difficult time thinking of anything else until I knew Nick was safe. Besides, I have my ways of making it up to her.”
This was met by much nudging of elbows and knowing looks between the courtesans, and flushing cheeks from Calliope. He inclined his head at her in a gracious gesture before turning to depart.
Hugh followed close behind, mentioning that his wife would want to know the outcome of the duel. He took David with him, offering to carry the other man home in his carriage.
That left only Benedict, who stood staring at Nick’s sleeping form for a moment before he looked to her.
“You and I don’t know one another, but Nick clearly loves you, so I will put aside my reservations over the manner of your union and congratulate you instead.”
“I understand. I’ve had reservations myself, but … my decision feels right. I cannot say I regret it, and I hope he will not, either.”
He smiled, but the expression held no joy. He struck her as a rather forlorn figure, his eyes deadened and unfocused as he looked away from her and stared across the room.
“He’s been my friend a long time. I wasn’t surprised when the others came to me claiming to be in love and wanting to be turned loose. But, Nick … he was the last one I ever thought to lose. I always thought it would be he and I left in the end. But, people never stop taking me by surprise. You must be something special, to have snared him so completely.”
The gruffness in his tone did little to mask his clear disappointment, though Calliope could not fully understand it. Instead of being happy that his friend had found love, he almost seemed to mourn his loss, as if marriage and a new life would end their friendship for good.
“Benedict—”
“He’s a complicated man, but a good one. He doesn’t think much of himself, but I know you can encourage him. Don’t let him near the gaming hells, and send for me if he ever takes up wagering again. His father will not accept you—you should know that. But his mother loves him, and she will only be glad he is happy. His sister is a gem, so you can expect to find an ally in her. But, his siblings all have their own lives, and the earl makes it difficult for him to be close to his mother. You are his family now. Take care of him.”
She edged back toward the bed to rest a hand on Nick’s shoulder. He slept, oblivious to what went on around him.
“I will,” she vowed, hoping he heard in her words the earnestness of her heart. “I promise.”
Benedict nodded as if satisfied, then took his leave, closing the door behind him with a quiet click. Calliope sank down onto the mattress beside Nick, careful not to jostle him.
Running her fingers through his hair, she smiled, finding him utterly adorable in sleep.
“And I promise you, my darling … nothing will ever come between us again.”
Dominick awakened to find Calliope curled against his uninjured side. Despite the dull throb of his wound, he felt better than he had in months, happy and secure in the knowledge that she was his. The duel with Lewes had been a nasty bit of business, but a necessary one. He expected Calliope to dress him down for deloping, but it had been the right thing to do. Lewes was guilty of nothing more than being a fortune hunter who had chosen the wrong heiress. Nick could have easily killed or wounded him, but had understood the necessity of shouldering the blame—after all, he had stolen the man’s bride right out from under him. Lewes had been owed recompense and Nick had delivered. His body would heal, but his heart would never have recovered from the loss of Calliope.
He glanced down at her, finding her head resting on his chest, hair streaming behind her in a dark braid across the pillow. She slept peacefully, the sleeve of a white night rail peeking at him from where the coverlet rested over her shoulder. The room he lay in was unfamiliar, so he supposed he must still be in Hastings House, where he remembered being carried after the surgeon had stitched him up and sent him on his way. He wrapped one arm around her and gave her a little squeeze, wincing at the pain even so small a movement sent through his torso.