Page 65 of Her Devil of a Duke
“But…” Mr. Windham’s hand raised again.
“Would you like me to break something else?” Rafe cut him off, his body almost shaking with rage. “Consider this the end of your betrothal to her. And mark my words, if I see you anywhere near her again, I will bury you six feet beneath where you stand.” Rafe took one step forward. The sound of the snow crunching beneath his boot was enough to frighten Mr. Windham.
He leaped back and scurried away, his boots slipping in the snow once. He fell to the ground, his bloodied hand leaving an imprint on the ice, before he found his feet again and ran away. The moment he had scrambled out of sight around the corner of the terrace, Rafe’s hands unfurled at his sides. He turned back to look at Evelyn.
“Evie?” he whispered in panic, moving toward her, his hand going to stroke her cheek but hesitating.
She had both hands over her mouth and tears were glistening in her eyes.
“What is it?” Rafe placed his hands gently on her waist, needing to be close to her. “Did he hurt you? Did he lay a finger on you?” He delicately took one of her wrists, seeing the signs of bruising across her skin.
“That blasted devil! I’ll get him for this!” Just like that, a lever had been flipped, and rage boiled in his chest once more. He was intent on following Mr. Windham, on hurting him properly this time for daring to leave a mark upon her. But as he took a step forward, Evie’s delicate fingers clasped around the edges of his frock coat, grounding him in the moment.
“Rafe? Is it truly you?” she whispered in plain disbelief. “But I thought…” She blinked madly, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
Rafe pulled down his scarf and snatched off his gloves, yearning to feel her properly. He stuffed them in his pockets and raised his hands to her cheeks, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.
“God, I’m so sorry, Evie.” He bent his head toward her. “I’m sorry for everything. I was not forthright with you. I didn’t tell you I was the man behind that mask, because I feared I was not the man you wanted.”
“What?” Her hands tightened around his coat even more. “What do you mean?”
He reached into his coat and pulled out her diary, opening the pages to her sketches of him.
“All this time, I was under the impression you wanted Mr. Windham,” he stuttered in the cold. “I thought you wanted to seduce him again. That’s why I didn’t tell you what I felt for you. I couldn’t.” He turned the pages frantically, captivated by what she had drawn of him. His confession came quickly now, his words desperately falling from his lips. “I thought you loved him. I thought I had lost the chance of ever earning your heart.”
“You fool,” she whispered, tears catching in her voice. “Why didn’t you look at that note I gave you? I told you on there who I was searching for. I was looking for you.” Her hands flattened against his chest.
He set her diary on the stone balustrade beside him, his hand enveloping hers on his coat.
“God, I’m so sorry,” he murmured, angling his head and resting his forehead against hers. “Let me speak now, Evie. For I fear Mr. Windham will be returning with an entire mob behind him anytime now,” he chuckled deeply.
“Speak quickly then,” she giggled through tears.
“I love you.” The words were simple but powerful. Her eyes widened and she lifted her head back an inch, as if she longed to examine his face, to be certain he was being honest. “I do,” he whispered with an exhale, as though a weight had been lifted from him. “Yes, I was a rake. Yes, I cannot deny I have been with more than one woman in my life, but I had turned my back on that life before you came into my house that night.Youchanged everything. Suddenly, I found myself bending all the rules I had put in place for myself, because it wasyou.”
She smiled suddenly, her tears running down her face. Once more, Rafe lifted his hands to her cheeks, wiping away those tears.
“I fell in love with you,” he confessed, his voice thick with emotion. “Even as I tried not to. I loved before, once, many years ago, but she died. She died on a night much like this.” He nodded his head to the ice around them.
“The snow,” she said softly, her hands moving tenderly across his chest. “Is that why you hate it so much?”
“It is, but tonight…” He paused, and suddenly, he smiled. “The snow didn’t seem to matter so much anymore. You have breathed life into me once more, Evie. And I’ll be damned if I am going to stand by and watch you marry a man like Mr. Windham when I think there’s a chance for us.” He glanced down at the diary beside them, thinking of all the drawings in those pages. “Tell me, Evie, I beg of you. Can you love me too?”
“You blind fool,” she said with a sudden giddy laugh through her tears. “I have loved you for a while now.”
“You have?” His voice was breathy with excitement.
“I have,” she nodded adorably. “I think it was why I was so hurt when I found your mask. To know you were one and the same person, that my heart wasn’t divided after all, but it wasyou.I cannot describe that feeling.”
“Oh, Evie.” He moved toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into his chest and off her feet, embracing her closely. She hugged him back, her arms wrapped around his shoulders.
This hug was as significant to him as their most intimate moments together. To have her safe in his arms meant everything. He kissed the top of her head, then moved his lips down to her ear.
“Marry me, Evie,” he whispered. “Please, set me free from my fear right now and say you’ll marry me.” He leaned back and put her on her feet again, looking her in the eye. “Live that life with me again where we were once practically inseparable.”
She laughed excitedly, her smile so radiant that he felt instantly lightened as if he hadn’t just braved two miles of snowy terrain.
“Yes,” she nodded, her voice a mere breath, eyes glistening. “That’s all I’ve longed to hear. Yes, I would love to be your wife, Rafe!”
