Chapter 29 #2
“Easy, love, I have you,” Cedric coaxed, rubbing soothing circles into her back as the carriage began to move. “It is all well now. It is done.”
“No,” she croaked, shaking her head as she fought the nausea of her failure, “No, do you not understand? I ruined it. I ruined it all. Every move I made to get my sister back was the wrong one, and now, now I will never get the chance to get her back or restore her reputation!”
Hot tears, fresh and new, spilled down her cheeks.
“You were right,” she gasped, “I led too much with anger. I used to be smart, but my hatred toward him took over, and it ruined everything!”
“No,” Cedric all but snarled as he pulled her back up.
He cupped his hands gently to her cheeks, forcing her to look at him, and shook his head.
“No, you did not,” Cedric insisted. “You had the right start, the right reasons; you just got a little lost along the way. It happens to all of us. But Deborah? You Did. Not. Fail.”
Deborah raised a curious brow as she brushed her tears away.
“How can you possibly say that?” She asked, “After what just happened in there! Sylvester was going to make me disappear just like you said!”
“He did not, though, Deborah, he did not,” Cedric insisted, “And that display just delivered its own sort of justice. He might not end up in prison, but word of what he just did will spread through the underground. He will never be allowed to step foot in a place like that again. Which means he will not be turning out his own girls anymore.”
Deborah’s eyes narrowed.
“What do you mean?” She asked.
Cedric took a breath and turned so he could take both her hands.
“We were wrong about him having a hand in this auction, but he was running one of his own. He was poaching women from this place. Women who were willingly entering were being bought by him, and he was forcing them into a different sort of auction. One where they did not choose to enter and where the men who would purchase them would not let them go. The worst of men with the worst perversions. You stopped that tonight, Deborah.”
Though she still felt guilty for the mess she had made, a sliver of relief worked its way through her heart.
“We have to find them,” she insisted, “Those women. We have to find them and set them free.”
“Godric and I have already done that. Sylvester kept records. One of our spies found them, and we got everyone out,” Cedric explained.
He paused, licking his lips.
“And Deborah? That is not all we found. There were other records. Dozens of women he had tricked the same way he tricked your sister. Twelve of them had children. Not only that, but he is in deep financial trouble, and once we break word off all of this, the seat he has in parliament, which he has barely kept hold of, will be forfeited as well. Once we release this scandal, even if we leave out the auctions, he will lose everything.”
An intense wave of emotion washed over Deborah. She sat back, stunned.
“You did it,” she whispered, “Everything you promised.”
Cedric’s grin was small and charming.
“I told you I would,” he answered softly.
Deborah managed a smile.
“Now all I need to do is find my sister,” she replied. “I can finally bring her home. She will be free!”
Cedric’s grin widened as love shone in his eyes.
“Godric and I found her. She is at the house with Adeline as we speak,” he confessed.
Deborah’s jaw dropped in shock. Then suddenly, the guilt of all she had said to Cedric, all she had accused him of, hit her like a weight, and she gasped as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.
“Oh, Cedric,” she sobbed, “Cedric, I am so sorry! I am so sorry I did not trust you. That I was not patient enough! I was just so used to handling this all on my own, I thought- I thought-”
“Shhh, it is alright,” Cedric whispered, pulling her back into his arms, “Please. Stop, Deborah. You have been carrying all of this weight alone for so long. Just let it go now. Let me take it on for a while.”
“I threatened you with an annulment,” she croaked, fresh guilt washing over her.
“Oh, I know,” Cedric said with a dry chuckle as he held her, “I received the papers.”
Then he pulled her back, just enough to rest his forehead against hers.
“However, Deborah, you must know that seeing those papers woke me up. They made me see the truth that I was trying to deny myself. That you are not just a partner in an agreement. You are a woman I love. That I need. That I will do anything to keep happy and by my side.”
Deborah’s tears poured faster as she tightened her grip on his shoulders and pressed her forehead tighter to his.
“I love you,” she sobbed. “I love Adeline, too. Both of you so, so very much, and after losing Hester, that in itself frightened me.”
“Oh, I know all about that particular kind of fear,” he answered with another dry chuckle. “But I am not going to give into it anymore. I pray you do not either.”
He shifted his head, just enough so that he could kiss her forehead, then lightly her lips.
“You have no idea how much joy it brings me to hear that you love us,” he rasped. “Because we love you so very much in return.”
Deborah sank deeper into his embrace, relieved to hear him say such words.
“I do love you,” Deborah whispered, then brushed a soft kiss over his lips once, twice. “I do so very much.”
Cedric let out a heavy sigh of relief, and the two of them melted into one another. For a long moment, they rode in silence, reveling in the feel of one another’s embrace. Then suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, excitement shot through Deborah’s veins, making her stiffen and sit up.
“What is it?” Cedric asked worriedly.
“My sister,” she breathed, her heart pounding heavily in her chest, “My sister is waiting for us?”
Cedric’s worried look shifted into a wide grin.
“She is, my Love,” he said with a nod. “It took a while, but Godric and I found her. And it was Adeline that convinced her to come with us.” He paused, chuckling.
“I must say, the two are getting along quite well. I think it would be best that Hester stayed with us for a while, until she feels up to being on her own, I mean.”
Happiness shot through Deborah’s chest as she let out a burst of laughter. Not only had Cedric found her sister, but he was willing to let her stay with them?
“You are a wonderful man,” she sighed, leaning in to kiss his lips. He met her eagerly, his kiss sending those usual jolts of desire through her veins.
“And you are an incredible woman,” he murmured between kisses, his stroking fingers sending heat straight to her core.
Then, with a groan, he pulled back, pressed his forehead to the carriage window pane, and closed his eyes.
“What is wrong?” Deborah asked, touching his shoulder.
Cedric’s eyes snapped open, showing off that growing desire in his dark pools as a wicked smirk drew across his lips.
“You have no idea how much I missed you these last several days. Trust when I say that I plan to show you exactly just how much,” he said in a wickedly seductive tone as the carriage came to a stop outside their London home.
Excitement burst through Deborah’s chest as she saw the familiar house and once more thought of who was waiting for her inside.
She took Cedric’s hand as he offered it, and he helped her out of the carriage.
“First, though, there is another reunion that must take place,” he said as he walked with her toward the front door, “And I am certainly not going to make you wait another second for it.”