by Bree Wolf
Then they began to move to the music, and the rest of the world disappeared.
“I will never understand,” Lord Amberly whispered, the words falling from his lips, “how these men can allow themselves to be discouraged so easily.” A soft grin tugged at his mouth. “Still, I am not complaining.”
Abigail smiled, enjoying the soft pressure of his hand on her back. “Well, I suppose they know when a war is lost. After all, the way I have spoken of you would suggest that…”
“That what?” he pressed, his gaze almost drilling into hers as though his very life depended on her answer.
Abigail swallowed, her mouth feeling suddenly dry. “That I am spoken for.” She drew in a trembling breath. “Is that not what we wanted them to believe, my lord?”
Although smiling, Lord Amberly’s brows drew down into a frown. “I remember that you called me by my given name once or twice.” A question rested in his eyes as he held her gaze.
“Few people appreciate having a stranger call them by their given name.”
“You’re not a stranger,” he whispered, and the hand on her back drew her closer against him.
Abigail smiled, knowing only too well of what he spoke. “Am I not?” she teased. “Does this mean you want me to call you…Griffin?”
“Only if you give me leave to call you Abigail,” he answered her tease, his voice light before he paused, his eyes drifting upward as though a new thought had suddenly occurred to him. Then his dark gaze returned to hers. “Or how about Abby?”
Abigail frowned. Still, she could not deny that his desire to address her thus pleased her. “That feels fairly intimate.”
He nodded. “It does, doesn’t it?” For a moment, he held her gaze. “Do you object?”
Abigail smiled. “I probably should,” she finally said.
“Is that a no?”
Abigail nodded. “It is.”
“May I call on you tomorrow?”
Despite digging her teeth into her lower lip, Abigail could not keep at bay the deep smile that came to her face. “You may,” she whispered, seeing the same delight she felt reflected back at her in his eyes.
It would seem their charade was losing more and more of its most essential component.
The portrayal of a false truth.
Chapter Thirteen − A Favour to Ask
The next morning, Abigail woke with a smile on her face. For although she knew very well that they had agreed to merely assist each other with their respective dilemmas, she could no longer pretend that she was immune to Lord Amb…Griffin’s charms. There was something about him that spoke to her. Not only was he kind and attentive, respectful and honest, but he seemed to respond to her in a way as though he had known her for years.
Had Winifred been right? Were they truly suited to one another?
Later that afternoon, Abigail watched her heart most carefully as Griffin picked her up with his open chaise and they took a turn around Hyde Park. “Is there a particular reason you chose to come here today?” Abigail asked laughing as her eyes drifted down the path they had walked together not too long ago.
Beside her, Griffin grinned, a teasing gleam in his eyes. “To be honest, I thought it would present the perfect opportunity to discuss your methods of torture.”
Laughing, Abigail felt her eyes widen. “Excuse me? My what?”
“Your methods of torture,” Griffin repeated, bringing the horses to a slow trot. “I must say your act was quite refined and judging from the utterly shocked looks on people’s faces last night, no one saw your…transformation coming.” A slight frown drew down his brows as he looked at her. “How did you invent this person you pretended to be? All these details?” He shook his head as though truly impressed by such an accomplishment.
Abigail shrugged, unable to deny that she enjoyed his admiration. Never would she have thought it possible that someone would see her act as an accomplishment. “It was actually quite simple. I merely did what was considered in bad taste,” she said shrugging. “We all have our little faults and imperfections no matter how hard we strive to be…well, perfect. All I did was pool them all into one being.” Satisfied, she grinned. “Me.”
Griffin laughed. “I admit you did well. That afternoon at the lake,” he said, drawing the horses to a halt as they approached the Serpentine, glistening in the late afternoon sun, “I couldn’t believe my eyes when the real you suddenly came through. I must have stood there for a small eternity gaping at you like a fool.” He laughed, shaking his head as though he could not believe how blind he had been. “Still, I am grateful that I was here to see it.” His gaze held hers as he swallowed, a touch of fear in his eyes. “I might never have realised who you truly were if I hadn’t been here that day, if I hadn’t seen you…change.”
Abigail drew in a deep breath, realising how close they had come to simply parting ways without even realising what they would have lost. “Well, I suppose at least your toes must regret coming here that afternoon,” she laughed, trying to lighten the mood. After all, he had been here that day, and everything had turned out the way it should have.
Had it been fate? What had been the odds of him being here with her and not another?
Griffin laughed, “I admit my toes were terrified of seeing you that day.” Then his face sobered, and his gaze locked on hers. “I used to dread your company, but not anymore.”
Abigail smiled. “Truly?”
Griffin nodded. “Now, I look forward to it. More than I ever thought possible.” His hand gently came to rest on hers. “Knowing the real you was worth the pain. Any pain. I would not trade it for the world.”
At his words, Abigail felt her heart dance with joy for she had to admit that deep down she had not been pretending from the moment they had agreed to help each other out. Even then her heart had recognised him as someone she could love.
But did she?
***
Quick footsteps echoed to Griffin’s ears from the other side of the door, and without waiting for it to open, he knew it to be his sister. More so, he knew she was on a mission.
As expected, the door to his study flew open a moment later, and Winifred marched in, yanking her bonnet off her head and flinging it aside. “I demand to know what’s going on here,” she snapped, her eyes narrowed as she fixed him with a scrutinising stare. “You all but sneaked away at the ball the other night, and then I hear from Lady Hamilton that you were seen out in Hyde Park in the company of Miss Abbott.”
Looking up, Griffin smiled. “Yes, I was.”
Her eyes bulged. “Is that all you have to say?”
“I thought you wanted me to give Miss Abbott a chance,” Griffin said, ignoring his sister’s riled emotions. “I thought you’d be pleased.”
“I am!” she huffed, the look in her eyes quite clearly stating that she was on the brink of throttling him. “But−”
“You wanted to be kept informed?” Griffin asked as he rose from his chair and stepped around the desk. “You wanted me to−?”
“Certainly!” Winifred snapped, her eyes widening in a way intended to make him feel like a fool for thinking otherwise. “Tell me what is going on.”
Griffin shrugged, enjoying the aggravated look on his sister’s face. “Nothing. I’m merely doing what you asked of me.”
An annoyed chuckle rose from Winifred’s throat, and she shook her head in disbelief. “Don’t try to play me for a fool, dear Brother. I’ve told you so the night at the ball, and I will tell you so again. There’s something odd about you, and I demand to know what it is.”
“It’s nothing,” Griffin said, then walked past her to stand in front of the bookshelf, letting his eyes drift over the spines as he did his best to suppress a grin.
“Nothing? Don’t you dare lie to me!” Although a tad shrill, his sister’s voice held a clear warning as she stomped after him. “Abigail looked quite changed that night and you…you looked like a besotted fool even before she walked in…” Her voice trailed off, and
she sucked in a sharp breath as though suddenly realising something that had been right in front of her all along.
Then he felt her hand curl around his arm a bit painfully−quite obviously she was agitated!−and jerk him around, her eyes wide as they searched his face. “What happened between you two?” she asked. “Were you the reason for the sudden change in her appearance? Are you−?”
A knock on the door interrupted his sister’s questioning.
Annoyed, Winifred tried to compose herself as Griffin’s butler entered, announcing the arrival of Miss Abbott as well as her aunt.
As a result, Griffin received one of the most glowering looks he had ever seen on his sister’s face before he hastened out the door, hearing her footsteps on the floor behind him in fast pursuit.
Ignoring his sister’s whispered questions, Griffin pushed open the door to the drawing room and felt his heart almost jump from his chest when his eyes came to rest on…Abby.
Ever since that night at the ball, he had thought of her as Abby. His Abby. That oddly reminded him of the way his oldest friend had always referred to his sister as Fred. A name that was only his. A name no one else was permitted to utter.
And in that moment when he walked in the door and their eyes met, Griffin knew that he never wanted Abby to leave. She belonged here. With him. And he would rather concede that his sister had been right than ever allow Abby−his Abby!−to walk away.
“Shall we take a stroll around the garden?” he suggested in a voice much calmer than he would have thought possible.
When everyone nodded their agreement, he escorted Abby out the door, followed closely behind by his sister and her aunt, both of whom were whispering to one another in hushed voices.
After donning their jackets, Griffin led her down the small steps leading down from the terrace into the garden, quickening his step to put some distance between them and their watchful pursuers. “I’m afraid my sister has become rather suspicious,” he whispered next to her ear. “I doubt she will leave before she knows all there is to know.”
Abby chuckled, her hand tightening on his arm. “She’s your sister, and she has a way of seeing the truth, does she not?”
Griffin nodded, enjoying the weight of her hand. “She does. At least where others are concerned. Perhaps we should have made the change a bit more gradually. She already suspects that your transformation has something to do with me.”
Abby shrugged. “Well, she would be right, wouldn’t she?”
Her grey eyes held his, and Griffin noted with pleasure that there was not a hint of concern or disappointment in them. Did she not mind that his sister was on to them? That she would most likely expect them to become betrothed for real?
Continuing down the path, they turned the corner and vanished behind a tall hedge, cutting across the garden. When they were no longer visible to their pursuers, Abby’s hand slipped from his arm.
Disheartened by their loss of contact, Griffin stopped and watched her walk on a few steps as though she had not even noticed that he was no longer beside her.
Then her feet stilled, and he saw her shoulders rise and fall as she drew in a deep breath before turning to face him. Her eyes held his, and yet, she swallowed as though a lump had lodged in her throat. “I have a favour to ask you,” she finally said, her hands wrapped around one another for support.
Frowning, Griffin stepped toward her, his heart hammering in his chest. Did she intend to end their charade? Had she noticed that for him it had ended long ago? Did she not feel as he felt? “Anything,” he promised, hoping she would not ask him to let her go.
A soft smile drew up the corners of her lips, and yet, there was a touch of nervousness in her eyes. “I have a theory to test, and the way I see it, you’re the only one who can help me prove or disprove it.”
Not having expected that, Griffin found himself staring down at her. “A theory? What theory?”
“I shall tell you once I know the results,” she promised, a hint of a teasing grin lighting up her face. “Will you help me?”
Aware that there was something he was missing, Griffin nodded nonetheless. “All right. What do you need me to do?”
For a moment, her teeth sank into her lower lip as she tried to dissuade the self-conscious smile that took control of her lips. “I need you to kiss me.”
Chapter Fourteen − A Theory Confirmed
Abigail felt herself tremble as shivers shot up and down her body. Still, she held Griffin’s gaze, seeing his utter surprise at her request, which then quickly turned into something more.
Something deeper.
Desire lit up his eyes, and they drifted down to touch her lips. Taking a step closer, he sought her gaze. “I assure you I’m most happy to oblige you,” he whispered, a teasing smile lighting up his face, slowly putting her rattled nerves at ease, “if you are certain.” The look on his face sobered, and she could see how much he cared for her. How had she not seen this before?
“I am,” Abigail answered him, nodding her head up and down like a fool.
He held her gaze for another moment, seemingly indecisive, before she suddenly found herself swept into his arms. His right arm came around her waist while his left hand slid into her hair at the base of her neck. Then his lips touched hers in a soft, rather chaste kiss.
Welcoming his warmth, the touch of his lips, the feel of his embrace, Abigail found herself a bit frustrated with his restraint. Her fingers trailed down the side of his face and found the hammering pulse at the base of his neck. Why was he holding back?
When Griffin lifted his head, his eyes fluttering open, Abigail slung her arms around his neck and pulled him back down to her. Although her theory had been more than confirmed, she was quite unwilling to cease her explorations. After all, one could never be too certain, could one?
At her reaction, Griffin’s hold on her tightened and he finally kissed her with all the passion she had hoped for. The world around her began to blur, and she would have sunken to the ground into a puddle of trembling flesh if his strong arms had not held her closer to his body.
Still, after a small eternity, he did pull away, chuckling at her small noise of protest. “What is your verdict?” he asked, his gaze holding hers as his lungs held his breath.
Abigail smiled, feeling her body hum with the knowledge she had gained. Then she swallowed and cleared her throat, trying to focus her thoughts. “Well, the results quite confirm my suspicions,” she said teasingly, enjoying the smile that lit up his face.
“What suspicions?”
“That I lost my heart to you,” she said without hesitation, her grin widening when she saw his mouth fall open at her boldness. “I keep wondering how it happened and when. I woke up one morning, and it was simply gone.”
Holding her in his arms, Griffin sighed. “Did you find mine in its stead? I’m afraid I seem to have lost mine as well. Quite unexpectedly, I assure you.”
As the world around her began to sing, Abigail closed her eyes, her teeth once more sinking into her lower lip, unable to contain the happiness that flooded her being.
“Would you in turn help me answer a question?” Griffin asked, the look in his eyes one of calm apprehension. When she nodded, he drew in a deep breath. “You must promise to answer honestly.”
Again, Abigail nodded.
Again, he drew in a deep breath. “Do you want to marry me?”
Judging from the look on his face, Abigail had in fact expected a proposal. Still, what she had not expected was for him to ask what she wanted. Not if she would marry him, but if she wanted to marry him. “Why do you ask?”
A nervous chuckle escaped him, “Isn’t it obvious?”
Laughing, Abigail sighed, “Appearances can be deceiving as you well know.”
“That is true,” he admitted, his gaze not wavering from hers. “I ask because…I love you. Is that not what it means to lose one’s heart to another? Is that not what you meant?”
Abigail nodded. “It is. And I l
ove you, too.”
“I knew it!” Winifred’s voice cut through the peaceful moment before she came rushing around the hedge, her eyes sparkling with triumph as she looked from her brother to Abigail. Next to her, Aunt Mara appeared, looking a bit ill at ease.
“See?” Winifred exclaimed, stepping toward them. “I knew you’d like her. Why didn’t you trust me? I would never have steered you wrong.”
Laughing, Griffin shook his head at his sister. “Would you leave us alone? In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve just ruined a most wonderful moment.”
Winifred’s face turned a darker shade of red, and her hand flew to her mouth. Still, there was little to no regret in her eyes as she cast one last look at her brother and marched off, Aunt Mara in tow.
“Now, where were we?” Griffin mumbled, turning back to her, a light-hearted smile on his face. “Ah, yes, you haven’t answered my question yet. And please, don’t be discouraged by my nosey sister. If you want, we can move, leave the country, go somewhere where she’ll never find us.”
Her heart filled with delight at the close family Abigail could see in their future, and she looked up at Griffin and knew with perfect clarity what she wanted. “Don’t you dare,” she teased. “She belongs with us.”
“Us?”
Abigail nodded. “Yes, us,” she confirmed, feeling her heart beat faster at the utter joy that shone through his eyes. “As do Aunt Mara and my grandfather. They might drive us crazy at times, but they’re a part of us. They’re family, and we would never be the same without them. They shape who we are, and we do the same for them.” A sigh escaped her lips as she sank a little deeper into Griffin’s arms. “Grandfather told me this morning that he spoke to his grandson, Aunt Mara’s son. He agreed to speak to his wife and ensure that his mother could see her grandchildren on a regular basis. You should have seen her.” Closing her eyes for a moment, Abigail smiled. “I’ve never seen her so happy.”
Tightening his hold on her, Griffin sighed. “Let’s agree to always be honest with each other and fight openly…and not secretly behind each other’s back. Secrets destroy trust, and once that is lost, there is no going back. Not completely. There’ll always be doubts.”