Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

" J ames!"

The word slipped out of her mouth without a second thought, without hesitation. Never had a sight brought her more happiness than that of her husband, come to her rescue, and just in time. Violet couldn't believe he was there.

He came for me!

"Violet!"

Her husband's voice filled her ears, and she had never loved anything more than the sound of her name on his lips. His eyes met hers, and the warmth, relief, and affection in them lit up every inch of her. She took a step towards him, as if pulled by an invisible thread.

At the same time, she felt a hand close around her wrist. She looked down and saw that Lord Redfield was holding tight to her arm.

"Attorton," he hissed. "How dare you?"

"How dare you?" James snapped, and all affection in his expression evaporated as he looked at Redfield.

His face was now thunderous, his eyes narrowed and his lips pressed together in a thin line. He had transformed into the Devilish Duke so suddenly that it took Violet's breath away. He could transform in a second when faced with the man trying to steal her away.

"That is my wife that you are trying to marry! All the laws of God, man, and nature forbid you from continuing with this farce of a ceremony!"

"The girl has signed an annulment!" Redfield shouted. "She is no longer your wife!"

"That girl is the Duchess of Attorton," James said calmly. "And no annulment is valid until it has been notarized and approved in the courts. Seeing as how it was signed yesterday, that is not possible."

There was a moment of silence during which Redfield looked at Jebediah.

Jebediah cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I think, Your Grace, you will find that the document has been approved in time?—"

"Do you have it on you?"

"What? Of course not!" But it was obvious from his tone that he was lying.

James pointed the pistol right at Jebediah's chest. "Give it to me now, or I will shoot you. You are wanted for murder, Crampton. No one would fault me for killing you."

Several tense heartbeats passed. Violet held her breath. Her body was shaking, but she tried to stay still.

Her father's eyes were blazing with hatred as they narrowed on James, but in the end, he had to yield to the man with the gun.

"It's in my briefcase upstairs."

James looked at the innkeeper's wife. "Madam, I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"Mrs. Henderson," the woman supplied at once.

"Mrs. Henderson, will you please go upstairs and retrieve Mr. Crampton's briefcase?"

Mrs. Henderson nodded, then stood up and exited the room.

A minute passed, during which they all waited in breathless silence. Eventually, Mrs. Henderson returned, the briefcase in hand.

"Thank you," James said, taking it from her. Without lowering his gun, he reached into it and withdrew several documents. "Can you tell me what these are, Mrs. Henderson?"

She leaned forward and read them. "They are copies of an annulment, Your Grace. Signed by the Duchess of Attorton…"

Very calmly, James took the documents and threw them into the fireplace.

Lord Redfield let out a small cry of dismay, and Jebediah's eyes seemed to glitter with malice. At the same time, relief flooded Violet. She let out a small gasp, and her legs buckled. She swayed dangerously, but Lord Redfield's fingers tightened on her wrist.

"I would advise letting go of the Duchess," James snarled, his eyes glinting with rage as he pointed his gun at Redfield. "If you hurt her, I will kill you."

"You cannot kill me," Redfield said contemptuously. "Not when I am standing between you and Violet."

Violet sucked in a breath. It was true, she realized. And James also seemed as if he'd just realized this.

"I'll shoot Mr. Crampton, then," he said, pointing the gun back at her father.

"Be my guest," Lord Redfield sneered, and Jebediah's eyes widened. "He means nothing to me."

For a second, all of them were silent, waiting to see what would happen.

"Release her," James murmured, pure fury lacing his tone.

"This woman is my property!" Redfield shouted.

"I am no man's property!" Violet hissed, and then, with a strength she didn't know she had, she wrenched her wrist free from his grasp. "And I will not be sold in marriage to any man!"

She spun around to face her father.

"I am sick of being a pawn in your games!" she shouted. "Both of your games! But I don't fear you any longer—neither of you. You're not strong, powerful, fearsome men. You're pathetic, lowly criminals, and you're both going to prison!"

Redfield's face reddened, and he scoffed. "Make all the grand speeches you want, but I am no criminal. I might not be able to marry you, but I certainly won't be going to prison."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," a voice came from the door.

James started. He knew that voice! Turning, his heart leaped to see Lord Gray walking through the door, flanked by Mr. Jones, several constables, Nathan, and the maid who had told them where to find Violet.

"Lord Redfield," Lord Gray said, holding up a warrant. "You are under arrest for the forgery of illegal documents, conspiracy to smuggle persons of interest out of England, and aiding and abetting illegal dog fighting rings in the Duchy of Attorton."

The constables moved forward quickly. Their guns were drawn, and they surrounded Jebediah and Lord Redfield quickly.

Redfield released Violet's hand and threw up his hands in surrender, and she moved away from him at once.

James didn't hesitate. Dropping his gun to his side, he rushed forward and threw his arms around his wife. In the background, he heard the Magistrate reading Jebediah his rights, and he held his wife even tighter.

"You're safe now," he whispered into her dark hair.

And then, as if driven only by instinct and a deep, gnawing hunger, his lips found hers, and he kissed her. It was the most wonderful sensation he'd ever experience, and he marveled that he had wasted so much time not kissing her every day since the day in the library. Her mouth was warm and soft on his, and he was lost in her, his fingers curled in her hair, whispering You're still mine, you're still mine, over and over, leaving a trail of kisses up her jawline, then her neck, not caring if anyone was watching, and she was whispering I'll always be yours, and he thought he would weep from happiness.

At last, he began to kiss her gently, on her eyelids and nose. She giggled, and he folded her into him and hugged her tight.

She hugged him back, and he murmured, "You're safe now. I've got you. I'll never let you go again. I've got you."

At his words, Violet began to shake, and then he felt tears wet his neck.

He was whispering nonsense, anything to soothe her, and it seemed to be working, because her breathing soon evened out, and then, at last, he released her. Drawing back, he saw that her cheeks were stained with tears, but she was no longer crying. lled her to him again, but this time, he kissed her.

In fact, she was smiling.

"You came for me," she whispered.

"Of course, I did," he said.

"I wasn't sure if Mr. Cain would really help me…"

"He told us where to find you, and I rode all night. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat. And Violet, I would do it all again and for less—anything to show you what a fool I have been."

He was dimly aware of the commotion around them—the constables leading Crampton and Redfield out of the room; taking statements from Nathan, the maid, and the innkeeper and his wife. But none of them mattered to him except Violet.

"Violet," he whispered. "Of course, I want a real marriage with you. I have been unimaginably stupid, letting my anger and resentment towards my father and my fear of failure keep me from the best thing that's ever happened to me. It's you, Violet. You are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, too," she whispered as she stroked his cheek with her gloved hand. "I never should have left, James. My father threatened to marry off Rosalie to Redfield if I didn't. I thought I was protecting her, but I realize now I should have told you the truth. We could have figured it out together."

"I don't blame you for not telling me." James shook his head. "It is my fault. Instead of questioning you or refusing to sign the annulment, I gave you away because it confirmed all my fears that I wasn't good enough for you. But that will never happen again. For the rest of my life, every second of every day, I will fight to prove that I am worthy of you."

"Oh, James," she murmured. "You are more than worthy of me. You are the best and most noble man I have ever met."

"I love you, Violet." He couldn't keep the words in any longer. "I love you with every fiber of my being. I have loved you for a while now, and I knew it the moment I kissed you in the library. I was so scared of my feelings that I pushed you away. But I love you, I really do."

"I love you, too." She was smiling from ear to ear, her eyes were twinkling, and her words made him feel as if he could float on air. "I convinced Cain to help me, and I sent Hannah to find you because I knew that I couldn't marry anyone but you. And even if this vile wedding had gone through, I would have been married to only you in my heart." Her fingers delved into his hair. "No matter what, you will forever be my only husband."

He had no words, so he kissed her. And he didn't plan to stop kissing her for a very long time.