Page 75 of Caught With the Scarred Duke
She was becoming so confident, emerging from her shell, and I have sent her back into it.That broke his heart all over again, and though he wanted nothing more than to put his arms around her and tell her of his heart, he stayed back. She was not ready to be held by him again; he could see that.
Just then, an idea came to him.
“Do you remember when Captain Frostheart had been taken prisoner by the Pirate Queen?” he asked, smothering the smile that tried to curve his lips.
Her head whipped around, her beautiful eyes narrowing into a scowl. “Pardon?”
“Miss Savage came to rescue him with the crew; they stole onto the Pirate Queen’s secret island in the dead of night, sneaking into the queen’s celebrations,” he continued. “They did not know what the festivities were for, until they saw the Captain seated ona throne beside the Pirate Queen. And heard her declare that, on tomorrow’s evening tide, she would be married to the Captain.”
Teresa’s eyes widened, her mouth dropping open.
“Determined, Miss Savage sought out her beloved when he stepped outside for a moment,” Cyrus said, remembering the chapter well. “She begged him to come away with her, to flee at that very moment. But the Captain standing before her was not the Captain she adored. He was cold and he was dismissive and he was cruel, telling her that he never loved her, telling her to leave before he summoned the guards to imprison her, telling her that he had finally found a bride worthy of him.
“What she did not know was that there were already guards, hidden among the trees, listening to every word. Guards who would have killed Miss Savage if she did not leave—if the Captain did not give her a reason to leave, and never look back.”
“How do you…?” Teresa whispered, searching his face as if he was the one who had been replaced by another version of himself.
Cyrus mustered a small smile. “They left the island alive—Miss Savage and the crew—but her heart was broken. He had shattered it in order to save her, not realizing that life without him was as good as death to her. It was the same for him, as he was seized by the guards and marched back inside to the queen.”
“He told the queen to fashion a noose, because he would sooner hang than not be wed to the woman he loved,” Teresa murmured.
Cyrus nodded. “He was ready to sacrifice everything to save Miss Savage’s life, until he realized that there would be no life at all for him, if he was not at his beloved’s side. The Pirate Queen was confused, and so the Captain told the story of his love, from the moment he first met Miss Savage, to that very last moment, when he had watched her row away in a boat, knowing he would never see her again, and that she would never think fondly of his name again. He asked the Pirate Queen again to kill him, because that was the only fate he wanted, if he could not be with Miss Savage.”
“And a tear spilled down the Pirate Queen’s cheek,” Teresa said quietly. “She gave him a boat and gold, and told him she would kill him if he did not race after his beloved right that moment.”
“So, he rowed with all his might, and he made it back to his ship before it sailed without him,” Cyrus continued the tale, “but that was not the hardest part. Miss Savage would not speak to him, hated him for the things he had said, for she did not understand the reason behind it. She demanded to be left at the next port they reached, her heart still broken.”
A faint smile quirked one corner of Teresa’s lips. “When they reached the port, the Captain got off the ship with her. He followed her around every day, slept outside the door of her lodgings each night, until she could not bear it anymore.” She expelled a sigh. “She agreed to listen to his story, and realizedthat he had never lost his love for her, that he had been trying to save her.”
“They embrace, and he is forgiven,” Cyrus said, holding out his hand to her.
Teresa eyed the proffered hand with suspicion, shaking her head as if to cast away the story he had told. “I do not understand.”
“I am the Captain, my love. I was cruel because I was afraid of losing you,” he replied. “I realize the idiotic irony in that, but… when you fell from the crag, and I thought you were dead, I… allowed old ghosts to whisper in my ear. I thought history was repeating, orwouldrepeat, because I believed the men in my family to be cursed. I thought I would lose the one good thing I have ever had, like my father did before me.”
Teresa blinked up at him. “But… you are so… so sensible!” she gasped. “Why on earth would you believe in curses?”
“It is hard to explain,” he replied. “My curse was that I did not believe I was deserving of something good, because I was always punished for being happy. I would have my smiles slapped from my face, my laughter squeezed from my throat. If I admired a flower or enjoyed a book, I was beaten for it. I suppose I thought you would be taken away as punishment and panicked when you fell that day.”
Teresa hastily brushed something off her cheek, her throat bobbing as she returned her gaze to the pool, staring down ather reflection. “I kept trying to figure out why you changed so suddenly.” Her voice cracked. “I… should have thought harder.”
“You are not to blame for any of this,” he insisted. “Iam entirely at fault, and I will accept any punishment you wish to give for my foolishness and the unkind things I said. But, know this—I love you, Tess. I love you so much that I, too, believe that there would be no life at all if you are not at my side. I will live alone, a hermit like before, if you cannot forgive me, but I will always love you. Even if it must be from afar.”
Teresa’s gaze slowly lifted, tears shining in her eyes. “You… love me?”
“I love you,” he confirmed, smiling. “I love you more than the Captain has ever loved Miss Savage. His love for her is paltry compared to the love I bear for you. So please, my love, may I have my wife back?”
Teresa rose to her feet, her legs somewhat shaky, prompting him to reach out and take her hand, steadying her.
“Indeed,Iam the one who is not good enough for you,” he added. “Yet, I hope to one day be worthy. I hope to spend the rest of my life proving to you that you did not make a mistake on the day you stepped into the church to marry me.”
A choked sound escaped Teresa’s throat as she stumbled forward a pace, grasping him by the lapels as if she might embrace him or throttle him. Her grip tightened, her beautifuleyes searching his face for any sign of deceit, a tear dropping onto her cheek.
He brushed it away with his thumb. “I did not mean to make you cry.”
“How could I not?” she whispered, her lip trembling. “I do not know if I am dreaming or not, for this is everything I have ever longed to hear. Pinch me, my love.”
He raised an eyebrow. “I will not do that, my darling. I have hurt you enough.”
