A Gentleman Never Tells(10)

His gaze stayed on her face, as if he was taking careful note of her every feature. “Really?” he asked quietly. “None of it?”

Stunned by what he asked, Gabrielle sucked in a hasty breath. He was reminding her of their passion. Her cheeks heated. He was seducing her right in front of her father, and she was powerless to stop him.

“Please don’t,” she managed to whisper softly so only he could hear, before saying in a stronger voice, “You must know I didn’t want this to happen.”

His eyes turned quizzical. “I don’t know that.”

“How could you not?”

“Because I don’t know what games you are playing, Lady Gabrielle, and I don’t know why you chose to involve me in them.”

“There is no game. You are just an innocent victim.”

The viscount drew back suddenly as if she had struck him below the belt. “I am no one’s victim, my lady.”

“No, of course, you’re right. I only meant I’m sorry you were treated like a common criminal just now.”

“Nevertheless, I willingly made the bed, and I will lie in it.”

Her stomach clenched at the implication of his words. “I’m not sure what you mean by that,” she said, though she feared she did.

“I will do whatever I must to make this right for you.”

She blinked rapidly. Merciful heavens! He was too blasted calm about all this. He was making her crazy. “What is right for me? You are the one who was wronged.”

“That is not up to us to decide,” he said, glancing toward her father.

“Indeed it is not,” her father chimed in as if on cue. “And I’m glad to hear you are going to be sensible about this debacle. But, of course, the first thing I intend to do is see what can be done to save her engagement to the earl’s son.”

Lord Brentwood jerked toward her, the fierce glare from his eyes cutting her as if it was a sharp knife. “You’re betrothed?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know of this?” her father barked.

“I didn’t,” Brent said tightly, keeping his hot gaze on her face. “I’m new to London and hadn’t heard.”

“I’ve heard of you,” her father said. “Your brothers are the talk of the clubs and scandal sheets.”

The viscount grimaced but said nothing.

Gabrielle swallowed past a thick throat. She, along with everyone else in town, knew about his twin brothers’ resemblance to the well-known and well-liked Sir Randolph Gibson. The scandal sheets mentioned them every day.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “Of course, I should have told you I was to marry the Earl of Austerhill’s youngest son next week,” she admitted, knowing how terribly awful that made her sound after the way she had thrown herself at him.

Anger seeped into the viscount’s face, and from between tightly clenched teeth, he said, “Next week? And you didn’t see the need to let me in on that important detail about your life a little earlier?”

Her emotions were frayed. No answer she could give would satisfy him, so she simply said, “It didn’t seem relevant at the time.”

Lord Brentwood’s mood changed quickly, and he took a menacing step toward her. Brutus growled a warning. The servant’s hands clamped tighter around his arms and held him back as he said, “With you betrothed, tell me, what the devil were you doing kissing me?”

“That’s what I have been trying to find out for the past ten minutes,” her father added brusquely. “And it’s past time for one of you to tell me!”

Gabrielle’s gaze shifted from Lord Brentwood to her father and back to the viscount again. They both demanded and deserved answers.

Heavens above!

Surely there was something she could do other than tattle on her sister? But what?





Three



Courage is doing what you’re afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you are scared.

—Eddie Rickenbacker

Gabrielle paced in front of the window in the drawing room of their Mayfair home. Her faithful companion, Brutus, slept peacefully on his giant pillow in his favorite spot near the softly burning fire.

She kept reminding herself she was a calm, rational, and sensible person, even though her actions earlier that morning disproved that fact. Most of the shock of everything that had happened had worn off, and Gabrielle was feeling stronger and more capable of dealing with the crisis she’d created with her uncharacteristically impulsive and scandalous behavior in Hyde Park.