Marina clapped her hands, hopping up and down on her toes. “Really?”
“Yes, hurry. And don’t tell anyone else.” She rolled her eyes at me, already halfway out the door.
I spread my hand across my belly and the new life that was contained there. A life that Devyn and I had created.
Marcus had a plan already in place. It had to be tonight.
We would figure everything else out tomorrow.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The mood was merry in the kitchens as the staff were finally able to enjoy the fruits of their labours and eat all the food they had cleared from the great hall. After an hour or so of drifting around the party looking increasingly wan, I had finally made my excuses, blaming a headache for my early exit. I made my way through the feasting staff, some still busy carrying fresh platters and jugs out to the celebration beyond.
I smiled and nodded at their happy greetings to the long-lost Lady of the Lake until I thought my face would crack from the strain. My exit through the kitchens might be more public than using one of the quieter doorways, but in the hustle and bustle I was also less likely to be challenged. People were in and out of the door all night. The main doors had sentries posted who were a lot more likely to take note of the guest of honour going outside and not returning to the party.
I finally made it out into the clear night, my heels clicking across the flagstones as I kept close to the walls, hoping the shadows would conceal my passing as I made my way to the kitchen gardens. The door was closed but the latch opened, and I slipped silently through.
And was immediately caught around the waist and pulled back against a broad iron chest.
“Well, well, kitty cat, out for a midnight stroll?” His breath was warm in my ear. My stomach plummeted. Gideon.
“Let go of me.” I pulled at the velvet-encased band of steel that had wrapped itself around me.
“Of course, my lady.” In a fluid motion he spun me around and, taking my hand, bowed low over it, his lips touching briefly on the backs of my fingers.
“Allow me to escort you back to the festivities. Your brother will be so relieved that your headache has cleared,” he added drily, his gleaming eyes meeting mine in the moonlight. “And I am relieved that I have not missed the opportunity of a dance.”
He didn’t believe me, not for a moment. What had given me away? Why had he followed me? I didn’t for a moment take his presence here to be mere coincidence.
“Did he send you?”
“Your brother? No, Cat. What reason would he have to think your journey to your room after such a big day would take you via the gardens?”
My mind raced. What possible reason could I give to explain why I was here?
“I wanted to gather some peppermint to make a tea… to help clear my head. “
“Of course you did.”
Why was it every time Gideon said of course, it sounded like he was calling me a liar? I was lying, but that he saw right through me was damned inconvenient.
Well, damn them all. My spine straightened.
“Let me go, Gideon,” I said softly into the night. He knew where I was going. I was suddenly sure of it. That amber gaze missed nothing.
“Don’t do this, kitty cat.” His voice was equally low, the gravel in his tone making my heart sink. Gideon behaved as though he answered to no one, and the only person to whom I had seen him show any loyalty was my brother.
I swayed, unsure if my legs would hold me. Tears sprang unwanted into my eyes and my lower lip trembled. There was no way I could speak without betraying my despair. I took a deep breath to steady myself.
Devyn was waiting. If I didn’t make it to the meeting place, he would come in to look for me. Or would he assume I had come around to their way of seeing things and accepted the inevitable? Everyone was against us. His family, my family, even Devyn himself.
But there was a tiny life inside me that needed a father, and I would give it all the security, and family, and love, that I had never known. Whatever it took. Even if it meant lowering my pride in front of my least favourite Briton.
“Please…” Damn. Despite my best efforts, my voice broke on the word.
Gideon stood unmoved.
“I’ll come back,” I promised.
The door to the kitchen garden opened behind me and I turned at the noise. Marcus stood frozen in the open doorway.
I looked back to see Gideon blink in confusion. It confirmed my long-held belief that he had seen through our pretence, and the fact that Marcus was the one who had come out here to meet me had him stumped.
I couldn’t help the smile that tweaked my lips. Even in my desolation, having got one over on Gideon was gratifying.
“He’s outside already,” I explained.
Gideon’s lips thinned. Seeing Marcus would only have reminded him of the enormous political repercussions of letting me go. Marcus and I were city-born so we were less invested in the political machinations of the Briton world, but Gideon was keenly aware of the shattering impact my union with Devyn would have.
I was messing this up. I could see Gideon’s resolve hardening, his fingers tightening on my hand which he had never released. I had nothing to lose. I pulled his hands to my belly and held it there, revealing the truth that my body had only just begun to share: the bump that sheltered the life that beat inside me.
Gideon’s eyes widened as his hand warmed my abdomen.
“Cat…” he breathed. His eyes glowed hotly at me, nostrils flared as his eyes shuttered. He drew in a controlled breath before lifting his eyes once more to mine.
“What have you done?”
“She was conceived long before any of this. She should
