“Ye’re certain of that?”
Raphe shook his head. “No, but I ‘ave a competent secretary and solicitors who can find out.”
Ben did not look convinced, but he nodded anyway. “Very well.” His gaze drifted toward the ladies. “If she agrees.”
Turning, Raphe found Gabriella and her sister watching them with marked curiosity. “I have a suggestion,” he said.
“Go on,” Gabriella urged when her sister failed to respond.
Raphe squared his shoulders. “I’ve a property in Gloucester that’s in need of a caretaker. The position comes with a two-bedroom cottage, the wages are decent, an’ I can promise ye that none of my staff will question who ye are or ‘ow ye arrived there. I’ll make certain of that.”
“You’re suggesting that I move there with Ben?” Lady Victoria hesitantly asked.
Raphe nodded. “I’m also going to see if I can get your marriage to Connolly annulled.”
“I’ll do it anyway,” Lady Victoria whispered with tears in her eyes. “Anything to get away from here and to—” Her eyes shifted to Ben. “Would you really be willing to move across the country for me?”
With a light grin he stepped toward her, taking her hand in his. “It’s not like there’s much of a life for me ‘ere in St. Giles. I’ll miss me family, to be sure, but what Raphe is offerin’ is a rare opportunity, so if ye’re amicable to the idea, then so am I.”
Rolling his eyes at his friend’s idiocy, Raphe went to whisper in his ear. “Tell ’er how ye feel, man!”
Leaning forward, Ben placed an awkward kiss on Lady Victoria’s cheek. “I believe I forgot to mention that it’s mostly because I love ye.”
A sob broke from between Lady Victoria’s lips as she flung her arms about Ben. Speechless for only a moment, Gabriella sought Raphe’s eyes and silently mouthed the words thank you, her gaze bright with emotion and happiness and something powerful that Raphe hoped signified a deeper attachment between them.
“I’ll send a note tomorrow,” he told Ben and Lady Victoria. “Let you know what I find out.”
Thanking him, Ben gave Lady Victoria an almost shy embrace and took his leave. “We ought to get going as well,” Raphe told Gabriella. “The streets of St. Giles are no place for a lady after dark.”
Gabriella’s lips parted. She looked to her sister with grave concern.
“He’s right,” Lady Victoria said before Gabriella could voice a protest. She reached for her sister’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “You should go.”
Pressing her lips together, Gabriella gave a hasty nod, as though prolonging the moment would make her weep. “I will see you again soon, Vicky. I promise.”
Stepping out into the dimming light, Raphe offered Gabriella his arm and began leading her back toward the awaiting carriage. “Everything will be all right,” he murmured, sensing that she needed the reassurance. “I will do all that I can in order to help your sister. You must believe that.”
“You are too kind.” She spoke in a hushed whisper. “And I cannot thank you enough.” She hesitated a moment before adding, “Encountering Mr. Thompson cannot have been easy for you.”
“He helped me carve out a place for myself when I moved here all those years ago,” Raphe explained. “We became good friends and eventually ended up working together.”
They reached the carriage and he helped her inside. Climbing in as well, he sat down across from her and knocked for the driver to set off. Silence settled between them, accentuated by the gentle sway of the carriage, until she finally said, “You had no responsibility toward Vicky, but you chose to help her anyway.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I can’t let your sister stay in a place like that. Even if things don’t work out for her and Ben, I’ll find a way to ensure a better life for her.”
“But—” She gave him a questioning look. “Why? You don’t owe her anything.”
“I owe Ben,” he said. “He was like a brother to me, always there whenever I needed him, and I lied to him—abandoned him without explanation.”
“Oh.” She slumped back against the squabs and nodded as though that made perfect sense. “I understand.”
But the tone of her voice suggested that perhaps she didn’t. Or perhaps she’d hoped for a different explanation. Raphe could only wonder. He wanted her in his life—indeed, he wanted her to be the most central part of his life—but not unless she was willing to accept the ramifications of what that would mean without any regret. “I especially did it for you,” he found himself saying. The confession went against his better judgment. He didn’t want to manipulate her with grand gestures. He wanted her final decision to come from her heart. But he couldn’t help himself from being selfish, either—from wanting her to know that he cared, and to win the appreciation such knowledge would bring.
Her eyes widened. And then her lips parted as though she meant to say something but couldn’t quite think of what, and it was all he could do not to leap across to the other side of the carriage and pull her into his arms. With everything that had happened today, he needed to feel the warmth of her touch.
As it turned out, he didn’t have to. She was beside him in an instant, her thigh brushing his as she reached for his hand. Raphe forced back a groan in response to the sudden contact. It assaulted his senses, his entire body clamoring for more.
“Explain yourself,” she demanded. She shook her head as though trying to focus. “You cannot say such a thing without doing so.”
