Don't Tempt Me (Fallen Women 2)

“What could I do?” he said. “I said I wanted him to hang, but when it came to it, when I saw the judge put on his black cap, I was heartsick. I know you believe that Harrison chose to do what he did—but I’ll never know if he would have behaved differently had I chosen to truly be the Duke of Marchmont, instead of acting as though it weren’t true.”

“If, if, if,” she said softly. “Who knows the answer to ‘What if?’”

“I don’t know,” he said. “Since I don’t know, I must give Harrison the benefit of the doubt. I called on the Prince Regent and asked for mercy for my servants. The sentence is to be commuted to transportation.”

She eased her hand from his, and for a moment he thought that perhaps, after all, she didn’t understand.

But she only let go to leave her chair and climb into his lap. She tucked her head into the crook of his neck. He put his arms about her and nuzzled her hair and drank in her scent with silent thanks. She was alive and warm in his arms. She was his, and she understood.

“It’s good to be a duke,” she said softly. “It’s good to have the Prince Regent’s ear. With a word you can save the life of a man and a woman and give them another chance.”

He lifted his head and gazed at her.

She tipped her head back and looked at him. “What?” she said.

“What you said,” he said. “It’s good to be a duke. Do you know, Zoe, it is.”

It was. For the first time, and at last and thanks to her, it truly was.