Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

" F aster, driver! Go faster!"

At last, Gabriel's carriage thundered through the grand gates of the Elderglen estate, the sound of hooves striking the cobblestones echoed in the air, announcing his arrival with a sense of urgency and determination.

The tension in his chest was gripping, his heart felt tight, a mix of nerves and resolve propelling him forward into Evelina's estate on the very eve of her wedding.

It had been a few days since he'd had the conversation with Theodore, the pivotal moment that now led him to this critical juncture. He started off with expecting he'd have enough time.

However, his carefully laid plans of gradual courtship and continuous heartfelt confessions and gifts crumbled in the face of the abrupt revelation of Evelina's close nuptials.

"Father, what time would we be leaving to be present for Miss Balfour 's wedding tomorrow?"

At first, Gabriel had been excited that his daughter sought him out to speak to him that morning, as she'd returned to keeping to herself for a while. But his joy was short lived in face of the indescribable shock that filled him at her sudden question.

While Eliza begged for them to be in attendance, and expressed her desire to see her lady one last time, he struggled with the thought of the grimy earl likely being the one to arrange the wedding on such short notice.

Gabriel could not let her marry such a man. One so eager to achieve his goal, he had no care for what the consequences would tell in society on her person.

Better yet, he would not let her marry any man except himself.

It had only been a couple of weeks since the Earl had proposed. Yet, Gabriel had been too focused on his work, and then on drinking himself into a stupor to inquire about the wedding date.

It simply would not hold. Not as long as I breathe.

He had quickly thanked his daughter, and allowed his mix of disbelief and determination to push him to act swiftly.

It was still bright and early in the morning, yet that did not stop him from confronting the situation head-on. As he alighted from the carriage, his steps purposeful and his gaze unwavering, he steeled himself with a deep breath for the challenging task ahead.

"Announce my visit immediately, I request to see the Miss Balfour , it is of urgent business," Gabriel's voice was firm, his eyes reflecting his determination as he stood at the grand entrance of the Elderglen manor.

The doorman, seemingly taken aback by his commanding fierceness, hesitated for a moment before nodding quickly and scurrying off to fulfill the request.

Inside the manor, tension hung heavy in the air as the staff lingering around whispered anxiously about the unexpected visitor.

Deep breaths, this is going to work.

"Your Grace, they have been informed of your arrival," the sound of an oddly familiar house servant's voice pulled him from his thoughts. "This way, please."

When you see her, the words will come.

Everything would work out just as you'd been planning.

As he took his steps towards the drawing room, Gabriel's mind raced with conflicting thoughts. Perhaps if he'd spoken with her the day following his resolve to woo her over. If only he had not waited. If only it was not but a day before the very wedding. Perhaps the pressure wouldn't feel all-consuming.

Silence enveloped the drawing room, amplifying the thunderous rhythm of Gabriel's heartbeat reverberating in his chest. Each passing second felt like an eternity as he stood there, his anticipation mingling with apprehension.

Finally, the door finally swung open. His breath caught in his throat, his eyes fixed on the figures entering the room.

James, the viscount, strode in first, immediately followed by Evelina, her graceful presence an instant ease to the turmoil brewing within him.

She's ever so beautiful.

I want to marry this woman, I will.

Behind them, to Gabriel's astonishment, his aunt bounded in after. He questioned her presence for a moment, yet, his focus could hardly remain on her.

Evelina's presence was like a shining light, blinding him, a suffocation he welcomed. It had been too long since he'd seen her face. His fingers twitched beside him, desperate to reach out and take her hand in his.

Her eyes, a reflection of the storm of questions likely raging within her at his presence, also held a mixture of worry and confusion, mirroring the tumult of emotions plagued him as well.

However, the more he watched her, the more his doubts faded away. This was the woman he wished to spend his life with, standing before him, a delicate portrait of strength and vulnerability. His resolve intensified, his heart overflowing with the love he held for her and overcoming the obstacles that threatened to keep them apart.

"Your Grace, a pleasure to have you come by as always. Yet, may I ask, what brings you here on this momentous day?" the viscount spoke hurriedly, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness that lingered in the shared air.

"You requested to see… Evelina?" a short laugh left the man's lips following his question. "Perhaps you misspoke? And called for the wrong sister? You see, my second daughter's name is Margaret, not-"

"No." Gabriel's gaze reluctantly tore away from Evelina, settling steely on the Viscount as he replied, "I have come to see Evelina, I did not make a mistake. I could never mix her up with anyone else."

You mean more to me than that, my love.

He hoped his eyes could convey to her the words he could not yet say as he returned his gaze in her direction. Yet, her brows angled close in further worry and confusion met with his expression.

"And do you not realize the impropriety of such a request, Your Grace?" Clara interjected sharply, her tone laced with incredulity, "To seek an audience with a bride-to-be on the eve of her wedding is unheard of."

She scoffed, shaking her head at him. "Can you fathom the scandal it would ignite within the ton? Oh, I can already hear the mamas twisting their stories. Considering your working relationship, they have more than enough ingredients to create a multitude of rumors."

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at her as she clucked at him. "Is that what you wish? For the ton to hear of this? To start issues for the lady? Why have you come at all?"

"It is indeed my fervent hope that the ton would hear of the success of this day, may they say whatever else they must," His response was swift, his conviction unwavering.

Clara's features contorted in confusion, a slight worry gracing her features at last as she pressed, "I beg your pardon?"

Jame's clearing of his throat only seemed to thicken the tension in the air, his voice quivering slightly as he added with a note of concern, "Is everything all right, Your Grace?"

He hesitated for a moment, his lips tightening before he continued, "Has my daughter acted in a manner unbefitting a lady in recent times?"

His words sliced through the tense silence, his words heavy with suspicion and concern. Gabriel watched Evelina's eyes widen in horror, and for a few seconds, fear whizzed by her face.

His head snapped towards the Viscount right after, his eyes meeting the older man's with a steely gaze as he retorted firmly, "There is no cause for such insinuations. Miss Balfour's conduct has always been beyond reproach."

His gaze shifted back to her, right on time to catch her cheeks flush lightly at his words, before allowing her gaze to fall to her feet.

Gabriel frowned. Returning his attention to the Viscount, his voice rang with conviction once more, "One would expect as a father you would know your own daughter well, my lord. She is a woman of grace and virtue, any one else could tell that. I am uncertain if you understand the magnitude of asking such a question."

"Oh, no, no," the viscount, seemingly taken aback by his unwavering defense of Evelina, softened his tone slightly, "I meant no offense to- I mean I did not insinuate- I was only asking, Your Grace." His laughter was tense, "it is merely a father's concern for his daughter's well-being on the eve of her union. Your presence is welcome, yes, but also quite unexpected."

Gabriel's irritation simmered with each word the man spoke, his eyes narrowing as he fixed a piercing glare on him, silently challenging any further doubts cast upon Evelina's honor.

Satisfied when the man dropped his gaze from his at last, Gabriel drew in a deep breath, and spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully, "I do apologize for arriving on such short notice. It is improper planning of mine."

"For heavens's sake, dearest nephew, do not drag this on any longer!" Clara's tone was light, yet there was a eagerness behind it. "You are slowly chipping away at our souls with such suspense!"

Gabriel's eyes narrowed at his aunt for a moment, before returning to where Evelina stood quiet in the corner. He breathed in deeply once again before shifting his gaze to the viscount.

"My lord, I have come to formally request for your daughter, Evelina's hand," His voice rang out, firm and resolute, cutting through the stunned silence that had enveloped the room. "I implore you to call off the wedding tomorrow, for I am madly in love her and I know I could cherish and protect her in a manner the earl never could."

Gasps and wide-eyed expressions painted the faces of the three as they registered his words, the air thick with disbelief and tension as the echoes hung.

"My goodness, what delicious predicament have I brought myself to bear witness to?" Clara's delighted murmur was douzed in shock, a smile filling her face despite her jaw dropped in disbelief.

"A-Are you?" The Viscount shook his head for a moment as though to clear it, before he began stammering in disbelief, "Are you serious, Your Grace? Are-Are you certain? Are you- T-This is unprecedented."

Gabriel's kept his unwavering gaze fixed on Evelina, her eyes mirroring the shock and disbelief of everyone else. In that charged moment, he wished to cross the room, to envelop her in his arms, to dispel any doubts or uncertainties that clouded her expression.

I speak nothing but the truth, my love.

This is what I've always felt. Please, accept my feelings.

"I have never been more certain than anything else in my life, my lord. I wish nothing more than to marry your daughter. She is everything I have ever wanted for. I could not forgive myself if I lost her," He met the viscount's gaze with a firm tone once again.

"Yes, but," the man nodded for a moment, before suddenly shaking his head once again. "Your Grace," he hesitated as he began, an uncomfortable chuckle leaving his mouth as he did so, "this matter is hardly workable."

While Gabriel narrowed his eyes at him, the viscount clasped his hands tightly, a desperate smile lighting up his face, "How about we try this instead? My daughter, Margaret; she's a much suitable match in every aspect. She's younger, accomplished, and unattached. Consider her virtues; she would make a fine companion for you. As I a father, I had already planned out-"

"My lord, while I have understood your attempts in matchmaking, I fear you cannot stop neither change matters of the heart. Evelina is where my loyalties lie, she is whom I want," he struggled to keep his tone as polite as possible, "One simply cannot negotiate with love."

"Maybe so, but, Your Grace," there was hint of exasperation in James' voice as he spoke, "there are times when we must think logically and not with matters of the heart. My second daughter is a much better choice in every way, most importantly, she is not about to be married less than a day from now."

Gabriel's tone failed to hide his irritation as he shot back, "Evelina is the one who holds my heart, and the logic my mind has chosen. She is irreplaceable to me, my lord, and that is that."

The tension in the room simmered, and Gabriel could nearly feel the physical weight of impending decisions hung heavily in the air. The viscount's face scrunched slightly in the face of his confessions, seemingly uncomfortable by them.

"Yet, perhaps it is not such a hefty replacement?" Attempting to diffuse the intensity with a forced chuckle, he remarked, "Surely, Your Grace, you have witnessed the similarities between Evelina and Margaret."

Are my words that difficult for him to comprehend?

Does this man truly intend to question me continuously?

He struggled to keep his temper in check as the viscount rattled on, "They share blood, upbringing, and values. It should not be so hard to reconsider-"

"That's quite enough father, thank you. Please, I request you give us a moment alone," Evelina's voice was tinged with frustration and urgency as it cut through the tense atmosphere suddenly.

Her gaze locked with his, Gabriel eyes widened for a moment before a smile lifted his lips in face of her inquisition. At last, she wished to speak to him.

I'll answer all your questions. Whatever it is you wish to ask of me, I'm yours.

His eyes never wavered from hers as he addressed the Viscount, his tone steady as he repeated himself once again, "I have the utmost respect for the lady Margaret, but my heart unequivocally belongs to your first daughter, my lord. Nothing would change my mind."

However, James was more focused on his daughter in this moment, visibly taken aback by her sudden assertiveness. He seemed to struggle with processing the turn of events, his gaze shifting between her and back to Gabriel, a myriad of emotions flickering across his face.

His eyes flashed with rage when he spoke at last, "Evelina, did you just speak to me in-"

"My goodness, what a morning this has turned out to be indeed, is it not so, my lord?" In the midst of the charged silence, Clara, ever the voice of levity, interjected with a humorous tone, obvious to Gabriel as an attempt to diffuse the mounting tension.

"It seems our dear Evie is not one to mince words about His Grace either. Perhaps a moment of solitude for the young lovebirds is just what they need to sort out their hearts." She beamed at the viscount, briskly walking up to him and slinging her arm in his, startling him greatly.

"Actually, no, I wish to-"

"Oh, you are aware how emotions are at their age. Still, they are capable enough to handle themselves, both very respectable persons as we know. Plus, we'd be right outside the door, what could be the issue?" She tugged on his arm with a playful force Gabriel knew all too well.

"Countess, I would rather-"

"Oh, come, come, come, my lord, out we go!" Giving him barely any space to finish his sentences, Clara pulled the viscount towards the door, leaving the man unable to do anything else but send helpless looks to the two they left behind.

"We'd be right outside, you two! Remember, leave space for the gods! Ten feet away, at all times!" The door was left open as Clara called from the hall before shutting it at last.

An excellent meddler as always, dear aunt. Thank you.

A hush fell over the room suddenly. Gabriel's eyes shifted to Evelina to find her already staring, her gorgeous blue eyes reflecting a multitude of emotions. His voice was filled with tenderness as he instinctively took a step towards her.

"Evelina…"