At the command of Andrew Montgomery, the Duke of Grafton (as far as most were concerned), Duchess Grafton was taken into custody by official authorities for questioning. He also sent guards, under the instruction of Sarah, to Bedfordshire to stay with his father until he could visit him in person. He gave his subjects the command that they were not allowed to take orders from anyone except him, and especially not from the duchess. He personally went to talk to the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk, asking them to bear witness against his mother, should the need arise. They were reluctant, but at the insistence of William, they agreed. Things seemed to be working themselves out, but one thing was constantly on Andrew's mind.

"She will come around," Roger and Benjamin constantly reassured him. William remained silent, withholding his opinion, as usual.

But Andrew was the only one who had seen the determination in her eyes and had heard the finality in her voice.

Unable to sleep, Nancy stepped out into the cold night air. She remembered the last time she had been outside at this time. Two strange men had come up and talked about keeping an eye on her. She was glad that was over. A life of misery was better than a life of fear, she told herself. She would be miserable without him, yes, but at least she would not have to fear for herself—or, most importantly, for him. She had hurt him, she knew that, but there had been no other way.

She looked up at the stars, and, unbidden, the same night she had thought about countless times came back to her: the night after their wedding in London when she and Andrew had gazed at the stars for hours.

Then she saw the figure. It stood there, just a few feet away, watching her. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as her heart began to beat fast, but then she realized it was Andrew who stood in front of her. Sudden relief washed over her. As angry and volatile as he could be, especially when he was hurt, she knew she would always be safe with him.

"Rather a late night for you. Don't you think, Nan? Shouldn't you be safely in bed?" His words were alarmingly slurred. His eyes were red.

"What are you doing here, Andrew?" Nancy asked. "Are you drunk?"

"One must do what one must do. A man has his pride, and I am much more than any ordinary man. In order to come here and say what I need to say, I must throw away all my pride. In order to do that, I must be completely, mind-numbingly drunk."

"How fortunate am I to see the great Andrew Montgomery throw away all his pride for an ordinary girl like me," Nancy said harshly. "If you had warned me earlier, I would have sold tickets for this historical event."

Andrew laughed as he walked toward her unsteadily. "That's the Nancy Brooks sarcasm I've been longing to hear so desperately for months."

"Andrew, I don't have the energy or patience to hear anything you want to say right now."

He walked closer to her, swaying slightly. He reached out, clamping his hands on her shoulders, holding her in place. "I can't seem to do anything properly right now—thinking, sleeping, functioning like a normal human being. I can't get you out of my mind for a second."

A lump rose in Nancy's throat and her eyes burned with tears. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Andrew, please, just let me go. Just walk away." Her voice was barely more than a whisper.

Andrew gave her a long, searching look before he reached down and cradled her face in his large hands, tilting her head upward. He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers. "Don't leave me, Nancy. I beg you." Nancy could smell the alcohol on his breath. "I can't live without you. I can't function without you. Don't leave me."

Tears were running down Nancy's cheeks now. Summoning all her strength, she pushed him away and turned around to go back inside. Andrew grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him again. He pulled her close, his strong arms tightening around her body as she struggled feebly. He reached down and kissed her. It was a desperate, furious kiss that threatened to consume her. She closed her eyes, and everything seemed to fade away except the feel of his lips on hers, his warm breath against her cheek, his arms around her body.

Eventually, she pulled away, still holding on to the front of his robes. "Andrew," she whispered. Tears still ran down her cheeks.

"What do you want, Nancy? Say it. We can go far away, just you and I. We can leave everything behind. If that's how you want things to be—"

"Andrew, that is absolutely not what I want. You have responsibilities, and you are not giving them up for me." She wished she could make him understand somehow.

"Then tell me what it is that you want."

"I want things to be normal. I want us to be two normal people in love who can enjoy a few moments together without the fear of someone almost dying because of it."

"That is how it will be now. I have taken care of everything. You never have to worry about my mother again. No one will ever follow you or threaten you again. You will never feel unsafe again." He grasped her shoulders, looking down at her imploringly. "Just say that you wouldn't leave me."

But at that moment, Nancy was too worn out, too exhausted and vulnerable. She pulled away from him. "Good-bye, Andrew." She avoided his eyes and slipped back inside her house, leaving Andrew to stand alone in the empty street.

When Andrew first looked at the man lying in the white hospital bed, it was hard for him to recognize him. He was thin and balding, with wisps of a gray beard with a bit of white. His cheeks were sallow and his skin was sagging. Andrew sat down on the chair beside his bed and examined all the herbs and medicines on the table.

"Son," a voice croaked after a few moments. Andrew realized that his father was awake.

"Papa." Andrew looked down at his frail form. "How are you?"

"Don't worry about me, Son. How are you?" Duke Grafton sat up feebly, leaning against the pillows. "Sarah told me everything."

"Everything?" Andrew looked at his father meaningfully, piercingly. His father nodded slowly. They both knew that he was talking about the subject that hung in the air between them like a ghostly presence. "And how do you feel about what Mama did?"

His father processed the question before answering. "I have given it quite a bit of thought, all alone in this hospital room. It was very wrong of her to do what she did, but she was only doing what she thought was best for the family."

"She almost killed you, Papa."

His father did not respond for a long moment. Finally, he asked, "What do you want to do about it, Son?"

"I have given it quite a bit of thought too." Andrew looked into his father's eyes. "I want to grant her a pardon."

His father looked surprised. "When did you start thinking rationally?"

Andrew sighed. "I don't want to do this for her; I want to do this for myself. I want peace of mind and closure. I want this whole ordeal to end."

"And what do you mean for her to do, once she has been granted pardon?"

"She can do anything she wants. She will just be stripped from all official duties, and I will try to keep as little contact with her as possible." He looked at his father. "Of course, the final decision is up to you since you are still the duke."

"You are in my place for now. Do as you will, Andrew."

Andrew understood this to mean that his father did not want to deal with it and would rather Andrew dealt with it himself. There was a long stretch of silence.

"You're married now, Son." His father's face lit up. "I would like to meet the lady."

Andrew did not have the heart or the energy to tell his father that his marriage was almost over and that his wife did not want anything to do with him anymore. "You will, Papa. Just get well soon."

"Well, you can't expect everything to go back to normal so quickly, can you, Andrew? Give her some time." Sarah sat across from Andrew at the dining table at Andrew's Oxford house, eating a plate of fruit. Andrew had not touched his food at all.

"She meant what she said, Sarah," Andrew responded dully. "I don't want reassurance that everything will go back to normal soon. I know how it is. I know how she is."

"And you are just going to give up? The great Andrew Montgomery, who does not rest till he gets what he wants, is giving up on the one thing he wants the most?"

Andrew sighed. "I tried everything."

"You need to start eating and sleeping properly, Andrew. You will destroy yourself this way."

Andrew pushed away from the table. "I do not have any appetite right now. I am exhausted though." He bid her good night and left the dining room, knowing that this was going to be another sleepless night.

Midnight found him smashing the mirror in his room with his fist. The glass splintered and shards flew around him. He knew the servants would not disturb him, despite all the commotion.

When he heard a knock on the door, he was ready to bellow at whichever servant had the audacity to do such a thing before the door opened and, to his utter shock and disbelief, Nancy stepped inside.

"Smashing mirrors, Montgomery? I rather expected you to be wrecking your whole room. Who tamed you?" She wore a long black dress. Her red curls fell around her shoulders and her bright green eyes seemed to glow in the dimly lit room. She's so beautiful, Andrew thought.

"You look terrible," she whispered, walking toward him. She took his hand in hers, gently removing the shards of glass from his skin. He watched her concentrate as her hands worked slowly, barely making contact. "Better?" she asked once she was done, her voice wavering.

"Much."

She pulled him close, standing on her toes. He hesitated, as though hovering on the edge of a precipitate. Then he then leaned down and she pressed her lips to his.

"You're shivering," he said as he broke the kiss, his breath warm against her cheeks.

"The window is open and I have a cold," she whispered, closing her eyes as he kissed the spot behind her ear.

"Hmm," he mumbled before pulling away from her to remove his cloak. She shivered, immediately missing the warmth of his arms around her. He wrapped his cloak around her and took her in his arms again. When she continued to shiver, he swept her up and marched to his bed, placing her under the quilt. "You should not be outside if you have a cold," he said as he closed the window.

She lifted the quilt and patted the mattress besides her, inviting him in. He gave her a quizzical look before sliding in beside her and pulling her close as they lay back against the pillows. She took his hand in hers. It was still bleeding. "You are completely out of control." She looked up at him. "It's frightening."

He looked at her unflinchingly. "Does that frighten you, though?"

Nancy shrugged. "Not much."

"Sometimes I get angry and violent. There is always a valid reason behind it, though." He lay his hand over hers, a comforting gesture.

"You feel everything too much, Andrew." Her voice was low. "Love, pain, betrayal, anger, joy. You feel it too much."

"I feel it all for you," he said, his voice a whisper. She closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest as he tightened his arms around her. She could feel his breathing. It was oddly comforting.

"What do we do now?" She was starting to feel drowsy. "You are still you and I am still me."

"When has that ever been a problem?" he joked feebly. Nancy smiled. "We can make it work, Nancy—if you want."

"I do," she whispered. "I can see you would go completely mad without me."

Andrew laughed. "Well, this is who I am. I want you to know who I am." He stroked her hair gently.

"Even if it scares me?" she asked softly.

"Especially if it scares you." She lifted her head to look up at him. He leaned forward and kissed her softly, resting his forehead against hers. She could see the shine in his eyes from the dim lamplight. He was watching her with a piercing expression. His fingers trailed gently up and down her arm as they stared at each other in silence.

Andrew sighed and moved back, sliding the covers off him and breaking the contact between them. She shivered at the sudden loss of the warmth of his body. "You should sleep."

"Don't let me keep you from whatever is suddenly so important that you have to run off," she said dryly, pulling the quilt around herself.

Andrew chuckled. "My dear Nancy, I don't know how long I can resist you with you lying in my bed, in my arms. Your presence always hinders my inhibitions. I want you to make a decision first."

"Stay with me," she said firmly.

He raised his eyebrows, but she looked at him steadily until he slid back under the quilt beside her. She rested her head against his chest. The warmth of his body was reassuring, his breathing comforting. He played with her hair, twirling her curls around his fingers. Nancy closed her eyes. This moment made it all seem worth it. The betrayal, the pain, the heartache, the fear, it was all worth it if she could share this moment with him. Before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face, all of it too much to hold inside any longer. She sobbed silently, her tears staining his shirt. "Andrew," she choked between sobs.

"Shh." He stroked her arm soothingly, pulling her even closer to him and kissing the top of her head. "I'm right here."

Nancy continued to cry, holding on to Andrew tightly. "I don't think I can stand it if you disappear again." Her voice broke.

Andrew placed his hand under her chin, gently raising her face, making her look at him. Her eyes were red and her pale face was streaked with tears. "I will never be able to explain to you how it broke me to have to leave you. And to see you this way..." He rested his forehead against hers, their noses touching. His thumb stoked her jawline gently, slowly, waiting for her to calm down. Andrew leaned forward, kissing her tear-streaked cheeks softly. She closed her eyes as he kissed down the tear stains on her face. He kissed her eyelids, her nose, her neck, and her collarbone. Finally, when her sobs subsided, his lips met hers, slowly and gently. She returned the kiss, her hand moving up to grip the back of his head. She parted her lips and his tongue met hers, making her moan. He deepened the kiss, and her body grew warmer despite the cold weather. His fingers drew tantalizing circles down her back. They broke the kiss, gasping for breath. Nancy opened her eyes and saw that Andrew was watching her intently, his eyes full of hunger and desire. She knew he was still restraining himself, not wanting to be too presumptuous after what had happened in the past few months.

"Make love to me, Andrew." Her voice was hoarse.

"Your every wish is my command, my lady." He recaptured her mouth with his, his hand moving to the front of her dress, unbuttoning it.

"I am no lady," she said against his lips.

He chuckled. "Whatever you say, my love." His hands worked competently, unbuttoning her dress, while he gently bit her lower lip, making her gasp. His lips moved to the soft spot behind her ear, and she arched her head back. When her dress was undone, Andrew pushed her down gently so that she was lying on her back. He looked at her half-dressed form. "I had forgotten how much I missed this. You are the most beautiful woman in the world, Nancy."

That he could see her naked form while he was fully dressed made Nancy blush, despite the fact that he had seen her naked many times before. She made to cover herself with the quilt, but he caught her arms, gently holding them to her sides, his eyes still roaming her body. He noticed her uneasiness and bent down. He kissed her gently but firmly until she began to relax. His kiss became more and more passionate, his hands exploring her body, making her moan until she felt weak, all energy drained from her. "I would help you undress but, I don't think I'll have the strength if you keep this up."

Andrew laughed in response. "Just relax, love. You don't have to do anything tonight."

That night was the first time in what seemedlike months that Nancy slept peacefully, in the safe embrace of Andrew's arms.

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