"She can stay as long as she needs," Devons said.
Lila took a deep breath and said, “Abigail needs a protector, someone who will declare her as his mistress.”
Lila fidgeted, not making eye contact. She knew who the peer was and was withholding it from them. Why?
“Who is it, Lila?” Sam asked.
She pursed her lips together and shook her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does. I will be her protector, but I need a name. She is just a girl. Christ, for anyone to harm someone like this is horrendous,” Sam said.
A look of uncertainty passed over Lila’s lovely features. She didn’t trust them. It saddened Sam that she thought the identity of the man would matter to him.
“Lila, I give you my word she will be under my protection, and I will not reveal any details about who Abigail is.”
Lila sighed and grabbed Miller’s brandy, from one of the tables. She took a large gulp of the liquid before turning back to Sam. “It’s the Marquess of Dolan.”
Everyone sat silently, stunned. Dolan was not just part of the upper echelons of thetonbut ruled it. His reputation was impeccable.
“Is she sure?” Devons asked, still looking dumbfounded.
Lila’s eyes flashed. “Yes. Do not question that again.”
Devons held his hands up and said, “I only ask because the marquess has one of the most pristine reputations.”
“There has been talk about him, but I have never actually known any girl who was his mistress. I brushed it off as idle gossip,” Lila said.
Sam couldn’t believe it. He was enraged.
Lila frowned at him. “You promised you would not do anything. I just need you to be her protector until I can figure something else out. He is likely looking for her,” Lila said.
“This should be reported to a constable. He should be punished for this,” Sam demanded.
“He is a peer and has a great deal of influence. The Crown would have to allow him to be tried and even if that happened, the likelihood he would be convicted is slim. She will be forced, in a public setting, to explain everything he did to her,” Devons said.
Sam ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. “Did you ask Abigail what she wants?”
Lila shook her head. “She needs time to heal. She is fairly confident that, if he finds her, he will kill her. He always told her she couldn’t leave until he was done with her.”
“Has he done this before?” Miller asked.
“I don’t know,” Lila said.
“How old is she?” Sam asked.
Lila smiled sadly at him. “Eighteen.”
“Christ!” Sam exclaimed.
“Our hope is that he won’t find her but if he does, then he will back off if she already has a new protector,” Lila explained.
“I will meet with some constables I trust to understand what needs to be done to bring this before the courts,” Devons said.
They all nodded.
“Starting today Abigail is under my protection,” Sam said.
Chapter 8
