Page 61 of The Duchess Debt

He rolled her onto her back and rose up over her on his forearm. He searched her face for answers. “How can you feel that way after the ordeal I put you through?” He rasped out quietly, “You should hate me, not love me.”

“I did that, too,” she admitted. “For the longest time, I…”Hated you, cursed you…but I never stopped loving you.She swallowed, hard. “But now I know the man you are and why you did it. It had nothing to do with me—with us. I can accept that now.”

“I don’t deserve you,” he murmured and caressed her cheek.

She let out a long-suffering sigh. “No, you don’t.”

He grinned at her, then lowered his head to give her a kiss that stole her breath away. But as his mouth plundered hers, she felt his happiness fade, until his kiss tasted not of desire but grief.

“Forgive me, Helena,” he murmured against her lips. Regret filled each word. “Please, darling, forgive me for what I did.”

A new tear slipped free. The apology she’d been waiting five years to receive… “Yes,” she whispered and buried her face in his bare shoulder. “I forgive you for everything.”

The relief that surged through him was palpable. So was the affection for her that she felt in the caresses of his hands as they swept over her. He was going to make love to her again, she knew, and she welcomed it.

But all the happiness swelling in her chest couldn’t make her forget that he hadn’t said he loved her.

Yet he would. He simplyhadto, or…No.There was noor. Physical contact like they’d shared tonight was one thing—albeit one incredibly wonderful, simply delicious thing—but a truemarriage was entirely different. She offered up a silent prayer that she had enough time before the wedding to thaw his frozen heart.

Closing her eyes as she surrendered to him again, she was more determined than ever to make him love her.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

6 Days Until the Wedding

When Reverend Barlow paused in the church service, Gabe reached over to take Helena’s hand as she sat beside him in the pew. In less than one week, they would be married, and Gabe couldn’t wait until their vows had been taken, the register signed, and all their friends and family notified. Then there would be nothing to stop them from finally having the future together that fate had stolen from them before.

Helena remained looking straight ahead, even when he began to circle her palm with his thumb, but a happy smile she couldn’t prevent curled the corners of her lips.

His chest warmed. The past few days had been the happiest of his life.

Helena had forgiven him for the hell he’d put her through five years ago—although neither of them would ever be able to forget it—and he felt as if fate was finally on his side. They continued to spend time every day with Alice, too, in daily riding lessons, watercolors, games, music…whatever activity Helena and the little girl could dream up, much to the growing consternation of Nanny Potts. For heaven’s sake, he had even accompanied them into the garden to cut flowers for a special bouquet for Maggie Parker, to thank her for helping with the new school. If someone had told him six months ago that he would be spending his time creating a daisy-chain princess crown for Alice and loving every moment of it, he would have laughed at the notion. But that’s exactly what he had done. Her bright smile had been the best reward he could have been given.

And as for his nights…well, those were more special than he’d ever thought possible. He and Helena had beguntheir marriage early and spent their evenings in each other’s beds, making love and then talking late into the night. He regretted that he always had to leave her before dawn. After all, they weren’t wedded yet, and he didn’t want her to face the humiliation of being caught together by her maid or his valet. Or worse—by a precocious four-year-old who had a habit of sneaking out of her nursery.

He’d never had that kind of intimacy with Clarissa. He had shared a bed with her during the early days of their brief marriage, but not often, and only because he had ignorantly lived under the fantasy that they might have a true marriage.

He’d been such a fool.

Reverend Barlow finished the parish announcements, then smiled across the rows of pews at Gabe and Helena. “And now,I publish the banns of marriage between Gabriel, Duke of Thurston, of our home parish of St Mary’s,and Miss Helena Sinfell of St George’s parish in Mayfair.” The vicar smiled as happily as if he were the bridegroom himself and rocked back on his heels like a proud father. “This is the third time of asking.”

More smiles went up from the congregation. The villagers were all looking forward to the wedding, now less than a sennight away. After much negotiation, in which he’d been plied with generous pours of cognac and softened by tempting kisses to her naked body, and blissfully sometimes both at once, Gabe agreed with Helena that because their wedding was too rushed to be attended by more than a handful of friends and family, they should invite the entire village to witness their vows. The villagers might have already accepted Helena’s kind heart into their lives, but this gesture would solidify its place. She was one of them now, just as he, Verity, and Alice were.

“If any of you know cause or just impediment why these two persons should not be joined together in Holy Matrimony, ye are to declare it.” Reverend Barlow paused barely a heartbeat,knowing no one would speak up and beamed a smile to the congregation. “Then let us—”

“I object!” A voice called out from the back of the church as the doors were flung open wide.

Everyone turned to stare. Except for Helena, who continued to look straight ahead as her face paled to white.

“I am very much declaring my objection to this marriage,” Adam announced as he strode down the aisle.

Reverend Barlow’s mouth fell open. Then he gaped like a fish until his shocked mind could latch onto the words, “With what cause or just impediment?”

“That she’s not good enough for him.”

Helena sharply caught her breath.

“Adam,” Gabe said as calmly as he could muster, still holding Helena’s hand as her fingers latched a death-grip on his. “Stop it.”