Eventually, he reached the point where he was going to have to explore her more intimately. He brought his hand to the patch of curls between her legs. She parted her legs for him, and he was pleasantly surprised to note how wet she was. This would make entry easy. He slid a finger into her. She was warm and soft. He was definitely going to enjoy being in there. Since she urged him to put another finger into her, he did, and he was rewarded with a moan. She lifted her hips, an action which allowed him to explore her more deeply. Then she began to move so that his fingers were sliding partly out of her before going back in. Now, this was even more intriguing. He wondered what would happen if he stroked her in earnest. He proceeded to do just that, and he was delighted when her groans grew louder.

  Her fingernails dug into his arms. “Keep going,” she whispered. “Don’t stop.”

  He wouldn’t dare stop. Not when she was this aroused. He slid another finger into her. She was a little tight, but as he kept stroking her, she loosened up. And soon, she was moving with great abandon and voicing her pleasure. He couldn’t help but join her. This was the most exciting thing he’d ever experienced. When she let out a sharp cry, she grew still, and her body clenched around his fingers. Her fingernails dug further into his arms as she rode out the waves of pleasure. She’d found completion. And he was glad he’d been able to give that to her.

  After she relaxed, he knelt between her legs and entered her. He closed his eyes and groaned. She felt even better than he’d expected. He slid partly out of her then went back in. He then repeated the action. He wanted to go slow. This exquisite torment was much better than taking care of things himself. He wanted to prolong it for as long as he could. But his body was too urgent for release, and a lifetime of celibacy was catching up to him. He managed a couple more thrusts before he released his seed into her. He stilled and gasped. He hadn’t been prepared for it to be this intense. At the moment, there was nothing else in this world than this sensation. And then, slowly, the intensity ebbed, and he was finally aware of everything that was around him again.

  He collapsed in her arms. He’d never been more at peace in his entire life. He felt so good that he could hardly move. So he didn’t. He remained in her embrace for quite some time, just enjoying how relaxed he felt.

  “Am I hurting you by being on top of you?” he asked once he got his strength back.

  She chuckled. “No. I feel wonderful.”

  He lifted his head and looked down at her. He brushed her cheek with his fingers and returned her smile. “I feel wonderful, too. I had no idea being in bed with a lady could be this good. Not that I’ve ever been with a lady, but this was much nicer than I expected.”

  “It was good for me, too.”

  “Good.”

  He lowered his head and kissed her. He would have stayed in bed with her for the rest of the day if he didn’t have her safety and concern to worry about. Yes, he had married her, and now the marriage was consummated, but as long as the Duke of Winnett was out there, his job wasn’t done.

  “I hate to leave, but I need to go to the blacksmith,” he reluctantly told her. “If the Duke of Winnett is watching, I need him to think we still need to get married.”

  “Why does that matter? He can’t prevent the marriage anymore. You have the paper in your pocket to prove it. I understand why you arranged for the wedding to take place in the clothing shop, but why do more?”

  “I need to pull him out of the shadows. I want to arrest him before we return to London. I want you to lock the door when I leave. Then keep watch over the window. If you see someone climbing a ladder to get to this window, run down to the innkeeper.” He gave her another kiss. “I want to make sure you’re safe. You’ll be careful for me, won’t you?”

  She smiled. “I will. I’ll follow your instructions.”

  “With any luck, this is the day I’ll catch him. Then we can stop worrying about him and be able to focus on us.” He kissed her again, and this time he let his lips linger on hers.

  This was getting ridiculous. He might be new to being in love—and he was certainly thrilled she was receptive to his advances—but he had to catch the duke. He had to do it for her, and, to a lesser extent, he had to do it for any future victims.

  With a sigh, he rolled off of her and stood up. “I’ll order the innkeeper to bring up a meal for you before I head out. I know it’s still early, but I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

  She sat up in the bed. “I hope it’s not too long. I like being with you.”

  He offered her a grin while he collected his clothes. “I like being with you, too. A lot, in fact. You remember the code words I gave you to let you know when it’s really me on the other side of that door?” He gestured to the door in their room.

  “Robin redbreast.”

  He nodded. “It’s nice you have a good memory.” Unable to resist the urge, he gave her another kiss before he managed to gather enough willpower to finally get dressed and leave the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It was an hour after he had gone to the blacksmith, and Byron still didn’t see any signs of the Duke of Winnett. After going to the blacksmith, he had returned to the inn. Then he snuck out a side exit and made his way to the place where the carriages were kept. The small window along the wall gave him an ideal view of the front of the inn and the window of the room Eleanor was in.

  There were people milling about. About six had gone into the inn. Byron made sure to hide himself whenever the coachmen and innkeeper’s staff put the carriages in this building. The horses went to the livery stable. This building was the ideal place to wait for the Duke of Winnett since, for the most part, it was free of people.

  Unfortunately, a hiding spot did no good if Byron wasn’t able to catch the person he wanted. He resisted the urge to utter a curse word. It was possible this was a waste of time. Maybe the duke hadn’t followed him and Eleanor out of London. Maybe the duke had already turned his attention to some other lady.

  Byron rubbed the back of his neck. If he had to spend a significant amount of time keeping watch over the duke when he got back to London, he was going to have to take another loan from Eris to cover food and rent until he could take a paying job. He just could not, in all good conscience, allow the duke to roam free. If the duke was allowed to get away with the incidents he pulled on Eleanor, there was no telling what he’d do to someone else.

  Something splintered then cracked in one of the carriages. Without thinking, Byron turned in the direction of the sound. His eyebrows furrowed. He wasn’t sure, but it seemed like that sound came from his carriage. He gave another glance out the window. Nothing of interest was happening out there. He didn’t see any signs of the Duke of Winnett. His gaze swept the building he was in. It was cluttered with carriages. It was possible he wasn’t alone.

  Byron softly made his way over to the carriage he and Eleanor had been using. He had inspected the carriage earlier that day, and he remembered that all of the wheels had been in good shape. Now he saw that the front right wheel was cracked. The crack started at the top and went to the center. Byron frowned. Someone had tampered with this wheel after he and Eleanor checked into the inn. And he bet he knew exactly who had done it.

  He stopped walking around the carriage and glanced around. What if the duke wasn’t after Eleanor? What if the duke was after him? Up to now, Byron had been so worried about Eleanor that he had neglected to consider that, by being betrothed to Eleanor, he had put himself in harm’s way. The duke might still want to kidnap her, but he maybe intended to frame it as a rescue.

  With Byron alone in this building, the duke could come up with any story he wanted. And Byron and the duke both knew that Eleanor’s father wouldn’t believe her. Her father would believe whatever story the duke came up with.

  Byron was too exposed. He was between his carriage and another one. That left him closer to the middle of the building than was safe. The safest place was along the wall or, perhaps, inside a carriage. No doubt, the duke was somewhere that was hard to find. Since Byron couldn’t look in all directions at once, that put him at a disadvantage. The duke knew where he was, but Byron didn’t know where the duke was.

  Byron gritted his teeth. He couldn’t believe he had been stupid enough to fall for this trap. After sixteen years of being a Runner, he should know better than to run over to a carriage just because he heard a sound come from it. He glanced in windows of the carriages on his left and right. No one was in them. The carriages weren’t exactly close to each other, but they did give him some cover. It was the only reason why the duke hadn’t come at him yet.

  Byron felt like a fool. The duke had figured out what he was doing all along, and he realized Byron was going to come out here to wait for him to go to the inn. Byron took a moment to gather his bearings. This wasn’t over yet. The duke was in here, and that gave Byron a chance to get him. He just needed to anticipate the duke’s next move. If he was the duke, where would he be hiding?

  The carriages weren’t lined up in any sort of order, but their arrangement wasn’t haphazard, either. The staff had put each carriage in a position where any of them could be retrieved without having to move another carriage out of its way. That left a sort of maze. So really, any direction was open to the duke.

  However…

  While the average criminal might hide behind a carriage, hiding under one would be a move most people wouldn’t expect.

  Byron looked down just in time to see a hand reach out from the carriage on his left. He lifted his foot before the duke could grab his ankle. Then he dropped to his knees and peered under the carriage. The duke grunted and moved back so that he was no longer under the carriage.

  Byron jumped to his feet and ran around the carriage. The duke was just making it to his feet. Byron knocked the knife out of the duke’s hand. Before the duke had time to grab the weapon, Byron leapt at him. The two went toppling into another carriage. The duke made an attempt to punch Byron. Byron dodged his fist.

  The duke might be skilled when it came to planning things, but, thankfully, he wasn’t adept at physical combat. And that gave Byron the advantage. Byron grabbed the duke by the lapels of his jacket and threw him to the ground. Byron pinned him to the ground so he couldn’t get away and then forced him onto his stomach. The duke tried to wiggle out from under him, but Byron used the bulk of his weight on the man’s back so his efforts were in vain.

  Byron waited until the duke stopped fighting before he retrieved the handcuffs from his pocket. He grabbed the duke’s hands and cuffed them together. Out of breath, he rose to his feet then helped the duke up.

  “It’s just my luck you’re as good as they said,” the duke grumbled.

  Byron supposed he should enjoy the compliment, but he was too relieved to acknowledge it. The only thing he cared about was that he had finally caught the duke. And now the duke wouldn’t pose a threat to anyone, especially Eleanor, ever again. Releasing his breath, he led the duke out of the building.

  ***

  “We were shocked when we heard the news of your elopement with Byron,” Tara said as she picked up her cup of tea. “But the greatest shock came when we heard that the Duke of Winnett followed you two to Gretna Green and tried to kill Byron so he could marry you.”

  Eleanor took a sip of her tea. She and Byron had only been back in London for a day. The last thing she expected was for Tara, Stacey, and Heather to pay her a visit. She had assumed they wouldn’t want to associate with her anymore since her financial and social position had gone down considerably. Not that she minded it. She preferred her newfound love with Byron. She now had a place where she belonged, and he was turning out to be an attentive husband. Just that morning before he went to a judge to discuss the situation with the Duke of Winnett, he had brought her some flowers and some parchment so she could write if she got bored.

  As soon as she received a request from Tara to visit, she was too nervous to do anything beyond tidy up the place. The flowers Byron had given her in Gretna Green were hanging upside down in the bedroom. They were almost dried out completely. Once done, she planned to put them out in the main room in a vase. Her gaze went to the fresh flowers on the center of the table before she turned her attention back to the three ladies, who were looking expectantly at her.

  “The Duke of Winnett didn’t love me,” Eleanor finally said. “He only wanted my father’s money.”

  “We know,” Heather spoke up. “Word is that you had calling cards from gentlemen that got intercepted by someone the duke hired. We don’t know the man’s name, but we heard he’s with the judge giving his confession.”

  Stacey nodded. “It turned out that the Duchess of Ashbourne’s lessons paid off. Are you sorry you didn’t get a chance to marry someone with a title or money?”

  Eleanor shook her head. “No, I’m very happy with Byron. I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Heather replied. “We ought to all have love matches.”

  Stacey chuckled. “Piers is relieved you married him. He was afraid you were going to end up with someone else because he noticed all of the attention you were getting at the balls. He even went to Byron to help him woo you.”

  “Did he really?” Heather asked.

  “He did.” Stacey sipped her tea. “Now that we all know Byron was never really her suitor, I think it’s funny Piers pestered him so much.”

  “I think it’s romantic that Byron was only pretending to be your suitor but he fell in love with you,” Heather commented.

  Tara smiled. “It is romantic.”

  Heather’s eyebrows rose in interest. “What about you, Eleanor? When did you realize you loved him?”

  Eleanor wasn’t quite sure. The progression from being annoyed with him to thinking he was all right to falling in love with him had happened gradually. But, if she had to pinpoint one defining moment, she supposed it would be that night at the inn when she had woken up from sleep and talked to him. “He promised me the one thing I’ve always wanted,” she said. “He told me he would give me a place to belong.” She glanced around the room. “And he told me how he decided to become a Runner. All of it made me feel close to him. Before then, he just seemed to be doing his job to protect me. But during that conversation, I felt like I was more than a job to him.”

  The three ladies smiled in a way that let her know they were satisfied with the answer.

  Eleanor hesitated to ask the question that was pressing on her mind. They had come by to visit, and they were being nice. Obviously, they weren’t ashamed of her. If they had been, they never would have come to visit her. But did that mean they still wanted to be friends with her?

  “I hope you don’t think I’m speaking out of turn,” Eleanor began, “but I was wondering how my membership in Ladies of Grace will be affected by recent events.”

  Stacey and Heather looked at Tara, so Tara answered, “We gave this matter a lot of thought. You are a lady, so your ability to choose your future is limited. We understand that it’s the gentlemen around us who have the ultimate say in what happens to us. Stacey, Heather, and I don’t feel it’s fair to punish you for something you had no control over.”

  “Yes, but I did run to Byron’s home without a chaperone,” Eleanor pointed out. “I didn’t understand the consequences of that decision.”

  “I’m guessing you panicked when your father agreed to a marriage between you and the Duke of Winnett, am I right?” Tara asked.

  Eleanor nodded.

  “We don’t do our best thinking when we panic,” Tara said. “I talked briefly with the Duke of Winnett once. I didn’t care for him. He reminds me a lot of my brother. If I had been you, I might have panicked, too.”

  “Byron is much better than him,” Heather interrupted. “We realize that.”

  “I wasn’t trying to marry Byron when I came here,” Eleanor protested. “I was only trying to get him to stop the marriage between me and the Duke of Winnett.”

  Heather giggled. “And you succeeded.”

  Eleanor’s face warmed, but Tara hurried to assure her, “We realize you didn’t intend for things to happen the way they did. If your father hadn’t followed you here, you probably wouldn’t have had to go to Gretna Green. That’s why we figure your father is the one who forced you into this situation. As I said earlier, ladies have little control over what happens to them. I don’t think it’s fair to fault you for that.”

  Eleanor relaxed. At least they understood she hadn’t been using her feminine wiles to get out of marrying the duke.

  “You still have all of your gowns, don’t you?” Stacey asked.

  “I do,” Eleanor replied.

  “So you can dress appropriately to events.” Stacey turned her gaze to Tara. “Everyone in London doesn’t keep track of everything a person does. We can slip her into some activities without arousing someone’s suspicion.”

  “We can,” Tara said then turned her attention back to Eleanor. “The Tittletattle has been quiet on what has happened to you. The news floating around London is all about the Duke of Winnett and how he sabotaged your Season. All that’s said about you is that you married Byron, and all that’s said about Byron is that he’s the Runner who put His Grace in prison. I doubt most people are aware of Byron’s financial situation. I had no idea where he even lived until news of your elopement developed. I went to visit your father to find out where your new residence was going to be. I doubt anyone else will care enough to find you.”

  In that case, Eleanor supposed it was good she was mostly an unknown lady the whole time she was in London. Only a few people knew her. Only a few cared enough to find out what happened to her.

  “You’re still a member of the group,” Tara said. “We just won’t mention your financial standing to anyone, and you’ll wear your expensive clothes to social events like Byron did. No one will be the wiser.”