The color drained from Louise’s face. “Emily!”
She was already running, her footsteps thundering up the stairs. From somewhere above, a small voice called out, muffled by a door.
“Louise? Louise, is that you?”
Aaron looked at the surrounding destruction. Everything of value had been taken or destroyed.
This wasn’t just theft. This was a message.
Bragg had made his move.
And now Aaron would make his.
CHAPTER 3
“The key has to be here somewhere.”
Louise ran her fingers along the doorframe while Emily’s muffled sobs came through the wood.
The locked door mocked her, its handle rattling uselessly under her grip. Behind her, she could hear the Duke of Calborough’s footsteps on the stairs, but all that mattered was getting to her sister.
“Stand back,” the Duke of Calborough moved past her, examining the lock with quick efficiency.
He drove his shoulder into the door. A part of her wanted to stop him as it calculated the cost of fixing a broken door, but that was irrelevant. She needed to find Emily.
The wood splintered but held. The second impact sent it crashing open, revealing Emily huddled on her bed, her china doll clutched against her chest, and her face streaked with tears.
“Louise!” The child launched herself forward.
Louise caught her, sinking to her knees as Emily’s small arms wrapped around her neck. The familiar scent of her sister’s lavender soap made Louise’s eyes burn.
She had failed to protect her. Failed to keep her safe.
“I was so scared.” Emily’s words came muffled against Louise’s shoulder. “They were shouting and breaking things, and Mrs. Fielding told me to hide, but they found me and pushed me in here, and I couldn’t get out.”
“Shh, you’re safe now.” Louise ran her hand through Emily’s curls, feeling the girl’s body still trembling in fright. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
Emily pulled back slightly, and her gaze shifted to the man standing in the doorway. Her grip on Louise tightened. “Are you one of the mean men?”
The question, asked with such innocent directness, made Louise’s heart clench. She turned Emily’s face gently towards her. “No, darling. He’s not. This is the Duke of Calborough. His Grace helped us tonight.”
The Duke remained still in the doorway, his expression unreadable as he watched the sisters. Something flickered across his features, gone too quickly for Louise to identify.
“A duke?” Emily looked at him with interest. “Like in my storybooks?”
“Similar, though I suspect less heroic,” the duke’s voice carried an unexpected gentleness. “Are you hurt, Lady Emily?”
Emily shook her head, then buried her face against Louise again. “I want the bad men to go away forever.”
Louise felt the duke’s gaze on them. When she looked up, his jaw had set in a hard line, his hands clenched at his sides.
“Pack your things.” Each word landed calmly, yet firmly. “Both of you. You’re coming to live with me.”
Louise’s arms tightened around Emily instinctively. “I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me. This house isn’t safe.” He gestured to the broken door and the ransacked room visible beyond. “Gather what you need immediately.”
“Your Grace, we couldn’t possibly?—”
