Seduced at Midnight

Chapter 24

Julianne froze at the sound of pistol shots. For the space of two rapid heartbeats, she and her friends stared at each other. Then she stood so quickly she knocked over her chair and dashed toward the door, Sarah, Emily, and Carolyn close behind. She raced down the corridor, barely registering the sounds of running footfalls and anxious voices of the other guests pouring in behind them. All she could hear was her heart pounding in terror. Gideon… dear God, Gideon.

She knew, knew that those shots involved him. What if he were hurt? What if he were-

She couldn't even bring herself to finish the thought. He had to be all right. Had to be. Had to be.

A door just ahead opened, and the magistrate stepped into the corridor, quickly closing the panel shut behind him.

"We heard shots," Julianne said, stopping in front of him. She grasped his arm, her fingers digging desperately into his sleeve. "Gideon." His name burst from her lips on a hoarse, terror-filled whisper. "Where is Gideon? Is he-"

"Mr. Mayne is fine." His gaze touched on Sarah and Carolyn. "As are your husbands. Mr. Jennsen as well."

Julianne heard her friends gasp. "Matthew is in that room?" Sarah asked weakly, reaching out for Julianne's hand.

"And Daniel?" Carolyn whispered.

"Yes. And they are all perfectly fine."

Before he could say anything more, a crowd surged in behind them with shouts of, "What's happening?"

Mr. Rayburn held up his hands and demanded silence. Once the crowd quieted, he said, "All is well. There is no need for alarm. If you'll go back to the drawing room, I'll explain everything."

Amid much murmuring, the group turned around to do as the magistrate bade them. But Julianne again grabbed Mr. Rayburn's sleeve. "I'm not leaving this corridor until I see for myself that Mr. Mayne is unharmed."

"And our husbands," Sarah added. "And Mr. Jennsen as well."

"I'm afraid you can't go in there," Mr. Rayburn said in an undertone, nodding toward the door.

"Why not?" demanded Emily.

After making certain the crowd was far enough away that he couldn't be overheard, he said, "You have my word that Mayne and the others are unhurt. The duke, however, is dead."

Before Julianne could even react to the news, the door opened.

Matthew and Daniel, wearing identical grim expressions, entered the corridor. With cries of relief, Sarah and Carolyn went to their husbands and were enfolded in tight embraces. Logan Jennsen appeared next. He nodded at Julianne, then at Emily, who murmured, "Mr. Jennsen."

Julianne craned her neck, and when she saw Gideon walking toward her, her relief was so strong she had to brace her hand against the wall for support. When he entered the corridor, heedless of their audience, she grabbed his hands. "You're all right."

His gaze seemed to burn into hers. "Yes."

"When I heard the shots I thought…" She squeezed his hands and blinked back the tears that rushed into her eyes.

"I know. I'm sorry you were worried. But it's all over now."

"Mr. Rayburn said the duke is dead."

A muscle ticked in Gideon's jaw. "He is."

The magistrate cleared his throat. "Mayne, if you'll escort the ladies and gentlemen into the drawing room and make the necessary explanations, I'll take care of things here."

Gideon nodded. Julianne held his arm as they walked down the corridor, unwilling to let him go, unable to keep from touching him. When they entered the crowded drawing room, however, he left her in the care of her friends and addressed the assembled group.

Julianne listened in shock and disgust to the story Gideon told. Gasps and cries of disbelief punctuated the tale of the duke's horrific crimes. By the end, everyone was clearly stunned yet relieved that the mystery of the murdering ghost robber had finally been solved and that no one else would suffer.

With the explanations finished, Gideon urged the stunned crowd to make their way home, and a slow exodus started toward the foyer. Julianne scanned the room and saw Sarah and Matthew talking quietly nearby. Daniel and Carolyn also stood close together, deep in conversation. Emily and Logan Jennsen stood near the punch bowl, making what appeared to be stilted conversation.

Just then Gideon joined her, pressing a glass of punch into her hand, which she gratefully accepted.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm… shocked. And grateful. That you weren't hurt. That he was stopped." A shudder of revulsion trembled through her. "That I hadn't married him." She took another sip of punch then added, "You were wonderfully brave and clever."

"Thank you."

"I'm very proud of you."

What looked like a cross between confusion and surprise crossed his face. He lifted his hand, as if to touch her, then seemed to recall himself, where they were, and lowered his arm. "I don't believe anyone's ever said that to me before."

"I'm also very angry with you."

He blinked, then his lips twitched. "Now that I've heard before."

"You took a terrible risk."

"No. I took a calculated risk. I didn't have proof; that would have required a trip to Cornwall and weeks, if not months, to obtain. But the duke didn't know that. And I knew I was right. I didn't doubt for a minute that when confronted with the truth, he would confess. I went into battle armed. And came out uninjured. The brandy decanter, which took the duke's shot, didn't fare as well, I'm afraid."

"You're making light of the danger you placed yourself in."

"Only because you're making too much of it. I'm very handy with a knife, plus I had Rayburn and the others at my back." He paused, then said, "Julianne, I-"

"There you are," came her mother's voice. "The carriage is being brought around. I swear this ordeal is going to be the death of me." She commandeered Julianne's arm and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Your father is absolutely livid."

"Why?" Julianne asked.

Her mother raised her gaze to the ceiling. "For heaven's sake, Julianne, have you not realized the implications? With Eastling dead, all the plans for your marriage are in ruins."

Julianne pulled away from her mother. "Yes, that is a tragedy," she said in an arid tone. "However, I for one am pleased that I didn't end up married to that murdering madman."

Her mother blinked. "Oh. Well, yes." She quickly recovered her aplomb. "I believe Haverly was your father's second choice, so that's most likely the way it will go."

Cold dread filled Julianne. Even though she knew the answer, she found herself asking, "The way what will go?"

"Your betrothal. But don't worry about it now. There's plenty of time to discuss it tomorrow." She turned to Gideon. "It appears we no longer require your services, Mr. Mayne. I'll see to it that your belongings are packed up and returned to you tomorrow."

And suddenly it hit Julianne that the investigation was indeed over. Which meant that Gideon wouldn't be guarding her any longer. He wouldn't be coming back to Grosvenor Square tonight. There wouldn't be any more nights. Any more days. No more time. No more Gideon.

Her mother once again commandeered Julianne's arm. "Come along, Julianne. The carriage is waiting."

Once again Julianne shook free. "I'll join you in a moment, Mother."

Her mother heaved a sigh. "If you feel you must speak with Mr. Mayne, I'll wait."

Julianne lifted her chin and spoke to her mother with a firmness she couldn't recall ever using before. "As the man saved my life, I do want to talk to him. And I shall do so without you listening."

Her mother's lips pursed as if she'd sucked on a lemon. Julianne knew she couldn't claim there was need of a chaperone as at least a dozen people still lingered in the room. Finally the countess nodded. "Very well. You may have two minutes. Then I'll expect you in the carriage."

After her mother left, Julianne turned to Gideon. There were so many things she wanted say, but all the words stuck in her tight, dry throat. Words she wished she had the courage to utter. I love you. Do you love me? I want you. Do you want me, too? I want to marry you. Do you want to marry me? She hoped he might speak, but he remained silent, just looking at her with an expression she couldn't read.

Nerves assailed her, and she pressed her suddenly damp palms against her gown. Moistened her lips. Then began, "If you need your belongings tonight, you may come to the house-"

"No," he said quickly. So quickly it was clear he didn't want to return to the house. "Having them sent to me is fine."

Julianne felt her time running out, and a sense of panic seized her. Unable to think of a way to delicately ask what she wanted, needed to know, she simply whispered, "Will I see you again?"

Her heart beat in painful thumps waiting for his reply, trying to read his unreadable eyes. And then suddenly she could read them. Saw his answer. And his regret. And it felt as if her heart ceased beating. And instead began to bleed.

"The investigation is over," he said quietly.

She had to swallow twice to find her voice. "Which means that you and me… what we shared… is over as well." She'd found her voice, but it was utterly flat. And seemed to come from very far away.

"I'm afraid so. Julianne, I hope you know-" His words cut off and he raked a hand through his hair. "I want you to know that I… I'll never forget you."

She looked up at him and hid nothing. Let him see her heart and the depth of her love for him. Offered herself with her eyes. And he saw it. She knew he did. And so she waited. Until she couldn't stand the silence any longer. Then she asked in as steady a voice as she could muster, "Is that all you have to say to me, Gideon?"

Gideon stared into blue eyes filled with so much hope and yearning and love it actually hurt to look. He could tell her that he loved her, would always love her, but what good would that do either of them? He could tell her that if their situations were different-if she weren't an earl's daughter, or if he were a peer-he'd marry her in a heartbeat. But again, what good would that do? Their situation wasn't different.

But he had to say something. He reached out and gently took her hand. And forced himself not to dwell on the fact that it was the last time he would touch her.

"I hope," he said quietly, his gaze steady on hers, "that all your wishes and dreams come true."

For several seconds those blue eyes gazed into his. Then all the hope and yearning leaked away, breaking his heart in the process. She slowly withdrew her hand from his.

"I wish the same for you," she said in a broken whisper. "Good-bye, Gideon."

And then she turned and walked away.

Leaving him with a broken heart and a shattered soul. And a very bleak future.

The following afternoon, Gideon sat in his study, doing the same thing he'd been doing since finally arriving home just before dawn: staring at the mantel. Thinking. Of things he needed to forget but knew he never would. Remembering. Her every word and touch that were branded in his brain. Aching. With a bone-deep pain he despaired of ever ridding himself of.

He blew out a long, tired sigh. If he had to sum up this situation in one word, it would have to be how. How had he allowed himself to fall so deeply, so hopelessly in love? How was he going to get through the next day, the next week, the next year, without her? How was he going to stand thinking of her married to someone else?

How the bloody hell was it possible to hurt so badly yet still breathe?

He'd tried to dull the ache with whiskey, but after the first hour realized the folly of that, since there wasn't enough whiskey in the kingdom to make him forget Julianne. So he'd capped the decanter and tried to concentrate on his headache rather than his heartache. And failed completely.

Caesar came to him and plopped his head on Gideon's knee, his soulful eyes filled with canine misery. Gideon scratched behind the dog's ears. "You lost your lady love, too, didn't you, boy?"

Caesar made the most pitiful sound Gideon had ever heard from the beast.

"I know exactly how you feel."

Caesar shifted his eyes to the whiskey decanter, and Gideon shook his head. "Take it from me, it doesn't help. It tastes foul and just gives you a bloody headache. And you don't get your woman back."

Caesar let out a mighty sigh, one Gideon was tempted to emulate, except it hurt too much to breathe that deeply. He dragged his hands down his face, grimacing at the rough scrape of his unshaven jaw.

The brass knocker on the front door sounded, rousing Caesar, who dashed from the room barking crazily, as if grateful to have something to do other than mope. Gideon hauled himself out of his chair and made his way to the foyer, wondering who was calling yet not really caring. His portmanteau had been delivered hours ago by Ethan. He'd hoped there might be a note from Julianne, but there wasn't. And although he was disappointed, what more was there to say?

When he reached the foyer, he quieted Caesar, then opened the door. And raised his brows in surprise at the sight of Matthew, Daniel, and Logan standing on his steps.

"You look like hell," Logan said.

Gideon blinked. "Uh… I'm not quite sure what to say to that except I feel like hell, too."

"It shows," Matthew said. "May we come in? There's something we need to discuss with you."

Gideon opened the door wider. "Of course." He led them to his study, where long rays of afternoon sunshine slanted through the windows. Once they were all seated, Matthew said, "I had a very interesting conversation with my wife on the way home in the middle of the night. It prompted me to call upon Daniel early this morning-"

"And it turns out I'd had a similar conversation with my wife on the ride home."

Logan cleared his throat. "I have no wife and therefore had no such conversation, but Daniel and Matthew were kind enough to include me in their plan."

"What plan is that?" asked Gideon.

"That depends on you. On what you decide to do about this." Matthew pulled an envelope from his waistcoat pocket and held it out to Gideon.

Gideon hesitated then took the envelope. "What is it?"

"One way to find out," Daniel said.

Mystified, Gideon opened the envelope and withdrew the contents. Scanned the paper. Frowned. Then read the words more carefully. Finally he looked up. And found three sets of serious eyes resting on him.

"This appears to be a special license," he said.

"That's because it is a special license," Matthew confirmed. "Arranged for today by the three of us at the Archbishop of Canterbury's London office in Doctors Commons."

"How did you manage this?" he asked, his gaze shifting back to the document, unable to quite believe what he was holding. He once again read the names Gideon Mayne and Lady Julianne Bradley printed on the official document.

"It took a bit of doing," Daniel said.

"Yes, but there isn't much an earl, a marquess, and a very persistent American can't accomplish if they set their minds to it," Logan said with a slight smile.

"But why would you do this?" Gideon asked. His gaze shifted between Matthew and Daniel. Surely a marquess and an earl wouldn't approve of a match between him and Julianne. Yet impossibly, based on the paper he held, it seemed they would.

"Because apparently Carolyn would have married Daniel if he were a baker," Matthew said. "And Sarah was willing to marry me even when it looked as if I'd be floundering in massive debt the rest of my life. And because of Themistocles."

Gideon shook his head, utterly confused. "Who?"

"A powerful Greek statesman during the fifth century BC. His daughter was torn between two marriage offers-one from a man of modest means with great character, the other from a man of her social class who was of questionable character. When her friends posed a similar question to Julianne, she unhesitatingly quoted Themistocles, 'I choose a man without money rather than money without a man.'"

Everything inside Gideon stilled. His heart. His blood. His breath. Then they leapt back to life with a force that rendered him speechless.

"We wanted you, and her, to have a choice," Daniel said.

"Before her damn father marries her off to some other useless Lord Something-or-Other," Logan said. He grinned at Matthew and Daniel. "No offense intended."

Matthew uttered something under his breath that sounded like Bloody American, then said to Gideon, "Everything is being readied for the ceremony to take place at my house at five o'clock. With us, our wives, and Lady Emily serving as witnesses."

Gideon could only stare. "Today?"

Matthew nodded then consulted his watch. "Today. In precisely one hour and nineteen minutes." He slipped his watch back in his waistcoat pocket. "The only things missing are a bride and groom."

Gideon looked down at the paper clutched in his hands. A piece of paper that had the power to give him everything he wanted. Everything he hadn't dared hope could be his. It appeared Julianne wanted him. In spite of his lack of social status and fortune. Not that he was poor. Yet neither was he rich. He nodded his chin at the special license. "This must have cost a fortune."

"Consider it a wedding gift," Logan said.

"She'll lose her family," Gideon said.

"Yes," Matthew agreed. "But she won't lose her friends."

"We can promise you that," Daniel said, and Logan nodded his agreement.

Hope burst through Gideon, so strong, he was grateful he was sitting down, because he felt a bit unsteady.

"I wouldn't have dared to ask her," he said quietly.

"Which is why we're here, meddling," Matthew said, "at our wives' behest."

"Right," Daniel said. "Because we're not normally meddlers, you know."

Logan looked toward the ceiling. "You Brits. Always talking in circles." He fixed his gaze on Gideon. "Well? What's it going to be?"

Gideon drew a deep breath. Then smiled. "The only thing missing now is a bride."

Forty-five minutes later, freshly shaven and wearing his finest garments, Gideon entered the foyer of the mansion on Grosvenor Square, Caesar at his heels. "I'd like to see Lady Julianne, please," he said to Winslow.

"I'll see if she's at home," the butler said. His gaze flicked down to the small bouquet of flowers Gideon clutched but made no comment. He headed down the corridor, and Gideon had to force himself not to pace. Winslow returned a moment later and said, "Lady Julianne is in the music room. She'll see you now."

Gideon and Caesar followed Winslow's straight back, and with every step, Gideon's heart thumped harder. "Mr. Mayne," Winslow announced at the door.

Gideon crossed the threshold, barely noting Winslow's departure as his gaze settled on Julianne. She stood next to the pianoforte, wearing a pale aqua gown that made her eyes look even bluer than usual.

He walked slowly toward her and wondered how the hell he had ever been foolish enough to walk away from her. He was only halfway across the room when a series of sharp yips came from the hearth. Princess Buttercup, dressed in an aqua ruffled collar that matched Julianne's gown, had caught sight of Caesar. Caesar in turn had caught sight of his love, and a joyful canine reunion of sniffing and licking and grunting and yapping took place before they both plopped down on the hearth rug.

"Hello, Julianne," he said, wading into the silence.

Now that less than six feet separated them, he could see that she'd been crying. Yet in spite of her puffy, reddened eyes, she was still the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Hello, Gideon." Her hands were clasped in front of her so tightly her knuckles showed white through her skin. "You wished to see me?"

"Yes." He took a quick look at the mantel clock, noted the time, then cleared his throat. "You asked me last night if I had anything else to say to you, and I realize I didn't say everything I wanted to. Everything I needed to."

"I see. Would you like to sit down?"

He shook his head. Went to plunge his fingers through his hair only to recall the flowers he clutched. "These are for you," he said, holding them out. Bloody hell, he'd clearly strangled the damn things, for they looked decidedly wilted.

But in spite of their less-than-perfect condition, a trembling smile curved her lips. "Thank you," she said, burying her face in the droopy blooms. "I adore daisies."

He hadn't known that. Hadn't even noticed they were daisies. He'd simply bought the flowers from a young girl selling them because, well, wasn't a man supposed to bring flowers when he proposed? Bloody hell, why hadn't he asked Matthew or Daniel for instructions when he'd had the chance?

She looked up at him with solemn eyes. "What did you wish to say, Gideon?"

"I… I…" He let out a long breath. "I wish I was good at pretty words, because God knows you deserve them, but I'm not. So I can only tell you plainly." He stepped closer to her, stopping when less than an arm's length separated them, then took her hand, noting that his weren't quite steady.

"I love you, Julianne. Love you so much I just…ache with it. I think I loved you even when I thought you were nothing more than a spoiled princess, although I convinced myself I didn't. But then, as I discovered that you weren't a spoiled princess at all, realized the kind, loving, generous, brave, and wonderful woman you are, I couldn't deny to myself any longer that I'd fallen completely, utterly in love with you."

He pulled in a deep breath then continued, "I'm not a rich man, and I don't have a title. But I offer all I have, all I am, all my love, my heart and soul, to you."

He dropped to one knee before her. "Julianne, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

She looked down at him, her eyes huge, her face pale. For several of the longest seconds of his life he endured the loudest silence he'd ever heard. Then her lips trembled and she smiled the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.

"Yes," she whispered. Then laughed. Then sobbed. "Yes! Yes!" Laughing, crying, she pulled him up, and he yanked her into his arms and kissed her. And all the places inside him that only an hour ago had seemed so empty filled to overflowing with a happiness he'd never thought possible.

She leaned back and framed his face between her hands. "I love you," she whispered. "From the first moment I saw you, you took my breath away. And now, when you tell me how you feel about me, instead of telling me I'm beautiful, you called me kind. Loving. Generous. Brave. Wonderful. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"Well, you are undeniably beautiful. Just in case you thought I didn't think so."

She smiled through the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Am I really going to be your wife?"

"Am I really going to be your husband?" He pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed at her wet eyes. "I brought three of these," he teased, waving the handkerchief before her.

She laughed. "Good. Princess Buttercup was miserable, you know."

"Caesar as well." He rested his forehead against hers. "Me, too."

"Me, too," she concurred.

He lifted his head. "You know your parents will never accept this."

"Then that is their loss," she said without hesitation. "I choose you. Now. Always."

"Are your parents at home?"

She shook her head. "Mother is off on her social calls, and father is at his club."

"I'll speak to them afterward, then."

"Afterward?"

"After the wedding. Which, if we don't want to be late for, we'll need to hurry, because it's starting in…" he glanced at the mantel clock, "twenty-four minutes."

Her jaw dropped. "Wedding? Our wedding? In twenty-four minutes?"

"Did I not mention that?" He shook his head. "Sorry. I was a bit rattled." He quickly told her about the special license and the planned ceremony at Matthew and Sarah's house, concluding with, "When I asked you to marry me, I suppose I should have added, now. Will you marry me now?" He looked into her glowing eyes. "Will you?"

Her smile could have lit a dark room. "Yes!" Then she sobered. "But first, there's something I must tell you. Something I should have told you before. I… I lied to you, Gideon. That first night I claimed to hear ghost noises? I actually didn't. I did so because I wanted you to investigate. Wanted to see you again. So then I hired Johnny Burns the coal porter, to make ghostly sounds, but his wife had a baby and he couldn't make it and then a real ghost came to the balcony and-"

He touched his fingers to her lips to stop the rapid flow of words. "You did that just so you would see me again?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry," she mumbled against his fingers. "I shouldn't-"

This time he silenced her with a long, deep, tongue-dancing kiss that left them both breathless. "A clever ruse to get me back into your life. Have I told you how much I love you?"

"Yes, but I suspect I'll never grow tired of hearing it."

"Good. Because I intend to tell you ten times a day."

She heaved a sigh. "Only ten? I shall perish from neglect."

"Fine. Twenty. Has anyone ever told you you're… wonderful?"

She smiled into his eyes. "Yes. The man I love."

He was about to kiss her again but recalled the time. After a glance at the clock, he grabbed her hand and started toward the door, giving a whistle for Caesar, who trotted after them, Princess Buttercup following faithfully. "The wedding is now scheduled to start in nineteen minutes. Matthew loaned me his carriage. It's waiting out front, so we can be on our way immediately."

"I just need to run to my bedchamber for a moment," she said. "I'll meet you outside."

By the time Gideon loaded the dogs in the carriage, Julianne was hurrying down the walkway toward him. "Besides Princess Buttercup, this is the only thing I couldn't bear to leave behind," she said.

And they both smiled down at her Box of Wishes and Dreams.