He wanted her, even after all of this. Fate had given him the means to marry her, no matter that it was unfair or wrong.
“I used to call you this,” she said quietly. “When I was sixteen.” He didn’t understand what she meant, and she elaborated, “I told Margaret you had the personality of a handkerchief.”
He stiffened at the insult, not knowing what to make of that. “Did you?”
“Oh, don’t look so offended. Clearly, I was wrong in my opinion of you.” She let out a sigh and folded the handkerchief. “Beneath your shyness, you reallyarea hero.”
He was still taken aback by her earlier remark. “I think you should give me my handkerchief back. You don’t deserve it anymore, since you likened my personality to linen.”
She ventured a smile, and it was like a razor, shredding his good intentions. He wanted to pull her to sit beside him and hold her.
But she handed him back the handkerchief. “You’re much more than that, I promise you.”
David wasn’t so certain. “Tell me what happened with the viscount.”
Her smile faded. After she explained what Lisford had done to her lemonade, she admitted, “He thought he was making a grand, romantic gesture. And he believed that’s what I wanted.”
David wanted to ask her what she wanted now but wisely kept his mouth shut.
“Once, I thought I wanted adventure and a man who was devastatingly handsome,” she continued. “I wanted flowers every day and a man who adored me.”
David resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “Men don’t make grand gestures unless they’re after a dowry, Miss Andrews.”
“You rode most of the night, trying to find me.” Her smile softened. “I’d say that’s a grand gesture. And I’m so grateful for it.”
He froze, recognizing the danger of an attraction he’d never wanted. A soft curl lay against her throat, and her green eyes heldhim captive. He wanted to kiss her, to take away the horrors of this night. And that was wrong on so many levels.
“You’re certain you’re all right?” he asked again.
“Now, I am.” She drew her hands together in her lap and said, “I was hoping you would come for me. I didn’t know if I would have to rescue myself.”
He didn’t ask how she would have done so but was relieved to hear that she didn’t seem to have been harmed during the journey.
“Could we…stop at an inn?” she pleaded. “I’m so tired, I can hardly stand it.”
No. He couldn’t risk an inn, not now. “Your family will be terribly worried. Once we arrive home, you can sleep for days if you wish.”
“What will happen when I get back?” she whispered. “I know what they’ll say about me. It won’t matter that I was taken against my will. They’ll believe I was ruined.”
“None of us will let your reputation be harmed,” was all he could tell her.
“They’ll think that I led him on, that I went with him to elope.” She bit her lower lip, and he saw the worry there. “And perhaps it was my fault, a little. A few months ago, before I knew the man he was, Iwouldhave eloped with the viscount.”
“But you came to your senses.” He motioned toward the cushioned seat of the coach. “Why don’t you lie down and sleep? It will be hours yet before we reach London.”
He didn’t want her conjuring ideas about what would happen next. Everyone would expect him to wed her, since he’d been the one to rescue her. Even Margaret believed it was the best solution. But he resisted the arrangement, sensing that Amelia would expect far more than he could give.
“I want to thank you,” she said to him. “You didn’t have to come for me.”
It had never crossed his mind to refuse. He liked Amelia too well to leave her at the hands of the idiot viscount. “You’re welcome.”
“And I’m sorry I called you a handkerchief, a while ago. It was rude of me, and I probably shouldn’t have told you about it.”
He wondered why she was trying to be so courteous, all of a sudden. But then she stretched out on the seat, tucking her hands beneath her face. When she closed her eyes, although the worry still lurked, she was undeniably beautiful.
If she were his wife, she would look like that, lying beside him. Her hair would tangle against her face, those lips turning soft.
“You’re staring at me,” she whispered, opening one eye. “Why is that?”
