her breath hitched when he stopped rubbing her back. “He was apeer of the realm. Nobody suspected anything. He perfected the image he wanted the world to see. It is not your fault. Never has been. He was your older brother and guardian. The only one to blame is him.”
“Th-the things he said. The way he had looked at me when he asked me to—to—” She shuddered.
“Who would even suspect such a strange and filthy obsession? Nobody would suspect anyone of that, naturally. That would be the last thing on anyone’s mind, Lucy,” he insisted. “You are safe now, I give you my word. Moses Gordon, the man your brother hired, signed a confession that will seal Joshua’s fate.”
Lucy might be relieved that she had escaped her brother’s clutches, but she did not really want to seal his fate. She still loved him. Years of sibling love could not be simply erased in one moment. She still wondered what had happened to make him this way.
“I’ve been running away from ghosts this past year, Lucy,” Daniel said, interrupting her reverie. There was no triumph in his voice either. No joy in having Joshua arrested. “When Kenneth and Uncle Algernon died, the duchy was passed to me. It didn’t feel like a reward, but a burden. It is a reminder of how I inherited it. For the past year, I didn’t feel I deserved my new title until I avenged them. Even my father’s title, the Marquess of Grisham, felt more real because I was both punished and rewarded for it during my youth. Becoming a duke almost broke me.”
“And then I met you. I didn’t know it yet at that moment, but you were about to become the most important woman in my life,” he continued, his eyes seeking hers. They were almost pleading. “I thought you were a complication, one who would prevent me from doing what I should. But you made the world a better place, Lucy. I did not expect that. I thought I would remain the uncle my sisters’ children would run to if they needed more affection. Needed more presents.
“When you told me that you wanted to become a wife and mother, images of us together flashed in my mind. But it was hard to commit to you when I knew I was not the best option for you. Having children with you would have endangered them, too. I just did not expect that solving my problem—dispelling my shadows—meant that you would lose your brother. Yet I can’t be sorry for too long when I love you. You’ve caught my eye that first night at St. Clair’s.”
Lucy watched him. The man was unfairly handsome, all sculpted planes and sparkling eyes. Today, the eyelashes that framed his eyes were slightly wet, as if he had been crying or trying not to. It made her heart swell.
This man… She thought she had lost him. Now, he was here, telling her that he had loved her for so long.
“I want to ask for your forgiveness, dear Lucy. I hurt you. I do not mind apologizing for the rest of our lives.”
Our lives.Those words made Lucy want to cry happy tears, but caution still guarded her heart. She had been willing to give it to him whole, but he had rejected her.
“That last night at the greenhouse, I thought I was doing the right thing by relinquishing you to a safer man. I didn’t know your brother was evil. I am guessing you asked him to help you find a match?”
