Aidan opened the door and entered his room. He didn’t notice Abbie sitting in the chair by the window. She didn’t greet him when he took off his hat and coat, hanging them on the stand near the door. Finally, when he turned around, his face brightened.
“Abbie, sweetheart!” He held his arms out in welcome.
She stood but didn’t go to him. She might slap his face if she did. “Don’t call me that.”
“Call you what…have you been crying? Is it your mother?” He approached her, worry etched on his features.
She moved away from his reaching hands. “It’s not Mama. I shed tears because of you. I took Benji to the Crystal Palace today, and I saw you and the Marchioness de Macey kissing!”
She backed away as he came closer. “Honey, I don’t know what you think you saw, but it’s not what—”
“Not what I think, Aidan McGrath?” She shoved aside his hands. She shook with rage and disbelief that the man she loved would lie to her.
He stepped in front of her, blocking her escape. “You’re not thinking correctly. Why don’t we sit and—”
“I don’t feel like sitting! I’ve been sitting for hours, going over in my head what I saw.” When he opened his mouth, she held up her hand. “Don’t lie to me!”
“Abigail, I’m friends with the marchioness and nothing more. She was saddened over her husband—”
“Lies! I know as well as you do the marchioness had no love for her husband.” She hugged her waist, revulsion swirling in her stomach and rising in her throat. “Were you planning to get rid of someone else for her, like you did her husband?”
He paled before her eyes. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh? You may think I’m just a pretty face to warm your bed, but I hear things.” She curled her lip and jabbed her finger at him. “How could you think I’d let you seduce another woman—”
“Enough!” he roared.
She darted into the bedroom, but he captured her by the waist and slammed her up against the wall. The pictures hanging there shook, and one crashed to the floor. She yelped and closed her eyes when he cursed. After a moment, she opened her eyes. He shook, sweat beading his forehead and upper lip. His eyes were wide and his lips trembled.
She’d been stupid to confront him alone. He had become wild and uncontrollable, which had been the case during the few times they fought. He’d never laid a hand on her in anger. For ten years, she had stuck by him through it all, his emotional outbursts, tantrums, and those late nights when he would awaken in a cold sweat from some nightmare. She had always been there to calm him down, and now she would have to do so again, if only to walk away unscathed.
“Abbie.” He whispered her name like a prayer and lowered to his knees. He hid his face on her stomach, his shoulders shaking.
She didn’t touch him until he set her hand on his head. She left it there, slowly moving her fingers through his hair.
Eventually, he rose and cupped her face, pressed his forehead to hers.
In a collected voice at odds at what was going on inside her, she stared straight into his eyes. “Tell me the truth about you and the marchioness. You owe it to me.”
He released a stilted breath and ran his hand through her hair. “Saturday night at the marchioness’s ball, she’ll announce our engagement. We’ll be married before the year ends. She has agreed to this partnership because it will benefit us both. Irena will gain the support of Teague and his associates, and I’ll secure the respect of London society in order to bring down my father.”
“What if your father dies? Then what?” She swallowed back acid-tasting bile bubbling in her throat.
“Then I’ll take down every single one of the Daughertys, starting with Colby.”
“You’ll break my heart if you do this.” She gripped the front of his shirt.
“The marriage will be in name only. I don’t love her, only you.”
“But you’ll have to consummate it at some point to make it binding, unless you’ve already have done that.” Her voice cracked as she envisioned him intimate with another woman.
He didn’t answer her. She hung her head, weary to her bones. When he tried pulling her into a hug, she pushed him away.
“Don’t touch me. How can you do this to us?” She covered her face with her hands.
He didn’t touch her, but he was close enough she could feel his breath. “We can still be together like we’ve always been. It will all work out.”
She stared at him in disbelief. “You think I’ll go along with this? I refuse to be like your mother, alone and dying of a broken heart.”
He sat on the edge of his bed. “I could end up the most powerful man in London. No one will be able to stop me. Not even you.”
Her legs trembled. This was not the man she had come to love. In his place was an imposter. “Aidan, one word from me and it can all end. All I need to do is go to Teague and tell him—”
He shot up from the bed and circled her. There was wildness in his eyes that stopped her cold. “Teague supports me. He always has. You think he’ll listen to you, a poor maid with no real future other than serving drinks to men and barely saving pennies to make ends meet?” He twined a strand of her hair around his finger, pulling hard and making her wince. “Who will believe you, my mistress with a dying mother and an idiot for a brother? You’ll be laughed at and thrown in the street.”
Fear settled into her bones. He had never lashed out at her in such a way with his hateful words. Her courage had left her. If not for her mother and Benji, she was willing to sacrifice her own life—
She squeaked when he grabbed her from behind and swayed side to side. She gagged, sickened to her core by this man to whom she had given her body and heart without expecting anything in return. She’d never thought it would end this way.
She had to find a way to leave. She couldn’t trust him not to hurt her. He wasn’t thinking correctly, too blinded by his hate.
She laid her palm on his cheek. He exhaled and kissed under her ear, and she barely stopped from flinching. If he expected her to share his bed tonight, she might end up sick.
“I may have been mistaken by what I saw between you and the marchioness. Sometimes, I get jealous of the women you’re friendly with.” She turned in his arms with an understanding smile. “Perhaps marrying the marchioness may be the best thing for you.”
“I’m so glad you understand!” He caged her in his arms, kissing her cheeks and whispering how much he loved her.
“Let’s lie down and rest before dinner,” she suggested, tugging him toward the bed. She hoped he wasn’t in an amorous mood and would soon fall asleep.
He covered a yawn. “It has been an eventful day, hasn’t it?” He bussed her cheek. “I hate arguing with you. Let’s make a promise to one another never to do so again.”
She nodded and turned down the covers. He took off his shoes and vest and seized her hand. She had no choice but to lie next to him. He didn’t comment on her keeping her boots on or her dress although she usually “napped” with him wearing only her chemise or nothing at all.
He settled his head next to hers, his arms tight around her waist. “We’ll rest for a few hours and then have a late dinner. After, you can help me manage the gaming tables tonight. How does that sound?”
She nodded and stared up at the ceiling. He sighed and called her beautiful. After giving her a kiss, he closed his eyes, and soon after started to snore.
She didn’t leave right away. She lay there thinking of her fond memories of Aidan, whom she’d felt was her knight in shining armor. Her fairy tale had been destroyed by the hate eating away at his soul. Now, she would have to betray him in order to stop him from destroying innocent people who were his victims by association and their blood.