Page 46 of Dared By a Lyon
Alice explained the details of what Lord Pervis and his sister did to Ashlyn.
“Thank goodness Lord Ravensthorpe was there to stop that nasty Lord Pervis from his dark and nefarious intent, or whoknows what could have happened to my mistress? But what is equally as evil is how Lady Paula sought to harm my mistress, searching her room for something that could ruin her reputation, especially in the eyes of Lord Ravensthorpe. The fact that Lady Paula was so gleeful in tearing out pages and passing them around makes me wonder who these people are. If my mistress had known how evil that family was, we would have stayed in London.”
Lady Ravensthorpe leaned back in the seat, shaking her head, her eyes filled with tears. “Your diary contained your most private thoughts…”
“Yes,” Ashlyn replied, a lump of sadness overwhelming her, momentarily rendering her speechless.
“My dear girl.” The countess reached out and grasped Ashlyn’s hand. “I am so sorry you had to endure such vileness. I have known Lady Ashbourne for many years, and while she has indulged the whims of her children time and again, I had no idea that they had grown up to be such horrible people. We have been in mourning for the past several years, first Gabriel’s father and then… Well, you know the rest. I had no idea what monsters Lady Paula and her brother had turned into.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, my lady,” Ashlyn whispered. “It is I who must beg your forgiveness for withholding the truth of my own identity.”
Lady Ravensthorpe shook her head. “You never withheld the truth of who you were inside,” she whispered, patting her heart. “The rest of it I can well understand, given the circumstances.”
Ashlyn gave her a tremulous smile as she dabbed at her tears with the handkerchief that Alice had placed in her hand on the carriage ride back to Ravenswood. “My lady, I still cannot face him—”
“Where is she, Higgins?”
Ashlyn gasped as she heard his voice outside the room. But Lady Ravensthorpe gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“Have Mr. Grimes collect Demon. He’s in a lather from the ride.”
“They are in the drawing room, my lord,” Higgins said.
Ashlyn had no time to prepare herself for the thunderous vision of the tall, striking man who stormed into the drawing room. His dark hair was plastered to his forehead, and he still wore his long leather overcoat. He nodded at his mother before turning to Ashlyn.
Standing before her, so tall and broad shouldered, Gabriel reminded Ashlyn of the Vikings of lore.
He held out his hand. “Come. Take a walk with me,” he said in a deep rumble.
Swallowing her nerves, Ashlyn put her hand in his and followed him outside, stepping into the garden. They took a seat on the stone bench near the honeysuckle vine.
“Talk to me.”
And she did. She told him everything. Leaving nothing out…
Gabriel listened toAshlyn’s story. Her extraordinary violet eyes were so full of sorrow and regret as she told him everything.
“I knew the short version of what had happened. Your cousin and her parents showed up at the party—you probably passed them on the road,” he said as she dabbed at her eyes. He had the urge to kiss each tear away, but there would be plenty of time for that later. He wanted her to unburden herself. “And let me tell you, your cousin has a tough right hand. She’d give Gentleman Jackson a run for his money.” Gabriel explained what Elizabeth had done to Lady Paula and the choice words she’d used.
Ashlyn covered her mouth as she let out a half sob, half laugh. “That sounds like something Elizabeth would do on my behalf. She is like the sister of my heart.”
Gabriel nodded. He understood. His own sister, Olivia, had felt that way about his fiancée, Juliet. Just as Lord Pervis was the embodiment of the worst of men, Lady Paula was the embodiment of the worst of women.
“Tell me your name,” he said softly. He wanted to hear how she pronounced her own name.
“My name is Ashlyn March. I am the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Robert March. My mother, Susanne, is the younger sister of Mr. William Vickers, Elizabeth’s father. Whom you met as well. We are a close-knit family.”
“I must say you and your cousin could be identical twins. I’ve never seen anything like it in cousins. You look so much alike.” He grinned.
“Yes, we’ve been told that our entire lives. I’m afraid it led to quite a few mishaps in our childhood.”
“I can imagine,” he said. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Ashlyn March,” he said before he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Ashlyn breathed out a delicate sigh. And it made him think about other ways he wanted to make her sigh…
“But what happened between Elizabeth and Matteo, the Italian artist?” Ashlyn asked, her fine, delicate brows arched in question.
“Well, she said that she caught her maid, Rose, in a compromising position with Matteo the night before she was to take her vows with him. She left him to return here. The storms slowed her down,” he said.
