Rescued by a Duke (19 page)

Still puzzled by the barrister's letter on the floor, separate from the rest, Garrett placed it back on his desk, face down. He ached to find Sasha. To hold her close and to try to explain why he hadn't told her the truth before.
Please let
her understand my reasons for not telling her sooner.

At the doorway, he nearly collided with Maryann. He reached out, steadying the maid when she stumbled. "Maryann, are you hurt?" He peered closer. Her eyes were puffy with tears. Had something happened while he'd been gone? Where was his wife?

Grasping the woman's shoulders more tightly, he frowned. "Maryann, what's wrong?"

She blinked rapidly, as if trying to ward off more tears. "Oh, your grace. I can't find my mistress. I've searched everywhere. And…" Her faced paled.

"Yes? What is it?"
Speak, woman!

"The side door leading out toward the common was left open. She's nowhere to be found inside, so she must be out in this weather! Where could she have gone? Why would she leave?"

Garrett's eyes widened. Had Sasha read the letter from the barrister? It had been lying on the floor, out in plain sight. What if she'd discovered the truth about her brother before Garrett had gotten up the nerve to tell her himself?

****

Sasha pushed her wet hair out of her face. Thunder echoed around the distant edges of the common as lightning flashed on a far-off prominence. The ferocity of the weather was lessening, but the pounding rain continued.

She sat beneath the tree with her back pressed against its trunk. Rough bark poked at her skin even through her dress and shawl. She'd had to get away from Garrett, just for a while to collect her thoughts. Lies were something she could not tolerate! Samuel had lied to her time and time again until every word that poured from his lips had been suspect.

"Sasha, I won't do it again."

"I promise I
won't spend any more of our money on drink when you need a new cloak."

"I'll
stop
spending time and money with those women and take care of you, instead."

"I won't leave you alone again."

"Tonight I'll stay home."

"Sasha, it's
the
last time. I promise…"

She hung her head. Now she was married. To a liar. Yes, it was the one lie, but was it one of many to come? Was she now tied to a man not unlike her brother? Fresh tears mixed with rainwater on her cheeks. How could she have been so wrong about Garrett? Hadn't he seemed trustworthy and kind? Wouldn't only a good-hearted man rescue a stranger from a well? Just the thought of her time beneath the ground caused an ache in her ankle. She once again smelled the mud, its dampness seeping through her bones. If he hadn't found her, she surely would have died. She and Samuel would both be buried below ground, with no one left to mourn them.

She'd been so enamored of Garrett, in awe of the kind, handsome duke. Then to have fallen in love with him so quickly. And she'd given herself fully to him on their wedding day, doing things with a man she'd never dreamed she would have. Yet it had seemed normal and natural when they'd been together. Warmth flooded her core even through her anger toward her husband. How could it be? How could she still desire him after what he'd done? Was that what happened when someone fell in love?

Sadness warred with anger in her heart. Her poor Samuel, beaten to death by her brother-in-law over some woman. And her own husband
knew
. She shivered. But drawing her wet shawl more tightly around her body didn't seem to bring her any comfort, from painful memories or from the weather. It only caused her bones to turn icy, her skin frigid, as if her body would freeze on that exact spot. Sasha pulled her knees closer to her body and propped her chin on them through her damp skirt. But even that didn't help hold in any body warmth.

It saddened her how quickly happiness had shattered once she'd read the letter from Garrett's desk. That horrible letter, which spoke of the betrayal of a husband to a wife.

Thunder rumbled again, but farther away than before. A glance at the sky told her the storm was letting up. She couldn't stay beneath this tree forever. Sasha sighed. Time to head back, even though she had no desire to see or speak to her husband at the moment. Looking around, everything appeared the same through the gloom. Hadn't she come from the direction to the left? No, it was the right. Wait… No! She was hopelessly lost! Still, she'd not have any chance of finding home if she simply sat in one spot.

But when she stood, she faltered, the common and trees around her moving and twirling. What was wrong with her? Why was she lightheaded? Nausea rose from her stomach to her throat, threatening to relieve her of her last meal.

She pressed her back against the tree and closed her eyes until it passed. Was it from the weather? Could she have taken ill in the cold and rain? Sasha shook her head. It didn't matter now even if she had. She couldn't stay here. As hurt as she was that Garrett had lied to her, she had to return home. She had no other choice.

The common before her tilted, as if thrown on its side. She gasped. Falling to her knees, she clutched her stomach. Sasha lowered her head against the rain, the tall wet grass caressing her face. What was wrong with her?

****

Garrett ran to the stable block, his boots pounding on the ground, not caring where he stepped or how many puddles he splashed. Nothing mattered now except finding his bride. He glanced toward Ashe's stall. The poor horse was still wet from the rain. The groom rubbed him down, cooling him from his run. No, it wouldn't be fair to drag him back out so soon. The poor beast. Cloud, the gray mare, would do. She wasn't as fast as Ashe, but was sturdy and dependable.

Thunder rumbled as a second groom threw a saddle on Cloud's back and led her from the stall. She wouldn't like being out in the storm, but Garrett had no choice. The horse turned her head and whinnied, eyes wide.

Garrett patted her neck before he put his boot in the stirrup and climbed on. "It's all right, girl. The storm is letting up. But we have to hurry. Sasha is out there somewhere. We must bring her home!"

He rode out into the open air, chilled by the icy wind. The temperature had dropped since he'd been out just a short time ago. Had Sasha found somewhere to shelter, out of the cold? Or was she huddled, wet, chilled, and scared?

A jolt of guilt hit Garrett in his chest. It was his fault she'd left. Not his fault, of course, that her brother had died, or even that Garrett's brother had killed him, but Garrett had withheld the truth of the matter from his wife. And for that, he was certainly to blame. Because of him, Sasha was out there somewhere, possibly hurt or ill.

Who could fault her for leaving if she'd read Mr. Renthwaite's letter? And from the clues left behind… the letter on the floor, Maryann finding her mistress missing, and the side door left open… it seemed that was the case. It mattered not how it happened that she had found the letter. All he cared about was finding her and making things right.

He nudged the horse forward with his boots. Rain still pelted Garrett's hat and coat, but not as much as before. The wind, though, tugged at his clothing and hair, reminding him the storm was not yet finished.

Cloud's hooves pounded the ground, mud splattering both horse and rider. Garrett wiped dirty water from his face, squinting against the rain to search around the trees and rocks scattered across the common. Was she here somewhere and he just couldn't see her? If she were near, would she hide from him for the time being?

Tightness in his chest told him the answer. Yes, she would. And wouldn't Garrett do the same if he were Sasha? Memories from their wedding flashed through his mind. Sasha, lovely in her gown and veil, walking down the aisle toward him on the arm of his cousin. The vicar's words and prayers. The endless verses of the hymns. The guests crowded into the dining room, waiting to be served their breakfast. Lucien crashing through the room, intent on seeing Sasha. Confessing his guilt of the murder. Sasha fainting.

But afterward, their sweet reunion and consummation of their marriage. Garrett sighed. Why hadn't he told her the truth himself, even before the wedding? True, he hadn't wanted to spoil her special day, but it would have been preferable to what had happened at the breakfast. If only he'd known.

He frowned and shook his head. No, if only he'd been man enough to tell her the truth right away, and had been there to comfort her afterward, then they wouldn't be apart right now. He wouldn't be out in a storm hoping with everything in him that she wasn't hurt again. They'd be safe inside their home, enjoying each other and their new love.

He and Cloud sped through the drenched common and past swaying trees, riding into the wind as he searched for his wife. He had to find her. He had to! His life would amount to nothing without her.

"Sasha! Where are you?" Would she answer? Would she forgive him? His heart ached at the thought that she might not. Since he'd now found the love of his life, it would break his heart if she couldn't come to terms with his lie. "Sasha!" His voice was lost to the howling wind. Would she be able to hear him?

How far could she have gotten? It all depended on when she'd read the letter. If it had been much earlier in the day, she could have been gone for quite a while. What a fool he'd been. Now, he might have put in jeopardy the only woman he'd ever loved, or ever would love.

Cloud's hooves slid on the wet grass, slowing their progress. Garrett glanced down at the horse, patting her neck to reassure her. From the corner of his eye, there was movement. He whipped his head to the right, searching every inch of the darkened area beneath a large tree. Something moved there. He squinted. Someone's long dark hair. Sasha!

Garrett dismounted Cloud and leapt to the ground, barely noticing his boots sliding in the wet grass as he ran toward her. The moments while he struggled and slid slowed to forever. When at last he reached her, he knelt down. As he lifted her hair from her pale face, she moaned but didn't open her eyes. Dark circles smudged the skin beneath her eyes. Garrett's thoughts returned to not so long ago, when he'd found her in the well, cold and broken.

He touched her icy skin and gasped. Had Sasha caught a chill? Would she recover as she had the first time? It hadn't been so long since she'd been in the well. Would a second illness so soon after the first be her undoing? He bent down and drew her to him, rocking her back and forth, trying to comfort both her and himself. Garrett's hot tears splashed down his cold face, landing in Sasha's hair and mixing with the moisture there. His sweet wife had to recover. For if she didn't, Garrett would surely die of a broken heart.

****

Sasha sensed movement and voices close to her. She opened her eyes. Garrett and Maryann stood across the room, heads bent close together, whispering words Sasha couldn't quite hear. She frowned. What were they doing? How had she ended up in her warm, dry bed? That awful letter! That was why she'd fled the house, needing to get away for a while. Reading the words about Garrett knowing who'd killed Samuel. And the date on the letter, showing it to have preceded the wedding.
No
. She'd been lied to.
Again
.

"Sasha! You're awake." Garrett and Maryann rushed toward the bed, the maid's skirts rustling in the near silence. Her eyes were red. Had she been crying? Garrett's were red and swollen as well. They both appeared to be weary.

Sasha didn't want Garrett there. Didn't want to listen to his lies. Hadn't she been through enough? Her heart ached at the thought that she'd finally found happiness, love, and trust.

It must have been after she'd succumbed to the dizziness that her husband had found her. But that was all a blank in her mind. The last thing she remembered was feeling ill, her stomach protesting its contents. The bed shifted, causing her to temporarily bounce a few inches in the direction of the edge. Garrett sat down beside her. His clothes were rumpled, his hair disheveled. Sasha wished he wasn't so near. He scooted closer, reaching for her hand. Sasha tugged it away, not wanting to touch him at the moment. The last thing she wanted to think about was the way he'd touched her the morning after their wedding. How could she have been so gullible? So trusting? So wanton? Memories of their unashamed touching and kissing made her skin crawl.

Garrett frowned. "Darling, how are you feeling? I was so worried when I found you. I called for the physician and he has come and gone. He's concerned, but said there is no lasting damage done."

Sasha glanced at Maryann but said nothing. The maid nodded, seeming to understand it was to be a private conversation between husband and wife as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Sasha couldn't bring herself to look at her husband. She stared straight ahead instead. "Garrett, of course I'm
not
all right. Wasn't it clear to you when you found me gone that I wanted to be alone for a while? And yet here I am again, facing you and your lie."