Dare To Love Read online

  The Duke stood up slowly from her side and raked his hands through his black mane, “Do you remember me?”

  Gwendolyn surveyed the room, then eyed the stranger again. A wave of confusion passed through her. She instantly recognized her surroundings, but she did not want to know this man. The noble standing before her was a cryptic version of a hallucination brought to life. She gazed deep into his eyes and felt a twinge of reality. “I—It is not possible.”

  The Duke sat down on the edge of the chair next to her. “What is not possible?”

  “Hollinger?

  “Yes.”

  “Jordan?”

  He shook his head, “No Gwendolyn, it is me, Thomas, but you used to call me Tommy.”

  What! She stood up immediately and began backing away from him. “Bu—but, your dead. I saw him—the ocean crept over the ship and took Tommy with the surge—” Gwendolyn stopped short and held her hand over her mouth. It could not be…it just could not be…this man…this disturbing man was Tommy?

  Thomas continued to keep his distance. “I survived Gwendolyn.” Within seconds, deep subdued emotions began to stir and Thomas quickly governed his reaction from being so close to his memories. “I cannot believe you are alive. It was understood that Gwendolyn Drummond expired on the ship with the others.”

  “And I believed Tommy Hollinger died in the ocean.”

  Thomas nodded his head, “Dear God, what madness is this?”

  Gwendolyn swung around and began to pace the floor then eyed his body up and down, disbelieving his existence. “You do not look the same; I thought you were your brother.”

  Thomas pulled up from the chair and glided towards the window. Looking through its pane, he watched his guests slowly emerge the estate lawns. He contemplated the uncertainty of it all. Right, wrong— wrong, right. He did know he resembled his elder brother, hating his reflection each time he passed a mirror, wishing to be an individual, settling for a shared identicalness.

  He turned back to Gwendolyn—she was not the same either; grown into some curvy female. He brought his eyes downward up her svelte frame. In her simple blue-black pelisse, she was a little taller, her cheeks were flushed now, her neck, still willowy, her bosoms…oh heaven help him, as he slightly turned around…she was flawlessness enhanced. She was absolutely beautiful, beautiful and pleased each one of his senses. Feeling a bit besieged from so many moving attacks, Thomas cleared his throat and continued to distance himself from her. Being in the same room with her, adjacent to the girl he shared his first kiss, brought forth buried sexual desire.

  Gwendolyn watched him back away and lean against a desk, crossing his boots in unison with his arms across his chest. Confident and assured, this invader was another person all together, she realized. Handsome in detail, the man was delightfully put together in a sinful sort of way. Her heart began to trip over as soon as she viewed him more clearly. His hair was still an unruly mop of black curls, longer than she had remembered, but the weights of it seem to tame the waves into precision. His nose was still straight, but now had a proud stint to it resting on his tempting mouth. Good Lord, his chiseled jawbone and thick throat were text book besides. It was in his stare, in those light green eyes of his, which caused her to believe it was really her childhood friend. Those heavenly lashed eyes could always take over her sense of certainty. His appearance was just an added bonus to what she used to know of the boy. He was so inviting to look at now; it was challenging for her to even look away. Her close scrutiny of his physique however, caused the raider to offer her a most sensuous grin.

  “Do I attain your endorsement?”

  Even his smugness surprised her! Gwendolyn was simply amazed by the radical change from the quiet, reserved boy she used to know. She stepped away from him, unexpectedly feeling the urge to wrap her arms around his neck and never letting go. “You,” she sighed heavily with the consideration, “Have changed, that’s all.”

  “So have you.”

  “All these years Tommy—”

  “It’s Thomas now,” he corrected her without a beat.

  Gwendolyn smiled, “Thomas, yes,” and beamed again, “All these years and we never knew?” Persistent giggling on her part suddenly turned into laughter as Gwendolyn clutched her stomach in distress.

  “I do not see the humor in this Gwendolyn, if anything, I see a cruel joke.”

  “Yes,” she agreed, erasing her smile, “It has been most unpleasant.”

  Thomas tilted his head and stared at her again, “Where have you been?” He asked, agitated all of a sudden. “That manor has been vacant for the past ten years. Last I heard the sale of it was suspended in probate.”

  “In Yorkshire, Kettlewell to be exact, with my Great-Aunt,” Gwendolyn softly voiced, thinking about her Great-Aunts demise.

  “She is…she has passed on recently.”

  Thomas’ mouth slowly opened, “I am sorry to hear that, I had no idea you had other living relatives…In Yorkshire, you say? I never thought—”

  “She was estranged,” Gwendolyn cut in, recognizing his vagueness, “My grandmother’s sister. My father’s aunt, they never spoke…and you? You have been here all along? In the home that you grew up?”

  “I was in Bristol for awhile and then just recently back.” Thomas then felt anxiety fully engulf him, “Did you…did you remarry?”

  Gwendolyn stared into his heartrending focus, “No,” she pronounced walking backwards away from him again, “But I am engaged to married. And you…are about to remarry as well?”

  Thomas’ throat closed up, “Yes.” He was taken-back; both twenty-six years of age now…and both waited ten years to make that commitment again?

  Gwendolyn roamed over to one of the windows and looked out at the beautiful lawn she once ran races on. Focusing on her reflection from within, she noticed the faces that glared back down at her. Quickly turning her head, she eyed the family portraits on the wall; individual paintings of his mother, father, brothers, and then finally one of him. He was young; the boy in an earlier period, her Tommy, not the stranger who stood before her looking every bit identical to his senior brother, the portrait at this moment she could not stop staring at. She turned to look at the younger depiction yet again, oh why had not she seen it before? He was eye-catching even at his young age! It was only a matter of time he would turn into the charming gentleman he now was.

  “Thomas…” Gwendolyn asked seriously now, “…How did we get to this position?”

  Thomas directed his senses and cleared his throat. “There was a bounty on my father’s life,” he confessed quietly, recalling what he knew. “Unbeknownst to the family, the Junia stole from a pirate ship and all who bore the name Hollinger was supposed to die.”

  “Supposed to die?”

  “Haven’t you ever wondered what happened that night?”

  “Yes, of course, I have nightmares to this day,” Gwendolyn pronounced without delay.

  “Our entire family vanished.”

  “Wh—What happened?”

  His menacing gaze only fed her dread. “At first light, one and all were instructed to get dressed, and then forced up deck; everyone, half asleep when the murderers came aboard. They were all tied up and gagged,” he voiced eerily, staring into nowhere, “The storm simply a backdrop to a sadistic offense.”

  Gwendolyn was in shock and hesitantly sat down on the sofa. “And we eluded them, how?”

  “By some grace of God, the pirates left us alone. They were not even aware we were in the Great Cabin,” Thomas said matter-of-factly, closing his eyes with the haunting realization. “Only our families…one by one, each of them, dropped into the ocean…to their deaths.”

  “H—how, do you know all this?”

  “Captain Porter,” he voiced plainly. “On his death bed, he confessed the pirate Red Retropé was responsible.”

  “Oh dear God…and the threat?”

  “No longer valid.”

  Gwendolyn crossed her arms under her bosom.
“Oh my mother, my brother, my poor family…and you? What happened to you? How did you manage to survive?”

  “I was pressed under the sea,” Thomas jarringly recalled, “Brushed under the violent current to calm water. I remembered thinking how peaceful it was there, dark, like the night…I’m a good swimmer, you know that,” he stopped short and met her stare. “I swam under the tide, then up towards the lighter water. When I hit the surface, a crippling undercurrent threw my body into something solid. I reached and grabbed for it, realizing that I had been thrown into a crate. I climbed aboard and held on for dear life…”

  “…I was so distraught,” Gwendolyn recalled quietly, “…I ran to the edge of the sheer. I could not see you…could not find you, and the wind pushed me backwards. I began to cry in my lap when I felt someone grab me from behind. Ralph, Captain Porter’s first mate, picked me up and brought me to a lifeboat. We managed to outlast the continued waves until a few hours later we happened upon a British ship who took us aboard…Oh God, why did this happen?”

  Gwendolyn rushed to the doorway and Thomas caught her exit. Gently closing the door in front of her, his significant body hovered over hers in a protective cocoon. “Calm yourself Gwendolyn,” he whispered just outside her ear. “Let me take care of this.” A whiff of lemon-zest from her hair unexpectedly invaded his senses. Her skirt, brushing up against his thighs, caused his arousal to awaken. Tantalizing deliberations ran through his blood. With both arms on either side of her he could have easily swung her around and properly received her…but he let his arms descend and released his caged embrace.

  Making matters worse, Gwendolyn turned around and bore into his eyes. Her wistful expression weakened his assuredness, he wanted to possess her…grab her…taste her…shake her senseless. Doesn’t she realize he would have died for her? Inch, by every dissatisfying inch, he backed away.

  Thomas and Gwendolyn held each other’s intent. Gwendolyn wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and cry with relief; the feeling was so tremendous, her heart pounded recklessly with the deliberation. Thomas swiftly encircled his eyes across her lovely face; he wanted to buss his lips across her throat, feel her quiver underneath him in contact, he wanted her so much; his very breath was being sucked from his lungs.

  Mary…she thought finally. She looked so much like her father and he wasn’t even aware! Gwendolyn searched Thomas’ eyes for further closeness and when she found it in abundance, she voiced, “Thomas… there is something you should know—”

  “We simply cannot wait at port any longer Thomas; we must know who the woman is,” Henry exclaimed, startling the twosome out of further intimacy.

  One by one, the huntsmen entered. Gwendolyn was so overwhelmed from her entire surroundings, she found herself alone by the window again, watching the amused group unaffected by what just happened.

  “I tried to keep them entertained, but all my jokes were already familiar,” Devin quipped, meeting eyes with Gwendolyn.

  “Please introduce me to this exquisite creature.”

  Gwendolyn felt a rush of hesitancy; the man was much too forward. Oh my, he is very good-looking, she thought, suddenly staring at his exterior. On identical lines as Thomas, the man was just as tall, wearing not black, but blue, of every tint, extenuating his good looks. Uneven shades of blonde hair, azure eyes and a long tapered nose, his mouth formed an avid grin and Gwendolyn blushed instantly.

  “I saw her first dear boy,” Henry retorted, pushing aside Devin’s advance.

  He too is fine looking, Gwendolyn thought, examining his façade as well. Uniquely dressed in a coffee tone, the handsome man possessed dark chestnut hair and hazel eyes. Oh my, each and every man in the room, a prize indeed.

  Thomas noted her lure to both wolves and instantaneously, a sense of possessiveness impassioned him. Henry was basically harmless, being shy and tongue-tied, but Thomas knew Devin’s reputation, he was his cohort in pursuit. He further knew that women flock to Devin, and this was one woman he wanted to keep for himself…keep for himself? What the hell was he thinking? “Down boys!” He exclaimed, overriding his emotions back to monopoly. “She is not to be approached men, is that understood?”

  Devin crossed his arms in front of him and continued to stare at Gwendolyn. He shook his head and disagreed, “My restraint has yet to be trifled with, but I will try.”

  Thomas rolled his eyes and gazed at both his friends. Seven winters full of closeness and laughter. He trusted these men…trusted them with his very life. No one here would dare betray him.

  Then Katrina fell into view. Good God, was she standing there all the time? Oh bloody hell…What was he going to say to her? They were about to be married in two weeks time! “What I am about to say goes no farther than this room.” Thomas halted and eyed Katrina who gathered close. She entwined her gloved hand within the crook of his elbow and squeezed his arm tight. He gazed down at her and felt a rush of guilt.

  Gwendolyn sat down and eyed the two of them together. Biting down on her lower lip, she was envious of this girl who had reign to touch him so freely. When she first approached Gwendolyn in the field she stated that Thomas was her betrothed…so this was going to be his new bride? It is nice to see that he has fallen in love, she realized. She truly was an attractive woman and the other, who was she? Brunette with hazel eyes, equally as lovely, Gwendolyn felt so panic-stricken.

  Coming to her rescue immediately, Phyllis came around the two men and sat down next to Gwendolyn. She grabbed her hand and held it in her lap for reassurance.

  “May I introduce Lady Gwendolyn…Hollinger,” Thomas let go, feeling the breath being taken from his very chest another time. “My close friends, Lord Henry Barton, his twin sister, Lady Amy Barton, Lord Devin Hale, and his sister, my fiancée, Lady Katrina Hale.”

  “Hollinger?” Henry acclaimed. “So you are his cousin then? A long lost cousin?”

  Thomas began to rub Katrina’s hand that was firmly on his forearm. “No Henry, she is not my cousin.”

  “Not a cousin, then whom?” Devin asked suspicious.

  Thomas met Gwendolyn’s frightened stare. “Gwendolyn was my… wife,” he quietly revealed, feeling Katrina withdraw her hand.

  “Wife?!” She exclaimed, suddenly turning unattractive before Gwendolyn’s very eyes. “You were married before?”

  “We thought the other dead,” he voiced, continuing to stare into Gwendolyn’s unsure gaze. “Deceased in a tragic accident.”

  “Thomas, please tell us that you are joking,” Devin chortled, pouring himself and his sister a glass of brandy. Katrina yanked the tumbler away from her brother’s hand and instantly threw it down her throat.

  Thomas turned to look at Katrina, her eyes were full of questions; she was about to explode. “Let me explain,” he quietly voiced to her.

  “Explain?” She shrieked, waiving her hands up in the air. “You proposed to me, Thomas, to me! The banns have all been posted, the preparation…my dress being tailored as we speak!” Katrina stomped her feet twice on the wooden floor and ran out the room, Amy turning as well, followed her.

  “I will do it,” Devin stated, guzzling down his drink.

  “No,” Thomas stopped him. “This is my problem, not yours. But I do need your help, dear boy.”

  Devin grabbed his friend’s shoulder. “Anything, you name it.”

  “I need you to find out when Gwendolyn was declared deceased. Our wedded state may not be under obligation.”

  Gwendolyn suddenly stood up from the sofa. “My solicitor can tell you that…I met with him this morning,” she eyed Thomas then spoke to Devin. “We were there settling my Great-Aunt’s estate. My Great Aunt left a will, leaving me inheritance, if there was mention of me to receive property then surely there are documents stating my existence, correct?”