CHAPTER 49

GAbrIEL WATCHED THE front lawn of his country house from his study window. Bare trees lined the long driveway, giving the winter scene a desolate appearance. Soon, night would set in. The sun had not come out in a week, which suited him. It matched the state of his emotions.

A movement in the distance caught his attention. It looked like two coaches. Black coaches, pulled by a matched team of four black steads. Had they come to arrest him at last? He had been expecting it since his last conversation with Aycliffe. Mercy was something he had never received in his life, but he thanked the heavens for the temporary reprieve, which gave him the opportunity to tie up loose ends in his business affairs.

He was not afraid of death. As a soldier, he had stared it in the face often. However, he regretted not having more time with Hannah and his son. Would he ever see them again?

Unlikely. He was about to become a suspected criminal. His presence in their lives would only be a liability for them. A pang of infinite sadness caught him by surprise. No, he was not afraid of death. It might actually be preferable to living without them.

The coaches were now going around the fountain in front of the house. He looked at the first one, and his breath caught at the sight of the crest emblazoned on the lacquered door.

The Duke of Stanhope's crest.

Only one person had the right to use that crest now. But what was she doing here? Had something happened to their child? He was sprinting towards the entrance hall before the thought had completely formed in his head. Dear Lord, don't let anything happen to their child.

He skidded to a halt at the bottom of the staircase just as the butler opened the front door and Hannah entered the hall. She was wearing all black. A hooded cloak obscured her features, and he couldn't make out her expression in the dimly lit entrance.

"Hannah, what are you doing here? The baby..." He trailed off, unable to complete the sentence.

"He is well. I have him right here," she replied as the butler took the cloak from her, revealing the sleeping bundle in her arms.

The rush of relief was so great that he feared his knees would buckle. He took one step forward, wanting only to enfold them in his arms and hold them close to his heart. But then he stopped, looked at the butler. Hesitated. He could not create an unseemly display.

She stepped towards him. "We have made a long journey. I hope we can stay here?"

Gabriel frowned, confused. She was asking him if she could stay? "Of course." Then he remembered his manners. "Come to the drawing room."

As she walked past him, he glimpsed the babe's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. So happy and secure in his mother's arms. Thank God he had been able to protect him. Anything that came his way as a result would be worth it just to keep his son safe. He turned to the butler.

"Send refreshments to the drawing room. And have the best room in the house made up for the duchess and her son."

"Of course, my lord." The butler bowed and left to do his bidding, and Gabriel led Hannah to the drawing room, opening the door for her to enter.

Only a few candles, struggling to ward off the encroaching night, dimly lit the room. The fire was low, allowing a chill to hang in the air. That would not do. He led Hannah to a comfortable sofa next to the fireplace and stoked the fire, then lit a few more candles.

"What are you doing here, Hannah?" he asked her again.

It came out sharper than he intended. She looked at him with such vulnerability that he immediately regretted his tone. But he was desperate to know what she was about. Having them here, under his roof...it was every dream he had ever had. She was dangling heaven in front of him, but it was a mirage.

"Gabriel, I... I can't hope for your forgiveness when I can't even forgive myself. But would you consider giving me another chance?"

He frowned, uncomprehending. "Forgive you for what? There's nothing to forgive between us."

"Yes, there is. Please forgive me for being afraid of scandal. For letting my fear speak louder than my love for you. My actions almost caused a tragedy, and I could not have lived with myself if..." She broke off, unable to complete the sentence. "I want to marry you. We can live here in your home, if you wish us to stay. I want us to be a family. Now."

He closed his eyes in agony. She was offering him his dearest wish. And it was too late. He couldn't accept it.

"Hannah, you don't need me now. The danger has been eliminated. You and the baby are safe."

"You are wrong. I do need you. More than ever. Your son needs you." She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Please, Gabriel."

He stared down at their joined hands. And had to swallow the knot in his throat before answering. "There's nothing I want more in this world. But if we marry now, the scandal will be ten times worse than it would have been before."

"I don't care."

"Yes, you do. And there's more."

Here it came. He had to dash her hopes once and for all. And it hurt to do so, damn it. So much so that he'd better do it fast, or he would never be able to walk away from them. He would marry her and damn the consequences. And that would be an incredibly selfish act. He would destroy her future and that of their son.

"They are investigating me for Blackwell's murder. There's every chance the case will go to trial. Whether I'll be convicted remains to be seen, but regardless of the verdict, your association with me could damage your reputation and put in question the legitimacy of your child."

"You didn't care about that before," she said, her voice wobbly.

"I cared. But the circumstances were different. Before, my worry about your safety and the baby's overshadowed the worry about your reputation. That is not the case anymore. And now my reputation has sunk even lower."

She pulled him by the hand until he agreed to sit next to her. Unable to help himself, he used his free hand to caress his son's downy cheek.

"Do you want to hold him?" she asked.

"No," he replied hoarsely. If he did, he would never be able to let go.

"Gabriel, what if there was no investigation? No trial. What if my reputation was already ruined? Would you marry me then?"

He tore his gaze away from the sleeping form of his son to peer at her. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"I told the justices and chief constable that you are my lover and that was the reason you were in the house that day. I told them Blackwell meant to harm the baby, and you defended us. They believed me and closed the investigation. There will be no trial."

He stared at her. "Why would you do that? All the sacrifices we have made to keep our relationship a secret, and you just revealed the truth willy-nilly?"

"You foolish, hard-headed man!" It was the first expression of real rage he had ever seen in her. "Do you think I could just stand by and let them put you on trial, possibly declare you guilty of murder and execute you?" she exploded.

Her outburst woke the baby, who started crying. Guided by habit, he reached out and lifted the baby from her arms. Cradling him against his chest, he murmured nonsense until the baby quieted.

She stared at them, eyes flooded with tears, mouth agape. "You have done that before."

"Of course. I became very adept at calming him down in the past month. If he cried and woke the nurse, I couldn't stay by his side. So we reached an understanding, didn't we, Sammy? You wouldn't cry, and papa would rock you back to sleep."

"And you still think that being away from us is what's best for him?"

He couldn't answer that. Every fiber of his being refused to let them go. He wanted them too much to trust his judgment on this issue. "You don't need me, Hannah." He tried to warn her one more time.

"Stop saying that! I do need you, Gabriel." She came to them and cuddled against his side. His arm immediately came around her, gathering her close. "I can't breathe without you. Even before the incident with Blackwell, I had already realized the mistake I made in sending you away. Making us wait an entire year. I sent you a letter inviting you to visit for Christmas, but you never replied. Now I know why. You were already there with us. In secret. Well, I don't want you to be a secret anymore. I want to stand proud next to you. I want us to live together as a family. I love you. I want to call you my husband."

He looked at her. Their gazes met over the head of their son, and in her eyes, bright with unshed tears, he saw his own feelings reflected back at him.

As if a trapdoor was opened inside him, his love burst forth. "Then, God help us, you shall. Because I love you too much to be noble and turn you away. Hannah Blackwell, Duchess of Stanhope, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes! Yes!" she cried, burrowing deeper into his embrace, seeking his lips.

He kissed her. Pouring all his yearning, his long-denied love, into the kiss. And tasted her own desperate love. They only broke apart when their son let out a squeal of protest at being squished between them. Looking down with a smile, he deposited a kiss on the baby's head.

They remained embracing, the three of them, in the middle of the vast drawing room, framed by the hearth. A family. His family.

At last, he belonged somewhere.

THANK YOU FOR DIVING into Gabriel and Hannah's story! If you (like me) can't get enough of them, I invite you to click the link below to download the Extended Epilogue. Discover what new adventures await Gabriel and Hannah as they navigate their lives together. I promise you a delightful surprise and, of course, more delicious steaminess to enjoy.

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/nw0ilzq8wo

And if you haven't yet read The Earl's Tempting Proposal, it's Colin's story and book 1 of this series. Get it here:

https://mybook.to/earlstemptingproposal

Happy reading!