Page 67 of A Duke's Lustful Riddle
Chapter 27
At Felicity’s words, Gabriel felt as if a carriage hit him at full gallop. Gemma was gone and by herself. In a hackney carriage no less.
How could she be so reckless?
Gabriel paced back and forth, a worried crease marking his brow.
Where could Gemma have gone?
He knew things were bad in the moment but if they wed, no one would be able to keep up this talk.
Gabriel would never forgive himself if something happened to Gemma. He never should have left her alone. He should have stayed by her side as a loyal fiancé.
Now, who knew what was going to become of Gemma? He knew how she felt about carriages and to be alone. Gabriel shook his head in disbelief.
“We will find Lady Gemma, Your Grace, I swear,” Hugh tried to reassure Gabriel.
Gabriel glanced at his solicitor and friend. He wanted to believe his words, but he couldn’t help but feel guilty and at fault.
Gemma was his responsibility, so the blame rested firmly on him.
“We have to find her,” Felicity urged after swallowing a knot that had formed in her throat.
“Yes, we do,” Gabriel agreed. Even if it took him the rest of his life.
***
“Mother?” Vivienne called out as she made it to the doorway of a secluded room.
“Evil, she is everything evil.” Cressida’s voice cackled.
Vivienne heard her mother’s deep muttering. She followed the sound, and it led her further into the room where she found Cressida.
Cressida was sitting on the floor rocking back and forth as if she was freezing, muttering over and over again. “Evil, she is everything evil.”
“Mother, who is evil?” Vivienne asked taking steps towards her mother, not wanting to startle her.
When she got in one of her moods, she could turn violent.
Cressida just kept repeating the phrase and ignored Vivienne.
“Let me get you home,” Vivienne helped her mother to her feet, and they quickly made their way to their carriage.
Vivienne was fearful that her mother was not coming out of her state. This was one of her worst episodes, and it was truly a frightening representation of her mother’s illness. It was a large burden for her daughter to carry on her shoulders.
***
As the hackney carriage jostled through the dimly lit streets of London, Gemma gazed out the window. Her gaze was distant and hollow.
The scornful whispers of the crowd echoed in her ears. They thought she was a wanton lady and the words hurt because they were true. Gemma had given her virtue up to Gabriel.
It didn’t matter that they were engaged now. She still gave into temptation and now everyone knew. They knew her greatest secret and they did not care about calling her names for it.
Gemma could not help that she fell in love and let herself be intimate with Gabriel but now a loving moment was coming back to haunt her.
The cruel words pierced the shield of her heart, and she could not take a moment more of their scrutiny, so Gemma had fled.
She could not take their judgmental stares and their cruel words any longer. She had to escape and escape she did.
