Page 93 of A Christmas Temptation for the Duke
It slowly dawned on Alison. “They were here because ofyou. You told them the house would be empty.”
“I did.”
“And when I foiled their plans…”
Finally, he looked at her. His eyes rimmed red and his cheeks were tracked with tear streaks. “They were never meant to take you. That was not part of the plan. I swear it! But they did, and for that you have no idea how sorry I am…” His head dropped again, and she could hear him sobbing.
“Felix…” Despite what had happened, Alison could not help but feel pity. She and Felix might have never been that close, but she knew he would not wish hurt upon her. “You do not need to apologize.”
“I do.”
She smiled and then shuffled down the bed. When she reached where he sat, she took his hand and squeezed it. “It is quite fine, Felix. I mean…” She laughed. “That you found and rescued me certainly goes some way toward making amends.”
His head snapped up again. “I did not rescue you. Alison… we had no idea you had even been taken.”
“You didn’t…” She leaned back. “Then how?”
“It is no wonder you do not remember. Lord Grayhill said that by the time he found you, you were –”
“Daniel!” she gasped. “I mean… Lord Grayhill. He did this?”
“He hunted you down,” Felix explained. “From what that young boy was saying… Tommy, I think to be his name? He beat the two men to within an inch of their lives. He might have killed them, had the villagers not stopped him in time.”
“He…” She swallowed. “He did?”
“And then he carried you back here, even staying by your bed for the first night. I thought he might have stayed forever. Truly, I am surprised he did not.” He winced again. “I suppose he did not wish to be around me.”
“I… Daniel… saved me?”
Alison thought to be surprised. Her first reaction, that of outright shock, swept over her and the room started to turn. How was it possible? Had he not left for the Americas? And even had he not, why did he even care to put himself in danger like that?
Those thoughts, although powerful at first, soon melted like snow in summer and when they did a smile touched Alison’s lips just as her heart began to swell.
Of course, it was Daniel. Hasn’t it always been? Did he not promise to protect me? Was he not always there when I needed him most?
Her smile grew with realization. Her heart continued to grow inside her chest. And even the dull throbbing pain softened because such things seemed inconsequential in light of what she now understood to be true.
He cared for her. There was nothing else to say. Tommy must have told him what happened and, abandoning his trip, he came to her rescue. Not because he thought it was the right thing to do. Not because he had no choice. But because… her smile grew further… because he loved her.
“Where is he?” she asked Felix. “Where is Lord Grayhill?”
Felix shrugged. “Home, I suspect. He is a good man, Alison. A better man than me. What is more, I owe him more than your life.”
“What does that mean?”
He shook his head as if in shock. “When Lord Grayhill learned of my debts, he offered to pay them. He did not ask for collateral. He did not suggest compensation. He just…” He exhaled. “He just said he would cover them and that was that.”
“Of course he did.”
That was just the type of man that Daniel was. He might not have believed it of himself. He might have been at pains to deny it. But in his heart, he was a protector of those who needed it. For all the wrong he thought he had done in his life, it paled in comparison to the good.
And now, Alison came to realize, it was time that he understood this to be true. He loved her, she knew that he did. He might deny it. He might refuse to admit it. But it was true as sure as the sun rising on the morrow. And this time, when Alison went to him, she would not stop until he knew it as fact.
Like it or not, Daniel was going to admit how he felt. Honestly, it was about damn time.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Ithought I would find you here.” Alison stood in the doorway of Daniel’s drawing room, a smile on her lips, one that was sure to reach her eyes.
