Page 5 of My Darling Rogue
“Because, unless I miss my guess, Lord Harvey will return soon with witnesses to your ruination. Now, either you go in there, or I do. Make your choice, Lady Celia, but know should I go into that space, they will find only you here. And while I’m aware of your behavior of granting men the honor of kissing you, you must admit the dangers of your current situation.”
Celia’s chin lifted in a challenging manner. “A woman should not be forced into marriage simply because she allowed a few harmless kisses, Mister Rose.”
Gabriel inclined his head in mocking deference. “That is true, but in your case, it will hardly matter. At this late hour, dressed as you are and alone with that man, there will be no talking your way out of this misadventure.” He barely suppressed a groan when she began worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Bloody hell if he wasn’t dying for a taste of the same kisses she granted other men caught in her orbit. “A hasty trip to the altar with a groom ecstatic to have caught you is your future if you don’t do as I say. Make your choice, my lady.”
An expression of dread crossed Celia’s lovely features at the mention of a groom. Her skin paled until it glowed like cream in the firelight. Indignation quickly faded as the dire situation impressed upon her. “Yes-yes, of course. You are right, but sir, you see, I am rather uncomfortable in dark places. I don’t think I can possibly—”
“Lady Celia, this is the second time I have rescued you from this particular gentleman. Both occasions have taken place at night so I find your discomfort suspect. I don’t believe I’m remiss in thinking you’ll be damnably more uncomfortable wedded to that boor. Or, perhaps you prefer being caught alone with myself?” Gabriel’s brow raised in question as Celia hastily shook her head in contradiction. “I thought not,” he said in grim satisfaction while shoving Celia into the space. “Now, be quiet. I’ll let you out once I deem it safe.”
Celia’s chin tilted as she handed Gabriel the broken candlestick. “You may use that on Lord Harvey should you find it necessary, Mister Rose.”
“I doubt there will be further bloodshed,” Gabriel replied in a dry tone. “Remember, not a peep out of you.”
The door pulled closed, the light receding until he could no longer see her face.
Crossing over to a divan, Gabriel saw the other end of the candlestick alongside a pile of books scattered across the floor. A nearly empty bottle of brandy sat on a table beside the divan. Picking up the other half of the candlestick, Gabriel quickly devised a plausible story as footsteps neared the library.
The doors swung open with a bang.
“She’s in here, all right,” Lord Harvey addressed someone Gabriel could not immediately see. His voice held a smug note of triumph. “How else do you think I obtained this damnable cut on my chin? Lady Celia plays rough, but the game is at its end. I’ll claim her as my bride with you serving as witnesses to her downfall.”
CHAPTER4
Celia smothered a panicked whimper.
Remember. Breathe through the nose.
Carefully, she exhaled through her nostrils. Slowly, deliberately, until the wave of panic enveloping her was staved off using techniques she’d learned over the years.
This space behind the hidden panel was horribly dark. And the air was dank. Musty. A thin sliver of light penetrated where the false panel met the wall. It wasn’t much, but it was enough that she wasn’t left standing in complete darkness.
What a god-awful tangle she’d gotten herself into this time. Robert, that twit, was completely to blame.
How could she have known he was up at this hour? Roaming the hallways during a break from an all-night card game, he’d followed when Celia slipped into the library. He’d shut the door against her protests, taking the books she’d selected and setting them beside the divan. Then he tugged her into his arms.
Oh, what a fool she had been agreeing to a game of Kiss the Candlestick with him some months ago. That unfortunate incident resulted in a very precarious situation she’d barely escaped before. And today, during a reenactment ofThe Taming of the Shrew,he’d taken even further advantage. Pressing her against his body, forcefully claiming her mouth for one scene, then refusing to release her at its end.
She’d played along for the sake of the others gathered in the rose garden, accepting their applause when it was over, but Celia realized the trouble she’d fallen into. Lord Robert Harvey had it in his rather thick skull that he’d gained a spot on her list of potential husbands.
Was the man worthy of kissing? Yes. Robert was handsome, charming, and smelled pleasant enough. In fact, he was only one of a handful of men she actuallyenjoyedkissing.
But marriage? That was taking things a bit too far. She’d yet to find a man suitable for that. Suitable forher.
Taking another deep breath, Celia leaned her forehead against the panel wall. She could not make out what was being said. The voices were muffled, but she recognized Gabriel Rose’s controlled rumble.
It made her stomach flip over itself.
And Celia found it annoying she should recognize the man’s voice at all.
She supposed she should be grateful for his quick action in saving her again. That isifhe managed pulling this off. A hysterical giggle almost escaped her at the thought of Robert squaring off against the other brawny, well-muscled man. And if Gabriel’s own size and personal countenance did not give one reason to pause, the influential friends he carried in his pockets certainly would. It was madness crossing a man so well connected with both the upper echelons of society and the criminals in the darkest corners of England.
Celia’s palms grew damp. Gabriel Rose was truly fearsome. The man was built like a mountain. Darkly brooding, but with a surprising twinkle in his eye when amused. And the scar slicing like a lightning bolt through his left eyebrow only enhanced his mysteriousness. With a ruthless reputation backing up the frightening appearance, he was not someone a sane person would dare trifle with.
Celia vividly recalled the night he rescued her from that dimly lit garden path just three months before. She remembered how he stared at her. Furious and with a glint of helpless attraction in his darkly golden brown eyes. He helped her escape Robert’s drunken pursuit by taking her arm and navigating the path’s twists and turns. Returned her to the safety of Lady Sutter’s ballroom without a single word.
Then he’d disappeared into the shadows along the crowd’s fringes before she could stutter out her gratitude.
Gabriel came to her aid then and he did the same now. Like an angel swooping down. Wings spread wide in a muscled shield of protection.
