“Gabriel…” Antoinette was beside him, her hands shaking as she touched the spreading crimson stain on his side, as if seeking for a way to stop it. “Please, please, don’t die.”
Reckless adventurer he might be, but he didn’t deserve this. Antoinette knew she wouldn’t be able to bear it if he died and left her.
“Darling,” he whispered, “hold me.”
So she did, while around her people rushed and spoke in panicked tones, until a doctor came. Antoinette was led to a separate room and given sympathy and tea, but she felt disassociated from those around her. All she could picture, over and over again, was the image of her beloved, his face white, his body limp, lying on the rich royal carpet and bleeding his life away.
Chapter 33
Cecilia Dupre hugged her sister close, bending her golden head so that she could rest it on the shorter Antoinette’s shoulder. “When you weren’t at Lord Appleby’s house I was so worried. I asked him, but all he’d say was that you’d gone to stay with friends. He was lying, and I couldn’t find you.”
“It’s over now,” Antoinette soothed. “I’m here and you’re safe.”
Cecilia stepped back. “Would he really have married you and locked you up, Nette? Just for your money?”
“Yes, he would have, Cecy.”
“I’m never going to marry!” Cecilia declared.
Antoinette reached out to hug her and stroke her hair. “You will. Not many men are like Lord Appleby. Most of them are fine and good. I promise you, Cecy, you’ll find a man to love.”
Cecilia lifted her face, tears staining her cheeks. “And you, Nette? What about you?”
Antoinette forced herself to smile. “Never mind me, Cecy. I have Dupre House and you to look after. When would I have the time to marry? Hush, don’t cry, everything is back to normal now, and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”
Sir Adam Langley held the letter in his hands, staring at his wife in disbelief. “They found it?”
“At his bank, my love. Aphrodite arranged for it to be given back to us. She has a great many friends, it seems.”
His wife had never been jealous of Aphrodite; that was one of the things he loved about her. She knew Adam loved her and it was enough; his past was just that. And until recently her past had been a secret, too.
“Do you want to read it again?”
Adam shook his head. “No, I don’t want to read it again. I want to know why you wrote it. I believed everything between you and Appleby was over long ago.”
“It is over.”
Adam hung his head. He looked ill; the last few months had taken their toll. “Is it?”
She reached out and took his hand, holding it tightly. “Adam, how can you doubt me?”
“Have I been a proper husband to you and a good father to our children?”
“Yes! I’ve never regretted marrying you, never. I was so proud of you and our children, foolishly so perhaps, because when I saw Rudyard’s name in the newspapers, I wanted him to know it. I’m sorry. I never thought he’d do such a thing, or believe Gabriel was his son. Rudyard’s changed, Adam.”
Adam’s mouth twisted in a faint smile. “You always did believe the best in people.”
“I believe the best in you,” she whispered, her eyes full of tears. “You know Gabriel is your son, don’t you? In your heart you must know?”
He sighed. “Yes, I think so. But it has been difficult to conquer the doubt. When he was young, I tried to believe, I really did, but…My father saw my difficulty and stepped in, giving Gabriel the childhood I should have done.”
“Because he loved you. We all love you, Adam.” She shook her head. “Do you really think Gabriel would have done what he did if he was Appleby’s son? He is a Langley through and through, brave and strong and loyal.”
Adam reached out to the letter on the table in front of him.
“Adam?” his wife whispered.
“I’m sorry,” he groaned, “so sorry. I’ve been a selfish fool. When Appleby showed me that letter, I thought you must have written it because you regretted leaving him. I—”