“Wherein everyone holds their breath and prays for deliverance.”

The sun had finally slid past the horizon, painting the skies in a glorious, opulent sweep of colour that dazzled his eyes. Gabriel took a breath, tears streaming down his face, for once crying for himself, for his own loss, for everything he was giving up. He closed his eyes, shutting out all of the beauty and the colour, and he raised the pistol. The metal was cold against his temple, and suddenly he remembered his father’s snarling face, threatening to kill him … at least he need not see that again.

“Gabriel!”

Gabriel jolted, his finger had been about to squeeze the trigger and he barely stopped it from carrying through the action. He lowered the gun, swinging around in horror to see a cluster of people rushing towards him over the rise of the hill and …

“Gabriel, no!”

“Crecy?”

She collapsed, falling to her knees, and Gabriel’s heart felt like it had turned to ice in his chest. He was on his feet in an instant, throwing the gun down and running to her.

“Crecy, Crecy, love, are you all right?” He fell to his knees beside her, gathering her into his arms as she turned on him and slapped him hard.

“No!” she shrieked, crying and shaking so hard that he didn’t know how to calm her. “I’m not all right, not at all, not at all.” She hit him, then, over and over, crying hysterically until Gabriel pulled her so close that she could no longer move, rocking her and crying himself.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “You weren’t meant to see, love. I didn’t want you to see.”

“How could you?” she said, sobbing as she reached up, holding his face between her hands and looking so hurt and heartbroken that he felt like the worst kind of brute. “How could you leave me?” she demanded.

“I … I didn’t want to,” he said, the words broken and thick with emotion, knowing he needed to explain, but not knowing how. “Never think that, only … I’m no kind of father for our child, Crecy,” he said in a rush, wishing he could get the words out, could make her see how much better their lives would be without him. “I’m afraid,” he said, the admission hard to make, but knowing he owed her the truth.

“Why?” she asked, such confusion in her eyes, now, and such sorrow that it hurt him all the more to know he had put it there.

“What if I hurt it?” he said, his voice low. “What if … if it makes a mess and I get angry? What if I’m jealous? What if I’m … like him?”

Crecy shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “Oh, my love, you could no more hurt me or your child than ignore a bully. When will you see that you are nothing like your father, but that you are a good and kind man?”

Gabriel gave a desperate bark of laughter, tears glittering in his eyes, and Crecy put her hand to his face, making him turn his head. “Look over there,” she said, her voice harsh. “Do you see all those people?”

He blinked, looking confused all at once. “Good Lord, is that … Mrs Wilkins? And … Bainbridge?”

“Yes, Gabriel,” she said with such frustration in her voice that he looked back at her. “And Piper, who’s beside himself, and look, John is there, too, now, and do you know why Mrs Wilkins and Mr Bainbridge left their beds in the middle of the night to come chasing across the countryside to find Edward?”

Gabriel blinked, finding no reason whatsoever that he could think of, unless …

“Because they couldn’t sleep, you’d unsettled them so and they were afraid of what you might be about to do, and they wanted to stop you, you fool!” she snapped at him, sounding really quite angry. All at once, the fight seemed to go out of her, though, and she just stroked his cheek, looking so sad that Gabriel knew he needed to make sure such a look never crossed her face again. “They care for you, my love,” she whispered, smiling at him now in a way that broke his heart. “They know the truth about you, you see. You’ve tried so hard to keep it a secret, but some of us have worked it out. You are a good man, Gabriel Greyston.”

“You’d be better off without me,” he said, stubborn to the last.

“Don’t you dare,” she hissed, sounding so utterly furious now that he looked up with caution. “Don’t you dare tell me what is best for me, Gabriel. I have loved you my whole life and worked so hard to be with you. I gave everything up just for the chance of loving you. You are all I have ever wanted, do you hear me, and if you take that away from me, I swear I’ll never forgive you.”

Gabriel blinked, too many emotions flooding him to know what to say, how to react. Relief that maybe … just maybe he could stay. He could try and be a husband and a father. Sorrow for all the pain he had caused and would likely cause in the future, and joy … He would live, he would live with the woman he loved, and who for some inexplicable reason loved him, too. He would see his child born and be there to protect it from anyone who dared disparage the DeMorte name.

He’d put the fear of God into anyone who tried.

Gabriel buried his head in Crecy’s hair, breathing in the familiar scent of her and finally letting go of so much of the fear and hurt he had held onto so long. For once in his life, he had hope … and something to look forward to.

***

It was a dazzling late summer’s morning by the time they got up and made their way inside. Gabriel had not wanted to face everyone. In his opinion, it would have saved everyone a deal of embarrassment if he had just slunk upstairs and Crecy had seen them out. But his wife was having none of it.

“You will go and see them, Gabriel. You will thank them for what they’ve done for you face to face, or you’ll never bring yourself to see them again, and then we’ll be back to square one.” She had crossed her arms on top of her large belly with such a look of determination in her eyes that Gabriel was torn between amusement and chagrin.

“If you’re going to bully our children like this, I’ll …” he began, seeing outrage flicker in her eyes with amusement.

“You’ll what?” she demanded, her lovely eyes filled with the kind of worry and suspicion that he knew would take a long time to rid her of. He leant down and pressed his lips to hers; no time like the present, after all.

“I’ll have to try very hard to keep you sweet-tempered and happy, I suppose,” he said, smiling at her and finding his heart swell as she returned it.

“I love you so much, Gabriel,” she said, shaking her head. “Please, please, don’t ever frighten me like that again.

Gabriel shook his head. “I never will. I swear it. I didn’t want to, I … I just thought …”

“I know what you thought,” she said in disgust. “But you were more wrong than you can know, and I’m going to prove it to you.”

They entered the parlour where everyone else had discreetly retired to and where Piper was serving tea, as though he had a marquess, a madame, and a lawyer in the house every day. To Gabriel’s amusement, Mrs Wilkins and Bainbridge, who was a confirmed bachelor, were deep in conversation. Everyone fell quiet as Gabriel came in. He felt heat and anxiety creeping up his neck, making his throat feel like it was clogged with a tangle of roots as all eyes turned to him. Crecy slid her hand into his, however, and suddenly it wasn’t so bad.

“My lord!” Mrs Wilkins was first, launching herself at him and crying all over his shirt, which was horrifying and unsettling and admittedly rather touching, too. It seemed she hadn’t been able to get his parting words out of her head, and had worried herself to death to the point that she’d had to do something. Even though the animosity between him and Edward was well known, she’d rightly assumed that his cousin wouldn’t want yet another suicide tarnishing the Greyston name further.

Bainbridge was next, so obviously emotional in his relief that they’d been in time, that even a cynic like Gabriel had to concede that it might have been more than disappointment at losing his best client. Piper took a moment to clasp his hand, saying nothing, but with such warmth in his eyes that Gabriel had been at a loss to form a reply.

And then Edward walked towards him.

“I think perhaps it’s time I apologised to you, Gabriel,” the words were rather gruff and stilted, but Gabriel could not but hear the sincerity of them. He felt his eyebrows rise, utterly astonished, not only by the words, but by being addressed by his Christian name.

“What on earth for?” he managed, though his voice was rather hoarse. Surely, it was he who ought to be apologising?

Edward cleared his throat and looked at the floor before casting an imploring look at his wife, who glowered at him. He cleared his throat again. “I had no idea of … of the circumstance of your father’s death, and I … regret that we have never been better acquainted,” he said, finally looking up and meeting Gabriel’s eyes. “I must confess that I took my father’s opinion of you and your own father as the truth, and never troubled myself to discover if there was any other side to the story.”

“I don’t blame you for that,” Gabriel said with a shrug, meaning it. “He wasn’t so far from the truth.”

“Gabriel,” Crecy said, scolding him for his words as Gabriel let out a breath.

“Come now, love. We can hardly pretend I have done no wrong in my life, but …” He looked up and met Edward’s eyes. “I intend to change that. I promise you need have no fear for yourself or your family. I mean you no ill will. Not any longer.”

“A truce, then?” Edward said, offering his hand.

Gabriel nodded and took it, the two men shaking on a more peaceful future.

“A truce,” Gabriel agreed.

***

As soon as everyone had gone, Gabriel took his wife to bed. He would have liked to make love to her, but she was so clearly worn out and uncomfortable that he kept the idea to himself. Besides, lying with her in his arms after so much sorrow was heaven enough alongside the depths of darkness he had faced over the past hours.

She stiffened in his arms and he felt her stomach tighten as she held her breath.

“What is it, love?” he asked, feeling panicked all at once. “Is it the baby?”

Crecy smiled and shook her head. “She’s just practising. Belle said there would be lots of spasms like this before the actual birth.”

Gabriel let out a sigh of relief. Now that his own death had been taken from his hands, the danger that his wife faced in childbirth was in the forefront of his mind.

Crecy looked up at him, quite rightly interpreting the look in his eyes as terror.

“I’ll be fine, Gabriel. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be quite wonderful.”

Gabriel swallowed, wanting to believe, her but knowing all too well how many women died during or after a birth.

“Gabriel.” Her voice was stern, now, and she stared at him, giving him that look which always made him feel his soul was on display. “You must promise me something. If anything ever does happen. You must look after our child. Don’t let them be alone like you were. Let them know how loved they are, how much we both wanted them. Make them know they are everything we ever wanted.”

Gabriel shook his head, horrified by the idea of a life without her. “I can’t …” he rasped, panic flooding his chest. “I can’t …”

“Yes, you can,” she snapped. “I have no intention of going anywhere at all for a good long while, Gabriel, but I will feel a deal happier knowing that I can rely on you for this. You are a father, and you will act the part.” She paused, forcing him to look her in the eyes. “Promise me.”

Gabriel closed his eyes, the words were beyond him, but he nodded. Praying that such a day never came, for he had no idea how he would survive it, he gave her his promise. After that, they just lay together, happy to be alive, to be together, until Crecy decided she was restless and needed some fresh air.

The heat of the day had faded now, and the countryside had that familiar faded look of late summer. There was a pleasant breeze rustling the leaves and the birds were singing. It felt good to be alive, to be able to appreciate it.

It was awhile, then, before Gabriel realised they were heading toward the chapel and his parent’s graves. “Where are we going?” he asked, feeling his chest grow tight with anxiety.

“We are going to speak with your father,” Crecy said, her voice quite calm.

“What?” Gabriel stared at her and began to back up. “No. No, Crecy, don’t ask me to.”

“Gabriel, after what you’ve put me through this morning, I will ask and you will give,” she replied, her voice soft but firm. She stared at him, those unusual lilac eyes daring him to disagree further.

Gabriel found he could hardly argue the point, but still felt like he wanted to vomit. “Why?” he croaked, wondering if this was punishment for frightening her so.

“To forgive him.”

He caught his breath and Crecy smiled at him, moving forward to take his hands. “Not for his sake, my love, for yours. You’ve carried so much anger and hurt inside of you for so long, you need to make peace with it, and you can’t do that until you forgive him.”

Gabriel stood stock still, concentrating on breathing in and out with difficulty. “I can’t do that.”

“No,” Crecy replied, her voice soothing. “I don’t suppose you can. Not yet, at least. But we will keep coming until you find you mean it, and then we need never come again.” She moved beside him once more, holding his arm. “Come along, then.”

By the time he reached the graveside, Gabriel was sweating and tense and he wanted to turn and run and lock himself in his study. But Crecy was looking at him with such expectation that he couldn’t do it. He could not let her down.

He swallowed, clearing his throat and feeling foolish in the extreme as he addressed the ornate headstone.

“Hello, Father. I have come to tell you that … that I am married.” He covered Crecy’s hand with his own, comforted by her touch. He looked around, knowing anyone observing them would believe he’d finally run mad. Seeing no one, he turned back to the grave. “I will be a father soon, and I wanted to tell you … I will do everything in my power to ensure that I am nothing like you. You were a bully and a despicable man and I hate you. I have always hated you.” The angry words fell from his lips faster now, easier, and though his fury and hatred was harsh and raw, he felt strangely liberated as he spoke to a long-dead man who had haunted him for nearly two decades. He took a breath, trying to calm himself, to say the words Crecy wanted him to give the man. “I don’t know if I can forgive you for everything you did to me, and to my mother, but … I am going to try. I am going to forgive you, and then I shall forget you, and I pray that no one in this family ever speaks your name again.”

He exhaled, feeling as though he could breathe all at once. He didn’t doubt that his father’s voice would be hard to shake for good, but he had hope for the first time that perhaps, in the future, he could silence him for good. Gabriel looked around to see Crecy staring at him, full of such pride that he could do nothing but smile.

“I love you,” he said, feeling the most ridiculous grin curve over his mouth.

“I love you too,” she whispered, before sucking in a sharp breath and clutching at her stomach. Gabriel put his arms around her, supporting her until the pain passed. She leaned into him, breathing hard as he rubbed circles on her back.

“That is another practise spasm?” he asked with trepidation, feeling suddenly terrified at the ordeal she must face to bring their child into the world.

Crecy gave him a sheepish grin as she looked up at him. “Actually, Gabriel … I’m not entirely sure it is.”