He raised a hand to the back of his head but stopped short of touching the enormous goose bump there. “It was hair-raising, I must admit. And rather nasty to see a copy of myself coming at me, a rock in his hand.”
“So that’s all you saw—someone who looked just like you?”
“Yes.” Gabriel’s pale face grew a shade whiter at the memory. “And I hardly even saw that. I was kneeling on the floor, scrabbling around for straw for the tinderbox, when I heard that locked door click open. The creature stepped up behind me, and I had only a second’s warning before it slugged me. Not what you’d call a fair fight.”
“No. I’m so sorry. When I asked you to come with me, I never meant for this to happen.”
“I’m just thankful you weren’t hurt,” Gabriel said, reaching for my hand. “Quittle, will you leave us? There’s something I must say to you, Chantress, and to you alone.”
There was a light in Gabriel’s eye that worried me. I tried to extract my hand. “There’s no need for you to go, Quittle. I’m sure you want to keep an eye on your patient.”
But to Quittle, his master’s word was law. He was already slipping out the door.
Gabriel gripped my hand more tightly. “They tell me I almost died, Chantress. And when I went down, do you know what I was thinking of? You.”
I couldn’t look at him. “Gabriel, please.”
He ignored me. “The last time I proposed, you said what you most needed was a good friend, and I’ve done my best to be that. I’ve been patient; I’ve been loyal; I’ve been what you needed me to be. But my mind hasn’t changed. Please tell me I have a chance with you.”
I stopped trying to pull away. There was no getting around this; I would have to face it head-on. It was an honest question, and it deserved an honest answer.
“Gabriel,” I said gently. “I’m sorry, but no.”
He went very still. The other times when I’d refused him, he’d shown great equanimity, even a certain cheerful buoyancy. Was it because of the accident that he looked so confused, so pained?
“I was sure I had a chance this time,” Gabriel murmured.
“I’m sorry,” I said again, and pulled my hand away. He didn’t resist; he still looked dazed. Maybe I ought to find Quittle. I started for the door.
“You do know that Walbrook has gone and chosen someone else, don’t you?” Gabriel said. “I thought that would make a difference.”
My hand faltered on the door. “What?”
“He’s kept it very quiet, I must say,” Gabriel went on. “But I heard it this morning from Lady Clemence’s father, the Earl of Tunbridge himself. They’re working out the marriage contracts now.”
So Nat had made his choice. And he hadn’t wasted any time.
I yanked at the door, desperate to get away.
Gabriel’s voice followed me. “Don’t go, Chantress! Walbrook may not have any sense, but I do. You know I adore you—and your magic, too. And I have more to offer than he does—a time-honored name, a great estate . . .”
“I can’t,” I whispered.
Shaking, I shut the door.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
A QUIET FURY
Fleeing Gabriel, I ran up the stairs, wanting to get as far from everyone and everything as I could. Coming across a tiny room piled high with packing cases, I ducked inside and tried to compose myself.
Nat and Clemence . . .
Was it really true? It would be a hasty engagement, of course. But I knew, better than anyone else, why it might have happened that way. I think you should find someone else. Such foolish words. Yet if Nat could act on them so quickly, then perhaps his heart had never really been mine after all.
Still, maybe matters weren’t quite as advanced as Gabriel believed. Often people took months to negotiate marriage contracts. Indeed, it was even possible that Gabriel had misunderstood the Earl of Tunbridge entirely. I didn’t know the earl myself, but he was said to be a hearty and optimistic man, eager to find a way into the King’s inner circle. Perhaps he was merely trying to promote a match between Clemence and Nat but hadn’t yet actually accomplished it.
Whatever the truth was, I needed to go out and face it. Leaving my bolt-hole, I headed for the main staircase.
I was halfway down it when I saw Nat. He was standing in front of a window just off the landing, smiling down at Clemence,