Wonderland By Night (Heroic Rogues Series) (30 page)

He wasn’t prepared for the pain in his chest and the emptiness that would soon fill the place where his heart used to be.

Not another word was said until he drove back to the inn and stopped the carriage. He helped her down and they slowly walked upstairs toward their rooms. His room was closer than the one she shared with Lady Sarah, so before he could change his mind, he grabbed
Emmie’s
hand and pulled her inside his room, shut the door, and turned on the lamp.

“Gabe? What—”

“
Shhh
…” He gathered her in his arms. “I just wanted to hold you before returning you to Lady Sarah.”

Her arms wrapped around his waist as she tilted her head to look at him. A soft smile graced her stunning face, her brown eyes sparkling with tenderness.

“Although I want nothing more than to stay in your arms, don’t you have to go back to Mr. Phillips party to get your family?”

“In a little while. My aunt and uncle will be there another hour at least.” He removed her hat and stroked her silky hair that had been pulled tight in a bun. “For now, all I want to do is hold you.”

“But…why?”

“Because our time is limited.”

“It is?”

He nodded. “Soon you will be reunited with your mother, and you will want to be with her. You and Lady Sarah will return to England and…and I will never see you again.”

“Never say never.” She frowned.

“But it’s true. You will soon forget about me, and eventually I will forget about you.” He cupped her face with both hands, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “But the way I’m feeling right now, I don’t know when I will be able to forget you.” He bent his head and captured her lips.

Sighing, she leaned into him and moved her mouth with his. The kiss was tender, and thrilled him beyond anything he had ever experienced. His heartbeat knocked so hard he thought it might break some bones in his chest. Yet the longer he kissed her, the more his heart ached with sadness.

Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and trailed his lips over her cheek. “Oh, Emiline, I don’t think I will be able to let you go. Ever. The mere thought of you leaving me is tearing my insides apart, and I cannot stand the pain.” He moved his lips up to her eyes, and brushed them across her closed lids. “Emiline, my love, I want you in a way I have wanted no other woman. You have somehow crept into my heart and I cannot seem to get you out.”

Her breathing had grown fast and heavy, as had his.

“Gabe? Why do you want to get me out of your heart?”

“Because this is wrong. We are wrong for each other.”

“No, Gabe. We are alike in so many ways.”

“No…no… You are all wrong for me. These feelings I have for you are going to destroy my life.”

She pulled away just enough for him to stare down into her smiling eyes. “What would you say if I told you I hold the same confused feelings?”

He drew his thumb across her bottom lip, wanting to kiss her again so badly. “I would say we were both in serious trouble, then.”

“I don’t mind it in the least. As long as we can be in serious trouble together.”

Groaning, he pulled her in for another kiss, wrapping his arms around her to hold her as he devoured her mouth. Kissing her was heavenly, yet he knew he’d be in hell if he enjoyed it any further. No matter how much he never wanted to be apart from her, being with her was impossible. Indeed, his way of life and the way she was raised could never work.

Hesitantly, he broke the kiss and stepped away. Her lips were swollen due to his ardent kisses, yet her eyes were laced with desire. As much as he should remain strong, she would always be able to bring him to his knees.

“Come. Let’s return you to Lady Sarah. I need to get back to the party.” He pulled at the overcoat and waistcoat. “And I need to return these clothes to Rufus.”

* * * *

“What in the blazes was Miss um…Emiline doing dressed as a footman?” Henry growled at Gabe after they had come back from the party. Thankfully, his uncle waited until Aunt Martha and Rebecca walked inside the inn before starting his tirade.

Gabe rubbed his forehead. An ache had already started to form in his skull…not as great as the ache in his chest, but still painful nonetheless. “It’s a long story.”

“Does it have anything to do with her mother?”

Gabe had just taken a step, but his uncle’s comment made him stumble. He came to a halt and swung to face the older man. “What do you know about
Emmie’s
mother?”

“I…uh, well, I…” Henry stuttered as he swiped his hand through his thinning hair. Finally, after a few awkward seconds, he squared his shoulders and met Gabe’s eyes. “Have you forgotten I am friends with Lady Sarah’s father?”

The confusion inside Gabe deepened and he shook his head. “What does knowing the duke have to do with
Emmie’s
mother?”

Henry growled and scrubbed his hand over his chin. “Oh, good grief. Will you stop asking so many questions?”

“I would, Uncle…if you were making any sense at all.” He folded his arms. “But I don’t see how knowing the duke relates to
Emmie’s
long-lost mother.”

“
Augh
!”

Henry threw up his hands and marched away from the inn. Gabe followed, wondering what made his uncle so irritable.

“I should not be the one saying this,” he grumbled as if talking to himself.

“Uncle, I think you should tell me. That will stop both of us from being confused.”

Sighing in defeat, Henry slumped against the side of the building, holding his head as if it would explode at any moment. “But you don’t understand…it’s not my confession to give.”

“Uncle,” Gabe said sternly. “If you don’t tell me now, I may just beat it out of you.”

Dropping his hands, Henry looked point-blank at Gabe. “This evening I met a young man who claimed to be the son of my good friend, Forester Townshend, Duke of Penrose. After the confusion of him thinking my footman was a
girl
, the lad continued to perplex me even more. My first thought was that my good friend had sired a child out of wedlock, but the more the lad talked, I realized his mother was Forester’s deceased wife, Daphne…and she was not dead at all.”

As Henry’s words registered in Gabe’s brain, shock spread through him like icy fingers, numbing him quickly. The pain in his heart he’d had about Emiline leaving him changed and left a different hollow feeling—a pain that only deceit could create.

He swallowed the dryness consuming his throat. “If Daphne is Emiline’s mother, then the duke is really her father?”

Reluctantly, Henry nodded. “I’m afraid so.”

“Emiline is…Lady Sarah?”

“Yes.” He shrugged. “Why she wanted to disguise her true identity, I don’t know, unless it was a way to protect herself.” He placed a hand on Gabe’s shoulder. “I have known about her switch for a little while now.”

“Is her name really Emiline?”

“Yes. Her full name is Sarah Emiline Townshend.”

Gabe’s mind swam in different directions, and he had a hard time putting two thoughts together let alone trying to deal with all of this information right now. “Who is the woman playing Lady Sarah, then?”

“I’m assuming she is the maid.”

“And the young man who found her in the tree…that’s her brother?”

“Yes. He was attending the dinner party with a young lady and her parents.”

Gabe rubbed his eyes, realizing the dull throb was moving from his forehead down his face. “I can’t understand any of this,” he muttered.

Henry squeezed Gabe’s shoulder. “My dear nephew, have you perhaps given your heart to Emiline?”

Gabe hardened his jaw and glared at his uncle. “I cannot abide women who lie, so giving my heart to her would be fruitless, wouldn’t it?” he snapped.

“But Gabe, I’m sure Emiline—”

Gabe flipped his hand in the air, breaking the contact between them. “It does not matter, Uncle.” He breathed slowly, trying to maintain his anger. “I will do as I promised and help her locate her mother. After that, I will leave her in your capable hands of keeping her safe, just as her father wished.”

He spun around and marched away from his uncle. With any luck he would be able to leave Emiline within a day’s time and never see her again.

Chapter Fourteen

Emiline couldn’t sleep. Knowing she’d get to see her mother—and speak with her—kept Emmie dreaming of their meeting all night long. Once in a while she was able to think of Gabe and how wonderful he’d been to her, but then her thoughts returned to her mother. Today was not the day to stress about her feelings for Gabe and what she was going to do about it, and especially what she was going to say when she explained to him why she had to lie to him.

An hour ago, Rebecca took the fake Lady Sarah out to stroll through the town with one of the servants. Emmie was invited—which surprised her greatly—but she declined. How could she enjoy the town of Salem when her mind would be preoccupied?

But now as she paced her room, she rethought her answer. Perhaps she should have gone with Rebecca and Anna after all. At least she could have had something to do besides sit, pace, and create daydreams of how things would transpire with her mother.

When someone knocked on her door, she jumped, but rushed to open it. Mr. and Mrs. Hampton stood in the hallway, both wearing sweet smiles. Remembering the roll she was still playing, she curtsied and tried not to look at them in the eyes. “Good day.”

“Emiline,” Mr. Hampton began, “my wife and I would like a word with you, if you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind.” She moved to step out of the room, but instead the older pair walked inside her room and closed the door. Emiline hurried to bring over two chairs, but she only managed to get one because Mr. Hampton retrieved the other. She sat on the bed as each took a seat.

“Emiline, my wife and I would like you to know that—” He paused, scratching his neck just under his collar, “—um, well…we know you are really the duke’s daughter, Lady Sarah.”

Emmie nearly choked on her gasp. Her gaze moved between the pair, trying to read their expressions. They should be very upset at her, yet, they still wore the same tender smiles they had moments ago.

She wrung her hands together on her lap. “How…how did you find out?”

Mr. Hampton glanced briefly at his wife, then chuckling, looked back at Emiline. “It wasn’t until we played that game with you and your maid on the lawn that one afternoon with Gabriel. Because both Mrs. Hampton and I were friends with your parents, we recognized the resemblances right away, especially with your maid referred to you as Emiline.”