My Lady Series Bundle by Shirl Anders Page B

wilted."
    "Affairs," Drummond murmured as he nuzzled Gabriella's cheek. "As in loving my lady until her knees are weak?"
    "As in that," Gabriella agreed with a smile, while Drummond seated himself in the chair with her in his lap.
    "We shall simply have to salvage, madame," Drummond advised her as he leaned forward to take a cover from one of the dishes. "And, I am so weak you shall have to feed me," he finished looking down to investigate his find. "Apricot tarts! Kitten, how did you know?" Drummond exclaimed, with a deep purr of pleasure.
    "I remember, Drummond," Gabriella replied sweetly.
    Drummond turned his gaze to Gabriella. "You remembered," he barely whispered. He was touched.
    "Everything, Drummond. Every detail," Gabriella replied, kissing his cheek.
    "Lord, Gabriella." Drummond hugged Gabriella to him fiercely. "I do also. Everything . . . through all these years." He swallowed hard. "I just could never fathom why you..." Drummond stopped at the tightening in his throat.
    "Oh, Drummond," Gabriella exclaimed softly. "Drummond, I must tell you, I can see that." She embraced him tightly. "We were so wronged, my love," she finished in a whisper.
    Drummond tightened his arms around Gabriella as he nuzzled his face into her hair. "Then, we shall eat while you tell me the story, my love."
    "Yes, Drummond, I will tell you all of it."
    The story of events Gabriella told was considerably short for all the wealth of sordidness it contained, Drummond thought sometime later as he lay on the bed. Gabriella had simply cried herself to sleep, tightly embraced in his arms. It seemed that no amount of assurances on his part could completely wipe away the guilt that she wrongly harbored. All over events that had taken place twenty-five years before . . . nearly to this day.
    Did Gabriella remember that, Drummond wondered gazing down at her, sprawled comfortably across his chest? Of course she did, he admonished himself angrily. What woman could neglect to remember being raped . . . no matter how long ago it had been? Still, he could barely fathom it. Gabriella had been raped these many years ago by her only other suitor at the time, Reginald. She had been ravished in her own bedchamber in the dead of night. She had screamed, but no one had come. Of course not! Reginald had, had the key.
    Gabriella had not revealed that piece of information to him, he had heard Reginald say it. Then there was Gabriella's father— that sick, sly, old bastard. Had he hated Drummond's suit of his daughter that much? It appeared so. At the time Drummond had only been the second son to a duke, not as fine a prospect as Reginald, who was the first son of an earl.
    Greed? Could it all have been for greed, Drummond wondered? Greed of power and of position. He did not know yet, but he would. He would know every detail before he was finished and perhaps then allow this crime to rest. Possibly and nearly certainly he would find things even Gabriella did not know about because he now shared the guilt completely, even though he had not known of it for twenty-five years.
    However, that was the point, wasn't it! How could he not have questioned Gabriella's sudden changing of affections those many years ago? How could he not have been more positive of their love and fought harder as a man convinced of that love? Nay, Gabriella had nothing to feel guilty for!

Chapter Nineteen
    G abriella sighed happily. It had been nearly two weeks since she had confessed about the rape to Drummond and she need not have worried so, because these two weeks had become the happiest weeks of her life. At first she had been a bit surprised by Drummond's reaction, because he had not again mentioned the betrayal, nor had he mentioned it in all the two weeks past. Which was glorious with her, for she was living completely in the moment with no uncomfortable past or uncertain future.
    Oh heavens, and what glorious now's they had been. She was discovering, much to her secret and unrepentant