Page 44 of The Duchess Debt

There was no place else he’d rather have been in the whole wide world.

All thanks to Helena. She had carefully planned out the afternoon, including finding a way to steal him away from Caleb Parker and the bridge. She’d ordered afternoon tea to be set out on the lawn, with one of the sets of table and chairs from the terrace carried here and draped with a white tablecloth and set with fine china. Plates were filled with little sandwiches and cakes, along with pots of hot, honeyed tea. Gabe was enjoying himself, despite all the female focus, he had to admit. He had suspected Helena had run out of ideas for picnics…until the servants brought out the pall mall set, and her machinations become instantly clear. Not a tea but a tournament.

Yet it was simply spending time with Alice and Helena that he enjoyed most, no matter what activity they did. Every time he heard Alice laugh or saw her bright smile, his chest swelled a little more. It was a relief to see that Helena was already acting like a mother to the little girl and that Alice had embraced Helena’s presence in her life. That was one less worry about his marriage, and God knew he still had more than enough of them.

They continued their game, and he quickly caught up and overtook the ladies. When he turned around, he saw Alice pick up her ball at Helena’s encouragement and simply throw it down the alley as hard as she could.

“Are you two cheating again?” he called out.

“Why would we ever do anything like that?” Helena feigned innocence, then motioned quickly for Alice to pick upher ball and throw it again, this time not even bothering to try to hide their dishonesty.

But Alice was laughing so hard that the ball simply rolled out of her fingers and dropped to the ground at her feet.

Gabe tossed his mallet away and let out a loud growl as he rushed forward, swept the giggling girl into his arms, and swung her around in the air. “This is how cheaters are dealt with,” he warned. “Tickling!”

She let out a peal of laughter, and so did Helena. With his free arm, Gabe grabbed Helena around the waist and pulled her against him, and they fell together onto the ground, in a laughing pile. Alice climbed to her feet and scurried away to snatch up her ball. Then she ran with it all the way to the end of the alley and threw it through the hoop to score, laughing so hard every step of the way that she panted hard to keep what little breath she could.

Gabe rolled Helena over onto her back and gently pinned her to the grass. Her skirts tangled around her legs and her bonnet had fallen away to reveal her dark hair to the warm sunlight.

“I should tickle you, too,” he murmured, his voice suddenly husky as he stared down into her face.

Her pink lips parted, offended. “You wouldn’t dare!”

“Then how about this instead?” He lowered his head and kissed her.

A soft breath of surprise left her, and she softened beneath him, moving her lips against his with an aching sweetness that stirred a hot need low in his gut. He bit back a groan.

Being close to her these past few weeks and not being to have her completely had frustrated the daylights out of him, and even this small kiss only worked to increase his longing to start their married life early, even though he knew better. That was another part of his marriage that he needn’t worry about, heknew—physically, they were a perfect match. He only hoped the rest of their union melded together so well.

“What a happy family,” a deep voice drawled.

Helena gasped and shoved Gabe away to sit up, then scrambled to her feet and nervously smoothed down her skirts. At the far end of the alley, Alice stood still and stared, no longer laughing.

Gabe sat back on his hip and squinted into the sun at the tall figure who had walked up upon them without warning. His heart stopped. When it started again, each beat pounded out a cold fury.

Adam.His brother grinned down at him and extended his hand toward Gabe.

Gabe ignored his hand and pushed himself to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, itismy home.” Despite a impudent shrug at Gabe’s question, Adam’s smile never wavered. “I know my arrival is unexpected—”

“And completely without warning.”

“That, too.” His grin only widened at that subtle chastisement. “But by the time I was somewhere I could send a message ahead, it was too late. I would have beaten any letter here.” His eyes sparkled. “Good to see you, Gabriel.”

“Adam,” he said non-committedly. He couldn’t tell his brother what he really thought about his unannounced arrival, not with two ladies standing nearby. Instead, he kept his silence and reached down to snatch up his mallet.

“Nice to see you’re enjoying being domesticated,” Adam drawled, “even after five years of being shackled.”

Gabe stiffened. So did Helena. Her hands went to Alice’s shoulders as the little girl came warily forward, and her eyes darted between Adam and Alice.

Adam bowed to Helena. “Duchess.” He fixed his smile on Alice, who had sensed the sudden tension between the adults brought on by this stranger’s appearance and cowered instinctively into Helena’s skirts. “And a tiny Cavanaugh! My, youhavebeen busy.”

Adam bent down to bring his face level with Alice’s and greet her with a crooked grin, but the attempt at friendliness only caused Alice to slip behind Helena completely and peer distrustingly around her legs at him. Gabe didn’t blame her.

Adam laughed at her wariness and rocked back onto his heels. “Are you the only little one so far, or do you have brothers and sisters to play with?”

A hard realization struck Gabe like a punch to the gut. Good Lord…his brother thought he and Helena had married as originally planned and that Alice was their child. He had no idea of the hell he had wrought upon all their lives.