She looked down at the ground as she took a deep breath. But, even so, he was her father. And she would be there for him in his time of need.
“I must go,” she said, already hurrying toward the door.
“Wait,” Miss Grayson called out. “I cannot let you rush off alone. I will come with you.”
“No, please,” Delilah said. “You ought to stay here with the others. I will be safe in my own home.”
Addie was frowning in concern as she worried her lower lip. “At least take one of Tolston’s men as a guard. A precaution,” she said quickly as Delilah went to protest.
Delilah hesitated. “But there are more of you here, and Everley believes that I am with you and—”
“Please.” Miss Grayson reached for her hand. “As you said, there are more of us. If danger arises, we can battle Everley ourselves. But I don’t like the thought of you alone on the road again with only your family’s footman as your companion.”
Delilah swallowed. Truth be told, she didn’t like the thought of being on the road without Rupert. She only felt safe these days when he was at her side.
As if reading her thoughts, Addie gave her a small smile. “Do it for our sake. I don’t believe Mr. Calloway would ever forgive us if we let you leave here without a guard.”
Delilah choked on a laugh that was inexplicably mixed with tears.
Strange how she couldn’t quite summon tears for her father’s imminent death, but the mere thought of Rupert’s fear for her safety made her want to weep like a watering pot.
Perhaps because she knew for certain that whether he loved her or not, his fear for her safety was genuine. His feelings for her were sincere and they were deep…whether or not they included love.
Her heart swelled as she nodded. “Yes, all right. I will send word to let you know when I’ve arrived safely.”
14
Most stakeouts were a tedious bore interspersed with the odd bit of action.
Luckily for Rupert, tonight was another story entirely.
Delilah’s recounting of that diary entry was proven correct and Everley proved himself to be punctual…even when it came to crime.
“There he is,” Tolston murmured. “Right on time.”
Sure enough, they watched Everley exit an unmarked coach toward the end of the block before disappearing into a warehouse.
Tolston moved to open the door. “Let us get this over and done with so we can get back to our ladies.”
Despite the circumstances, Rupert found himself battling a ridiculous grin. Our ladies.
He thought of Delilah.
My lady.
If she would have him. The thought made him hesitate for a second as he led Tolston and the other men to surround the warehouse in question.
She would say yes. She’d have to. Her reputation would be in tatters once word spread about her broken engagement. Even if the end of their betrothal was not her fault, there was no way she’d escape unscathed. She’d be tainted by scandal no matter how this night ended.
The thought had him growling low in his throat as he drew close enough inside the warehouse to spot Everley and the man he was to meet. A roughened chap—a sailor, most likely.
If he could, Rupert would murder Everley right here and now for what he’d done to Delilah. It was bad enough he’d nearly harmed her, but no matter how badly he paid for his crimes there was no avoiding the fact that Delilah would suffer because of her attachment to him, no matter how brief it might have been.
Marrying a marquess’s son would help, but for the first time since he’d left high society he found himself regretting it. Oh, he loved his life of freedom and intrigue, but his renegade ways would do little to salvage Delilah’s reputation among the ton.
He’d give anything to suddenly have the respect of the society he’d eschewed just so long as his bride received the same respect.
His bride. His lips twitched again with barely concealed giddiness and he was forced to chide himself. Now was definitely not the time to lose his head over a lady.
Even if she was his lady.
Even if she was his love.
He stilled behind a stack of crates as a fear that had been plaguing him struck him anew. What if she did not feel the same?
Oh, he knew that she was attracted to him—not even Delilah could fake that sort of passionate response to his kisses. And he suspected she liked him.
But did she love him?
Would she say yes when he proposed again? And if she did, would it be because she needed him or because she wanted him?
Did it matter?
Yes. Yes, it did.
Tolston’s presence at his side brought him back to the moment. They were here for a job. One that would ensure Delilah’s safety. Everything else could wait until she was safely in his arms, where she belonged.
Tolston gave a jerk of his head in a signal to move closer and Rupert nodded, gesturing to the men who waited behind them. A separate group would be closing in on the exits on the other side of the building in case Everley tried to run.
“It’s getting harder, my lord,” the sailor was saying as they drew close enough to hear.
Everley—that cold cruel man—he looked utterly unconcerned as he looked over the shipment the sailor had led him to.
“Don’t fret, Myers, it makes you look weak.”
The other man stiffened. “Sir, I’m merely pointing out that my men and I nearly got caught coming all the way into port, and—”
“Yes, as you mentioned with the last shipment,” Everley interrupted. “I told you then that I would handle it, did I not?”
The sailor shifted uneasily and Rupert shared a look with Tolston at Everley’s cold impatience.
“I’ll be inheriting a nice bit of land along the seaside soon enough, and our arrangement will resume under safer conditions.”
Rupert stiffened. Delilah had told him the details
