Aubrey had been denied. It should have been enough for Aubrey to decide it was better to avoid heartache and complication. Lucinda might have allowed fear of scorn from her peers and the lack of her parents’ approval to keep her from clinging to Aubrey.
But none of it had been enough to shake them, and Dominick realized he had no reason to doubt it ever would. Aubrey had taken a chance and it had paid off, no matter how difficult it must have been at times.
Who was to say the same chance wouldn’t pay off for him? He was the one with all the privilege and position in this scenario, for all that he’d squandered it acting like a jackanapes. Like Aubrey, Calliope had everything to lose by choosing him, with the added problem of the gossip and talk that would follow her if she did. But if he could convince her it didn’t have to matter when they had each other, if he could make her feel safe enough to trust him with her heart, her soul, her entire self, they could be happy. They could be together.
He’d never had to fight for anything in his life; not the comforts that were his by right of birth, not his money, not one woman he’d ever desired—for they’d all fallen into his arms as raindrops plummet from the heavens.
But, if he wanted Calliope, he was going to have to fight, and Nick realized with stunning clarity that if he didn’t he’d regret it for the rest of his life.
The stakes were higher than ever now, and he was nearly out of time. But, nothing was final. Calliope’s wedding wasn’t set to begin for another hour. It wasn’t over until she’d spoken her vows.
It isn’t too late …
By the time the short ceremony had ended, the thought had cycled through his mind in an endless circle. He ceased to notice the things happening around him—his feet carrying him outside, the glare of the morning sun peering out from behind the clouds, the scent of coming rain.
There was only the hope he’d let go of, but it came back to him with sudden clarity.
It isn’t too late … but soon, it will be.
His senses rushed back to him at once, urgency overtaking him and propelling him forward before he’d even realized he had made up his mind.
His path loomed before him in sharp focus, the route from here to St. George’s laid out like a map in his mind. He would make it if he hurried. He might even intercept her before she entered the church.
“Nick?”
Benedict’s voice pierced through the determination driving him, but he pressed on. He picked up speed and turned left, eyes peeled for a hackney coach—his best chance of making it to Hanover Square.
A hand hooked into the collar of his coat, and he nearly came off his feet as Benedict dragged him backward. Nick turned and batted the other man’s hands aside, rage rising to tangle with the desperation spurring him. Benedict had tried to sway him before the wedding, and Nick had allowed himself to be subdued. But, no more. He would not be stopped.
“Nick, where the bloody hell are you going?”
“I’m sorry, Ben. I have to go to her.”
“What? Have you lost your mind?”
Frustration washed through him, growing worse with every second that ticked by. “It’s not too late. I have to talk to her, make her understand that I cannot live without her. I can’t simply stand back—”
“It is too late!” Benedict roared as he seemed to forget the crowd pouring out of the church.
“It isn’t too late. There’s still a chance.”
“Don’t be a fool, Nick.”
He took hold of Benedict’s shoulders, giving his friend a rough shake. “I have to try, or I’ll regret it every day for the rest of my life. Can’t you stop being such a cold bastard for one minute and put yourself in my place?”
Benedict’s nostrils flared, his knuckles cracking as he stared at Dominick as if wrestling with the urge to strike him. “I have been in your place. Do you want to know how it turned out? Much the way this is going to end for you.”
Dominick shook his head and began to back away, no longer able to stand here and endure this. There was no time.
“No. No, I don’t accept that.”
He turned and ran, ignoring Benedict’s cries for him to come back. He dodged people on foot as he searched the congested street for a