Chapter 23

Rose could immediately tell that William would not be able to convince Mr. Trent to let go of her. The man's grip on her was strong. But most frightening of all, she could feel him trembling. He was enraged; he was hurt; he was frightened. And that was a dangerous combination of emotions for a man who held a knife to her throat.

During their conversation, she kept focusing on the slick rocks at the edge of the waterfall; the rain making them even more slippery. The roar of the water filled her ears. Everything was merging into one endless sound that petrified her. Now, the rain had become a downpour, making an already dangerous situation deadly.

She listened as William tried to plead again with Mr. Trent, his voice steady but not breaking through the madness in Mr. Trent's eyes. She knew that if she didn't act at that very moment, she would not get another chance.

Taking a deep breath, she looked William in the eye, silently communicating her intent. He understood immediately. His eyes widened in alarm, but there was no time for him to react. Summoning all her strength, Rose drove her elbow as hard as she could into Mr. Trent's ribs. He grunted in pain, which forced him to loosen his grip just enough for her to break free. She lunged forward in an effort to create a safe distance between herself and her captor.

But the rain-slicked rocks betrayed her intent. Her feel slipped and felt herself tilting dangerously close toward the abyss. Panic surged through her as she flailed for balance, her heart pounding heavily like a drum. Just as she began to fall, she saw William rush to reach for her. Her arms extended towards him, but he seemed to be miles away.

"Rose!" Henry shouted in an effort to warn her. "Behind you!"

She saw him point at her, behind her. She turned around, only to see that Mr. Trent had lost his own balance from her sudden move, and he lunged toward her in a desperate bid to regain control as well as balance. He managed to grasp the hem of her skirt, dragging her down with him. Rose screamed, feeling the pull toward the deadly drop. She could already imagine them both falling into the abyss, their lives ending together, before hers had even started properly.

But in a split second, she saw Mr. Hancock crashing into Mr. Trent, pushing him back, away from Rose and over the waterfall. He desperately cried, having been caught off guard by both Rose and Mr. Hancock. He tumbled over, and Rose screamed, thinking that he had fallen into the water.

However, one look downward revealed that he had miraculously managed to hold on to a ledge, his body dangling, moments away from falling. Seconds felt as long as hours as Rose's gaze jumped from Mr. Trent to Mr. Hancock, to Henry and, finally, to William. She could see determination in his eyes, and she knew that she could count on him to do the right thing.

Without a second thought, William lay down on the wet ground, reaching for Mr. Trent. Rose held his legs firmly with her own hands, fearing that the man might take them both down into the foamy abyss of jagged rocks. William managed to grab hold of Mr. Trent's hand, reaching down as far as he could without going over the waterfall himself.

"Hold on!" William shouted at the man.

That was when Mr. Hancock rushed over to help, pulling both men back to safety. Mr. Trent got to his feet as William and Mr. Hancock were trying to catch their breath from the effort, hands on their knees, while Henry rushed over to embrace Rose. Everything happened in the blink of an eye. And most frightening of all, everything could have ended in the blink of an eye, as well.

"Are you all right?" Henry sobbed. "I am so sorry, Rose. I am so sorry…" he kept repeating over and over again, as she kissed his forehead, assuring him that none of it was his fault. Her entire body shivered, but not from the cold or the rain. It was from the knowledge that she could have been down at the bottom of the waterfall. She embraced Henry even tighter, closing her eyes, quietly murmuring to him how much she loved him.

At that moment, Mr. Trent turned to William, completely drenched and looking relieved and furious at the same time, if such a thing were even possible. He stared at William in disbelief, not knowing where to begin.

"Why… did you do that?" he demanded, his voice shaking with pent up emotion. Raindrops slid down his face, his clothes wet and muddy.

William straightened up; his face grim but resolute. "I owed you," he replied simply. Then, without warning, he punched Mr. Trent so hard that he fell back into the water at the top of the waterfall.

Mr. Hancock and Henry walked over to stand over Mr. Trent, who was sputtering and struggling in the shallow water, making sure he didn't pose any further threat.

William turned to Rose, his expression softening as he approached her. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

Rose nodded, her eyes brimming with gratitude and relief. "Yes, thanks to you."

William gently took her hands in his. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that," he said, his voice thick with emotion.

She was still under the influence of everything that had happened, but staring into his eyes, she could feel the fluttering of her love for this man, and she knew that she would do everything for him.

"You… saved me," she managed to muster.

"Of course," he urged. "This was all my fault."

"No, no," she shook her head, feeling a need to caress him, to wrap her arms around him, but she resisted the urge to do so. "You are not responsible for the actions of others, only your own."

***

As they stood by the waterfall, the rain drenched them both, plastering their clothes to their bodies. The gray sky above mirrored the tumultuous emotions within William. He couldn't tear his eyes away from Rose, who stood before him, ethereal in the storm's embrace. The cascading water behind her seemed to amplify her beauty, making her appear almost otherworldly. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. And he had never cared so deeply about anyone before. The two realizations caught him completely off guard.

Rose noticed his intense gaze and tilted her head, a faint blush tinging her cheeks despite the cold rain. "What are you staring at, Your Grace?"

He took a steadying breath, deciding there was no more time for pretense. He could tell her it was nothing. He could miss that perfect moment and have it all be for nothing. Or, he could be brave. He could be the warrior he had always been.

"You," he said, voice unwavering. "You're breathtaking."

Her eyes widened, surprise mingling with something deeper. "Was Mr. Trent right to believe that my death would hurt you so much?"

William stepped closer, the roar of the waterfall dimming to a murmur compared to the pounding of his heart. "Yes," he confessed. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since we met. I've been fighting my feelings for you from the very beginning. You deserve so much more than a broken, scarred duke, but even despite this knowledge I couldn't force my heart not to think about you, not to have its fill of you every night when I went to sleep and dreamed of nothing else but you."

He could see disbelief in her eyes, as she gazed at him. Had he crossed the line? He convinced himself that even if he had, he needed to tell her everything. He could not hide his emotions any longer. He didn't want to. He neared her, taking her hands into his own. Was that a spark of hope in her gaze he could see?

Buoyed by that glimmer, he pressed on. "I don't want to fight my feelings anymore, Rose. It is too difficult to do so. Too difficult. Everything that has happened has assured me that I have been fooling myself into thinking that I have no feelings for you, that your presence does not affect me, when the truth is exactly the opposite."

There were a million other words he could tell her, a million other ways in which he might explain to her how he felt about her and what she meant to him. But words betrayed him. His heart was beating wildly, and he knew that it would not allow him to say anything other than the only three words that mattered.

"I… I love you," he heard himself say softly, tenderly.

For a moment, the world seemed to stand still. He didn't know what she would say to that. After all, what could she say? How could anyone so tender, so kind, so beautiful, love someone like him? To even hope so was preposterous, and yet, hope did not choose whom it graced with its presence. Hope favored the poor man as much as it favored a king, and it seemed at that moment, it favored him more than anyone else.

Then, with a soft, almost disbelieving laugh, Rose pulled him closer. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, as their lips met in a kiss that spoke of all the words left unsaid and the longing that had built between them. He knew that they were not alone, but he couldn't help but pull her even closer and kiss her with all the love he had in him. He felt as if his heart would burst at the seams.

As they parted, they remained in each other's arms, the rain a forgotten whisper around them. William felt a sense of peace he had never known before. The storm within him had calmed, leaving only the gentle sound of the waterfall and the steady beat of their hearts as they stood together, finally united in their love.