To Deceive A Duke

Chapter 54

The night has truly fallen when Clarissa eventually gets up and goes inside. She calls for a bath, promising to tell Alice about the night's events, tomorrow, before sending her away. She climbs into the bath, closing her eyes and relishing the bubbles. She washes the dried blood from her body and hair, the heavenly warm water doing wonders for her aching muscles. When the bath, at last, turns cold, she climbs out and dries herself, plaiting her wet hair into one long braid and slipping into a nightgown.

She walks into her room and stops, staring at her cold bed. She glances through to her study, and the door that leads to Daniels's bedroom seems to stand out in the dim light. She walks over to it, her feet padding across the rugs, and places a hand on the handle.  She slowly opens the door, listening carefully. Level breathing comes from the large bed, and she can see the outline of his body under the sheets. Her heart begins to race as she hovers in the doorway, unsure of what to do next. 

"You are not a coward," She whispers to herself before slipping into his room and shutting the door to her wing. 

She is careful not to crash into any furniture as she walks over to her side bed. Daniel is sleeping soundly on the right side, tucked into the pillows and facing the middle of the bed. The covers have slid off his broad shoulders, and they rest on his waist letting her see the white bandages covering the lower half of his torso. She tries not to disturb him as she lies down on the top of the covers.  She turns onto her side to face him, marvelling at the peaceful expression he wears as he dreams. It's such a contrast to the dark scowl he usually wears. Her gaze raves over his handsome face and an intense war wages within her mind. 

"I think I could love you if you let me," She confesses into the darkness. She holds her breath, half expecting him to open his eyes and reply but he doesn't. She turns onto her back and stares at the ceiling, "I don't know what today was. I don't know what part was an act and what was real. You terrify me, you terrify me in the best way possible because I want to love you."

He murmers something in his sleep and his blonde hair falls across his face. He looks so innocent. She squeezes her eyes shut, determined to face her feelings and not shy away from what could be. She turns back onto her side, and he is so close to her that their noses are almost touching. 

"I lied," She admits, "I know I could love you if you let me, so let me, please, because I am not going to leave you, Daniel," Her voice breaks, and she sniffs, "I see all you, I see everything and I am not leaving, because..." She inhales sharply, "Because I am falling for you, Cavendish. Please be there to catch me,"

A weight lifts off her chest and she can finally breathe properly. She watches her husband sleep for a few minutes more before carefully climbing off the bed and heading to her own. She dives under her covers and settles into her pillows, intense fatigue claiming her. Her eyelashes flutter and she yawns, turning over and falling asleep. Clarissa expects to dream of Baines and Lestrade, and of Jack, but the nightmares never come and she sleeps soundly. Her sleep is only disturbed in the morning when an intense heat circles around her. 

She blinks awake, rubbing her eyes as bright light peaks through the gaps in the curtains. It takes her a moment to register her surroundings and when she does, she tenses and stops breathing. There is someone in her bed, a someone who is holding her, one muscular arm thrown over her waist while the other is curled around her head. The blonde hair and sharp features are instantly recognisable as Daniel's, as she is pressed against him, his warm body radiating the heat that woke her up. She tries to turn her head but she quickly notices that his head is pressed into the back of her neck and she can't risk moving without waking him.

Her mind races and her flight instinct heightens. What the hell is he doing in her bed? She quickly scans to the room to confirm that this is definitely her bedroom. The blue sheets and cream pillows reassure her. She cranes her neck to take another look at him. Part of her hopes that the doctor gave him some kind of sedative that will keep him sleeping while she escapes his arms, but her logic screams that that is too much of a risk to take. She looks across to her bedside table, hoping to spot something helpful but there are only books within reach.