What A Rogue Wants (25 page)

He reached for her hand, and her pulse
leapt. But then he withdrew, his hands clenching at his sides. He
wanted to touch her! She would have thrown herself into his arms
and lavished him with kisses if not for his sister. “Goodbye, Lady
Madelaine.” His voice sounded strained. “I hope to see you very
soon.”

She swallowed against her dry throat.
“Sooner I hope rather than later, Lord Grey. Safe
travels.”

He dipped his head to her and walked
out the door. When the door shut, her shoulders sagged. She wanted
to run after him and assure him she’d wait for him, but how would
she explain herself to his sister? She glanced at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth stared back with a small smile. “If you go quickly down
the garden path by Frogmore, you’ll catch him at the edge of the
woods. He must go that way to get to our home. No one would see you
there. But mind you, if you’re not back in fifteen minutes, I’ll
wake Louisa and send her after you.”

Madelaine’s heart soared. “Thank you,
Elizabeth! I vow I’ll pay you back this kindness.”

Elizabeth laughed. “You’ve no need to
pay me back for anything. You’ve sat as nursemaid to me for weeks
and helped bring me back from the dead. Grey told me he wants to
court you, and he told me of your father’s refusal. Take heart,
Madelaine. I’ve never known Grey not to get what he wants. I don’t
know how he’ll do it, but I’ve no doubt he’ll bring your father
around. Go now and wear my cloak, in case someone should see
you.”

Madelaine threw on Elizabeth’s cloak
and pulled the hood around her face. “I’ll return soon.” She raced
out of the castle, taking care to avoid being seen by anyone. The
brisk morning air burned her lungs. Ignoring the burn, she ran down
the garden path, past Frogmore and toward the edge of the woods.
Her slippers pounded against the hard dirt. She had to catch Grey
before he was too far out of her reach. As she rounded the bend in
the trail, she gasped as Grey disappeared into the thick
woods.

“
Grey!” she shouted,
hoping if anyone happened to be near they would think it was his
sister running after him. He whipped around in the saddle, a smile
spreading across his face. Flying down the slope of the trail, the
toe of her slipper hit a gnarled root that rose above the dirt. She
almost tripped, but Grey was before her and pulled her into his
strong embrace and into the cover of the woods.

“
Madelaine.” His husky
voice slid over her and made a deep ache bloom in the pit of her
belly. He pushed her hood off her head. “It was foolish of you to
come after me.

“
Do you want me to go
back?”

“
The devil you say. I’m
supremely glad you’re foolish.” He delved one gloved hand into her
hair, twining around the strands and bringing her head close to
his. Her heavy breathing filled her ears as he pulled off his other
glove with his teeth and spit it to the ground. He slid his bare
hand reverently over her cheek, sending sparks of desire through
her entire body.

“
I’m sorry.” He trailed
his fingers gently down the exposed skin of her neck, then back up
to her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids. He placed a kiss on each lid
before his warm lips found hers and plundered her mouth. She was
going to die from wanting him.

She slid her hands up his arms and
trailed her fingers over the swell of muscle not even his heavy
overcoat could disguise before resting her hand on the curve of his
broad shoulder. She wanted to feel more of him. As their tongues
met and receded, she ran her hands over the stubble of his beard
and into his thick hair.

After a moment, he pulled back and
stared at her. “I’m sorry I broke my vow.”

The fact that he didn’t look a bit
sorry made her grin. “I’m not.”

He brushed a kiss across her lips
before pulling her against his chest. Her head rested under his
chin, the strong beat of his heart echoing in her ear. “I had made
up my mind to demand you kiss me today.”

“
Really?” He tipped her
chin back, so she had to meet his eyes.

She nodded shyly.

“
Thank God. I’ve ached to
touch you. Damned stupid of me to promise not to.”

She grinned. “I wish one of us would
have bent a little sooner.”

“
What of your father?”
Worry creased Grey’s brow.

Madelaine sighed. That was an
excellent question. Guilt prickled at her. “He wrote me this
morning and refused to come back to Court until the prince returns
from abroad or if I’m in danger.”

Grey frowned, a look of consternation
making the crease on his brow deepen. “It’s odd that he speaks of
danger and waits to come back when Prinny does.”

Madelaine shrugged. It was odd. Father
had done many strange things lately, but she had no answers, and he
wasn’t forthcoming. Yet odd as it was, some of his actions did
follow with his personality. “Father has always been overly
concerned with my safety. It’s one of the reasons he taught me how
to defend myself. He wanted to teach Mother as well, but she
refused to learn. Besides that, who knows my father’s mind? Perhaps
the king commands he speak with the prince on a sensitive
matter.”

Grey’s frown deepened. “Perhaps. Is
your father’s letter what changed your mind about my vow to
you?”

She held his searching gaze. There had
to be nothing but truth between them. She’d have none of the
secrets her mother had always claimed her father kept from her.
“His letter, my desire.” Her honest words brought a hot blush to
her cheeks. Grey bent his head to kiss her again, but she stopped
him. “And coming to know you better. You are honorable. He will
have to see that and relent.” She expected her words to wipe away
the creases of worry on his face, but if anything, his body grew
rigid. “What is it?” she asked, her heartbeat skipping.

“
What if he won’t grant me
permission to wed you? What then? Would you elope with me?” Grey’s
tone vibrated with worry.

A hiss of breath escaped her. Forget
the worry. He’d just said wed her. Did he know he wanted to marry
her? Could she disobey her father and elope with Grey? The scandal
and heartbreak would hurt him terribly, and she’d already caused
him so much pain by driving a wedge between him and Mother. Yet she
was falling in love with Grey. She couldn’t imagine marrying anyone
else. She had to be honest with him. “Grey, I―”

He pressed his fingers to her lips.
“Don’t answer. I see what you intend to say in your sad eyes, and I
admire you for your loyalty. It won’t come to a choice for you. I
vow it. Your father will grant his blessing, one way or another.”
Grey grasped her face in his hands and gave her a long, lingering
kiss. “I’ll be back for you. I swear it.”

Her heart beat furiously as she let
him go. She prayed her loyalty to her father didn’t cause her to
lose Grey. He knew she was odd, and he didn’t care. In fact, he
liked it. It seemed like a miracle. She couldn’t speak for fear
that she’d beg him to come back soon. Be loyal. Not forget her. She
had to be dignified. Didn’t she?

After he mounted his horse, he turned
and waved. She watched him ride away, feeling as if he took a part
of her with him. When he was out of sight, she forced herself to
hurry back to the castle so Elizabeth wouldn’t come looking for
her. Had he really said he’d come back for her and ask her if she
would elope with him, if it came to that? His words made her smile,
but something niggled at her. She went through their conversation
again, analyzing their exchange. What on earth had Grey meant when
he said her father would grant his blessing one way or the other?
She’d have to ask him about his words next time she saw
him.

Grey was exhausted, so when he rode up
to his family home, he blinked with confusion. Why was black
material hanging in every window? Surely that wasn’t mourning
cloth. A terrible premonition twisted his gut. He’d lied to Liz and
Madelaine when he’d said he wasn’t worried about his brother
summoning him home. He’d been concerned. But his unease had been
because he didn’t want to leave for France until he had things
settled with Madelaine and her father.

His unease shifted. He
rode toward the stables, intending to hand over his horse to the
stable master, but the stables were unusually empty of help. His
wariness grew. Everything seemed in order, right down to the horses
in their stalls,
except
his father’s favorite horses were missing. Had
his father taken one of the carriages out or ridden the horses
somewhere with his brother? His instincts told him
differently.

After putting Cypress in a stall, he
hurried toward the house. Carriage wheels turning on the long drive
alerted him to someone’s approach. He stopped, half-expecting his
father, but it was his brother’s carriage. Dread propelled him down
the drive. The driver pulled to a halt beside Grey. His brother
descended the stairs and looked at him with sunken eyes and a face
haunted by a nightmare. The air rushed from Grey’s
lungs.

“
What’s happened?” His
heart thudded.

Edward shook his head and drew him
into a hug. Grey flinched at the unusual show of affection and
pulled out of his brother’s grip. “Is it Mother or
Father?”

Edward ran a hand through his hair.
“Come with me inside. I’ll tell you in there.” His voice was
toneless.

Grey had to swallow repeatedly before
he could speak. “You can give me bad news outside just as well as
inside. Get on with it.”

Edward’s face went dead white. “Father
and Mother are dead. Killed four days ago in a horrific carriage
accident. I called you home to see them buried―” His voice cracked
and he cleared his throat.

Grey’s own throat closed up at the
tears in Edward’s eyes. His mind shrank from his brother’s words,
but he forced himself to speak. “Go on.” His voice
cracked.

Edward nodded. “The bodies couldn’t
wait any longer. I’d hoped perhaps Elizabeth could travel with you,
but your letter reached me of her illness, before I sent my summons
to you.” He gestured over his shoulder. “They’re buried in the
orchard.”

Grey swallowed the bile rising in his
throat. His chance to make amends was gone. He wanted to crumble to
his knees but he stood. Like the dutiful second son. “They can’t be
dead.”

Edward closed his eyes and inhaled a
long breath. “They are.”

Grey shook his head, his mind refusing
to accept what his brother said. “No.”

Edward’s eyes snapped open
and he swiped at them with his coat sleeve. “Damn it, Grey.” His
trembling tone was like a gut punch. “You’re going to have to snap
out of it. I’m sorry to be cold and rush you, but this is just the
way it is.” Edward turned on his heel and started walking toward
the house. “I’ve not slept more than two hours in four days.
Four days
.” He spun
around, his eyes wild. “That’s a long time to go without proper
sleep. I’m seeing things and hearing things everywhere I go. I know
their death was an accident, but―” He stopped abruptly and looked
at the driver standing by the carriage. “Leave us,” he commanded
harshly.

Once the coachman was out of sight,
Edward took a deep breath, his chest rising in a puff. He darted
his gaze around them then finally settled back on Grey. “I’m
hearing things. Seeing things. I need sleep. I’ve a mound of papers
to go through, I need to speak with you about your assignment to
find De La Touche, and I need to track down Pearson who failed to
send me details of your training as he was supposed to
do.”

“
He was at the castle,”
Grey mumbled, his mind heavy with a thick fog, pierced only by his
sharp regret. “I intended to apologize. To tell Father how sorry I
was. To tell Mother I’d come to see her more.” Grey heard the way
his voice shook, but he was helpless to stop it. “I didn’t know
what he was. Or what you were. If only I’d known I would have
understood so much more.”

Edward clasped Grey’s shoulder. “I
know. And I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be harsh. It’s the
grief.”

“
I understand.” The words
were for Edward’s benefit. He didn’t understand. Why had he had to
spend so many years feeling unloved? Unwanted. The second son
Father could’ve easily done without. Self-pity and yearning had
cost him years. He’d meant to change it all. He clenched his hands
into fist. He’d get no second chance now.