She began to undress, slipping out of her clothes—now torn and rumpled and full of memories that made her blush—until she was bare to the cold air of her room. She stoked the fire in her hearth, only embers remained from when the maid had lit it before heading to bed for the night.
Miranda needed to scrub the day from her skin. She stepped in front of the mirror as she grabbed a towel and sloshed it into the water basin beside it, then rubbed in a healthy lather of soap. If she asked for water for a full bath, her parents would know and they’d come interrogate her. Right now, she just wanted to be clean.
As she set to scrubbing and rinsing, Miranda took assessment of the damage. Bruises were setting in, a few purple ones on her legs and arms from taking hits. Her eyes lingered on her hips,where Devin’s hands held her, grasped for her, burned into her skin like a brand.
She lifted the mirror and turned it around. She was determined not to think about Devin Drake. Or his hands. Or his blue eyes. Or his wicked, annoying, pleasing mouth.
That didn’t last long.
There was a knock at her door.
“Miranda?” Her mother’s voice.Ugh.
“Yes, mother, give me a moment.” She hurried to throw a dressing gown over herself. Miranda barely secured the ties before her mother burst inside.
“Where the hell were you?”
Oh, no. If her mother swore, that was a very bad sign. Just past her mother’s shoulder was Miranda’s father—he’d at least waited to make sure she was decent before barreling through the door.
“Well?” Her mother said, crossing into the room like she was on the attack. “Where were you?”
Miranda swallowed, too tired to answer or pretend or lie. Her misery must have showed on her face, because her mother softened. Her father, however, did not.
“Tell me you weren’t off seeing him again,” her father said, not masking the accusation in his tone.
Miranda couldn’t meet his eyes, but that answered the question well enough.
“Damn it, Miranda, you’ve been reckless before, but never like this. Ishouldchallenge him so that we don’t appear complacent in his corruption. Your entire future could be ruined if word of this got into the wrong hands.Hemay not understand what such a scandal could do to your life, butyouknow better.” Her father narrowed his eyes, spine straightening further. “Or. I could solve everything if I killed him with my bare hands. That sounds good, too.”
“James,” her mother warned.
“Don’t…” Miranda took a breath, her weak outburst caught both her parents’ attention and Miranda sighed. “I’ve been trying to find information on Yarrow Graves that will end his engagement to Cordelia.”
She expected exasperation. An overflow of outrage. Insisting this was a lost cause, that there was nothing to find, and how could she do this to her sister? What about Cordelia’s future? It was such an amiable match.
However, her parents were silent.
They exchanged looks, their postures shifting.
“James, get the door,” her mother ordered. Her father obeyed without a word. Her mother’s nose flared and urgency replaced anger. “Does he know?”
Miranda must have been delirious. She could hardly process what her mother asked. “Does…who know?”
Her mother rolled her eyes, mirroring Miranda for the first time in recollection. “Graves. Does he know you’ve been investigating him?”
Her father hung his head. “Of course, that’s why they were in his private office. They were spying.”
“Miranda Olivia Wilde. How could you do something so foolish?”
There it was. The disbelief. The denial. They would never believe her, and she felt so lost and hopeless and tired. Divine above, she hadn’t slept more than a moment for two days. Hot tears trailed over her dusty cheeks. Her sister was in danger and there was nothing she could do. If Graves wasn’t vengeful before, now he would make sure she never got in his way again. Her parents would never trust her or believe her again. And, even if it wasn’tlove, Devin had broken her heart.
The sobs started quiet, slowly building until her body shook.
Her mother rushed forward and held her. “There, there, darling. I’m sorry if I sounded harsh. I’m scared. Graves is so dangerous and I feared the worst.”
Miranda choked on her tears.
What?
