Page 70 of Redemption

Rhea quickly stepped back from him as if he’d hit her. A haunted look flashed across her pale features as her eyes grew wide in her face. Suddenly her expression became as unreadable as a marble statue.

“I’ll never marry,” she said in a voice so soft he could barely hear her. “I’ll never give any man control over me again.”

“I don’t want to control you, Rhea,” he snarled as he grabbed his coat and shrugged into it, ignoring the sharp twinge in his shoulder as he did so.

“But marriage is about control,” she replied with quiet conviction.

“Not if you love someone it isn’t.”

The moment he spoke, he experienced the sensation of having walked into an invisible wall. He loved her. It amazed him how he’d spent the entire day in denial of that very fact. Percy took in the panic on Rhea’s face and his gut twisted. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he looked at her again. He debated whether to say anything further, but for once self-control crushed his propensity for reckless behavior. If he had any hope of winning her, it was important to move slowly. He would need to restrain his natural tendency to rush forward without a plan.

“Fuck,” he breathed so low she couldn’t hear him.

Without looking at her, Percy stood up and strode quickly toward the exit. At the salon door he looked over his shoulder at her. The look of confusion on her face gave him hope. It was almost as if she was struggling not to rush forward to stop him from leaving. Instinctively, he hesitated, silently urging her to stop him from going. When she didn’t move, he clenched his jaw as he tried to find the right words to make her understand he wouldn’t give up so easily. His gaze locked with hers, and he swallowed the urge to stride back to her, pull her into his arms, and kiss her until she understood how much he loved her.

“You underestimate yourself, Rhea,” he said quietly. “You are far more worthy of any man than you realize, and I’m going to do my damnedest to make you see that.”

The startled look on her face made him believe he’d reached her, and he closed the salon door on his way out of the house. When he reached the front steps of Fremont Place a dark premonition touched the edge of his senses. He went still as he waited for the an dara sealladh to roll over him.

When the warning slithered into the darkness without revealing anything, Percy grew even more uneasy. Something was on the horizon, and for once he wished his gift had made an appearance to give him any insight or warning about Ruckley’s intentions. The bastard was a clear and present danger where Rhea was concerned, and even Ashford had admitted concern for her safety if Ruckley were to find her.

Vigilance was required to ensure no harm came to her, but at the moment he was lost in the middle of an ocean without any idea what direction to sail in. The fact didn’t just frustrate him. It worried the hell out of him. How could he protect Rhea if he didn’t know where the danger was coming from? Percy descended the steps and hailed a passing hack. At the moment, he needed someone’s counsel where Rhea was concerned.

Patience was the one person who would understand Rhea. Patience understood what it was like to believe you were unworthy of being loved. It was a feeling he believed his sister still experienced to a small degree. If anyone could help him find a way to reach the heart of the woman he loved it was his sister. He’d go to Melton House first thing in the morning. His arm was beginning to ache more noticeably now, and at the moment, all he wanted was a good stiff brandy and some sleep. As he sank back into the seat cushions of the hack, a sense of purpose descended over him. He finally had a plan of action, which lead to another plan. In the end, he would win Rhea’s heart. Anything else was unacceptable.

§ § §

Percy prowled the floor of Melton House’s morning room as his sister read the note Rhea had sent him early this morning. The letter had arrived only moments before he’d left home to visit the family’s London seat. Patience looked up from the stationary in her hand to scowl at him.

“Would you please sit down and let me read this. You’re beginning to make me nervous.”

The exasperation in Patience’s voice made him grimace. With an impatient grunt, he threw himself into a nearby chair. Moments later he was on his feet again unable to remain still. Percy crossed the floor to the window, and with one arm raised slightly, he gripped the window frame as he stared out at the morning traffic, which was still light. The Set had yet to swell the streets with their daily round of social calls.

Tension held him rigid and in an attempt to alleviate his tight muscles, he shrugged. The action pulled painfully at his wound, but it was inconsequential compared to the sense of despondency he was enduring at the moment. Behind him Patience gasped loudly, and he grimaced as he recalled his own reaction to the note. Percy turned his head to see his sister staring at him in amazement.

“You proposed to her?”

“You say that as if I made a mistake in doing so,” he said irritably turning to face her. “I love her.”

Patience shook her head again in apparent dismay then returned her attention to the note. He’d read it several times on his way to his brother’s house, and had memorized the brief wording. The note reflected a resolve on Rhea’s part that worried him greatly. The thought he might not be able to change her mind filled him with dread.

Dear Mr. Rockwood,

Last night you honored me with your proposal. I believe any woman would count herself fortunate to have such an honor bestowed on them. I know my reply was not the one you wished to hear. However, I must reiterate my refusal. I know you believe it within your power to change my mind, but I urge you to believe otherwise.

We both know my reasons for refusing your noble gesture, and it was noble of you, Percy. It is a trait few men have, and it is one of many attributes you possess that only deepens my feelings of admiration and affection for you.

Since you are unwilling to consider the alternative arrangement I proposed, we are at an impasse. When our partnership concerning our mutual adversary is concluded, there will be no further reason to continue our acquaintance. I trust you will respect my wishes and not pursue this matter to its inevitable, and only, conclusion.

Rhea

Once again Patience gasped loudly, and he turned away from the window to see his sister’s appalled expression.

“Dear lord, she offered to be your mistress?”

The scorn on his sister’s face exacerbated his growing anger with Patience’s reaction. He’d expected better from his sister.

“Rhea believes herself unworthy of me.”