The door opened slowly, and then he was there.
And for just a beat, he didn’t move.
His eyes swept over her, and she saw his throat work as he swallowed, his gaze darkening just slightly as it returned to her face.
That single look—the way he seemed momentarily undone—sent a strange thrill through her middle.
She took a step toward him and nodded faintly to the bed.
“Will you…sit with me?” she asked softly.
His breath quickened just enough to betray him, but he nodded and crossed the room, lowering himself to sit on the edge of the bed.
She sat beside him, leaving just enough space between them that she could feel his warmth without quite touching him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then she drew in a breath and said quietly, “I…want to tell you what happened at Madame Duval’s.”
His head turned sharply at that, his green eyes narrowing. “What happened?”
She met his gaze and told him everything—how the dowager had approached her, how she’d smiled that sharp little smile and called her a stray, how she’d said it wasn’t about Georgie at all, but about Evelyn.
She said it all in a quiet, measured voice, but when she finished, her hands had knotted together in her lap.
His jaw tightened visibly. “She said that to you,” he murmured, his voice low, dangerous.
Georgie nodded faintly.
“I should have warned you about my mother,” he said bitterly. “But I didn’t think she’d stalk you down like that. Make no mistake,” he added, his eyes hard now, “that was no coincidence she found you at Madame Duval’s. She meant to find you and say exactly what she said.”
Georgie inclined her head, though she’d already suspected as much. Still, it helped—more than she wanted to admit—to hear him confirm it.
He exhaled then, his shoulders slumping slightly as he turned to take her hands in his. And then—then—he said the most extraordinary thing.
“I’m sorry, Georgie,” he murmured, his thumbs brushing lightly over her knuckles.
Her breath hitched. And it occurred to her in that moment that no one, not her parents, not her brother, no one, had ever apologized to her before. Everything had always been her fault.
“I’m sorry for all of it,” he continued, his voice thick with something she couldn’t quite name. “I’m sorry I interfered with your life at that first ball. I’m sorry I abducted you on your wedding day. And I’m really damn sorry I strong-armed you into marrying me. But the truth is…”
He stopped and shook his head faintly, searching her face as though trying to find the right words.
“Somewhere along the way,” he went on hoarsely, “I began to fall in love with you. And I couldn’t stand the thought of you marrying Henderville. Only—I knew if I told you I thought I was in love with you, you’d think I’d gone mad and…”
His words faltered, but his gaze didn’t waver.
“What I’m trying to say,” he said finally, his voice breaking just slightly, “is that the reason I did it, Georgie—the reason I did all of it—was because I could tell what an absolute diamond you are.”
She stared at him, her vision blurring as tears welled in her eyes.
“Evelyn,” he said, his voice shaking, “was my sister. My younger sister. I was watching her one day while my parents were away and—” His voice hitched. “It seemed as if I just turned my back for a moment and…” He closed his eyes. Georgie could tell it was costing him a bit of his soul to relive it. “I found her in the creek. She’d drowned.”
Georgie rushed toward him and hugged him. “Oh, Jason. I’m so sorry.” She took a step back, sensing there was more he wanted to say.
“Yes, perhaps I started out wanting to save you,” he admitted, his lips curving into the faintest, rueful smile. “Hell, maybe there will always be a part of me that wants to save you. Because I love you. And the truth is—if you think you could ever love me back—I’ll wait forever.”
The silence that followed was full of candlelight and the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears.
