“Come, Buttercup. We are clearly not wanted here.”
She swept toward the door, the massive dog lumbering after her. At the threshold, she paused.
“Your mother would be ashamed of you,” she said quietly. Then she was gone, Buttercup’s claws clicking against the floor as they retreated down the corridor.
The words landed like a blow. Aaron stood rigid, his hands clenched at his sides.
Louise moved carefully across the room, checking the floor for shards before reaching Emily. “Come, darling. Time for bed.”
“But I didn’t get to say goodnight to Buttercup.” Emily’s lower lip trembled. “And Lady Merrow looked so sad.”
“You can see them both in the morning.” Louise helped her sister down from the settee. “Let’s get you upstairs.”
“Lady Louise.” Aaron’s voice stopped her at the door. “A word, if you please.”
Emily turned, her small face fierce. “It wasn’t Louise’s fault. She was only trying to help Lady Merrow reach the figurine. I’m the one who wanted to see Buttercup do tricks.”
Aaron’s eyes narrowed at the child’s defense. Something flickered across his expression, too quick to name.
Louise stroked Emily’s hair, her touch gentle. “Go on up, darling. I’ll come tuck you in shortly.”
“But—”
“Go.”
Emily cast one last worried glance between them before scurrying toward the stairs. Her footsteps faded, followed by the distant sound of a door closing.
Louise turned back to face Aaron.
They stood alone in the wreckage of the drawing room, the fire crackling softly, broken porcelain glinting in the lamplight. Aaron’s chest rose and fell with controlled breaths, his jaw still tight with fury.
“Your Grace,” Louise began.
“Don’t.” He held up a hand. “Don’t defend what happened here. Your role is to keep my aunt safe, not indulge her every whim.”
“You were supposed to be protecting my aunt from exactly this sort of chaos.”
Louise’s chin lifted. “Your aunt was enjoying herself. I saw no harm in allowing her some fun.”
“No harm? She could have fallen. You could have fallen.”
“But we didn’t.” She stepped closer, and he caught the flush in her cheeks, the spark of temper in her eyes. “Lady Merrow is a grown woman, not a child to be coddled.”
“She’s my responsibility.”
“She’s a person with her own desires and autonomy.” Louise moved closer still, close enough that he could see the gold flecks in her green eyes. “When did you last see her so happy?”
The question struck deeper than she could have known. When had he last seen anyone in this house happy? When had he last felt anything approaching joy himself?
“Happiness that risks injury is foolishness.”
“A life without risk is no life at all.” Her voice dropped, something shifting in her expression. “Your Grace, your aunt needs more than safety. She needs to feel alive.”
They stood barely a breath apart now. Aaron drowned in her eyes, in the passionate defense of his aunt’s dignity, in the way her chest rose and fell with emotion.
“If your carelessness endangers them …” The threat came out rougher than planned.
Fire flashed in her eyes. “I have raised Emily alone for years, Your Grace. I know precisely how to keep those I love safe.”
