Her sisters jerked so violently that the object between them, which was a small silver letter opener, slipped from Patience’s fingers. It clattered against the edge of the writing desk, wobbled, and nearly slid to the floor. Both girls lunged for it at once, colliding with each other instead.
Hazel’s gasp was sharp enough to slice through the room. “Donotlet that fall!”
Chastity managed to catch it by the tip, grinning triumphantly as she straightened. “Look, Patience, see? Not even a scratch!”
Patience giggled in relief. “Oh Hazel, you frightened us!”
Hazel’s voice dropped to the tone that had stopped many a Thorne misadventure. “Ifrightenedyou?”
The girls exchanged wary glances.
Chastity attempted a smile. “Well… you did appear rather suddenly.”
Hazel closed the door behind her. “You two are in the Duke of Callbury’s private bedchamber, without permission.Trespassing. And you are laughing.”
Patience’s smile faltered. “We were only?—”
“No.” Hazel lifted a hand. “Enough. I have had quite enough.”
Both sisters fell silent.
Hazel stepped forward with her amber eyes blazing with all the quiet fury she had pushed down for years. “I do not understand,” she said tightly, “why the two of you seem determined to destroy your reputations. You are clever. You are lovely. You are young ladies of good family. And yet every time I blink, you are dangling from roofs, wielding knives, rolling down driveways, or sneaking into a duke’s private rooms like common miscreants.”
Chastity bit her lip. Patience stared at her shoes.
Hazel’s voice softened, but only slightly. “Do you have any idea of the anxiety you cause me? Of how exhausting it is to live in constant fear that one of your escapades will finally go too far?”
“We only wanted to have fun.” Patience murmured.
Chastity nodded, shifting from foot to foot. “All the girls were doing it. It was meant to be harmless.”
“Harmless?” Hazel echoed incredulously. “There is nothing harmless about being found rummaging through the possessions of a duke! Especiallythisduke! You could have been discovered by a servant. Or worse, byhim! And once a whisper begins, you cannot take it back.”
The girls winced.
Hazel pressed a hand to her forehead. Now, her voice was cracking under the strain she so rarely showed. “I cannot keep chasing you like this. I cannot spend every moment wondering what new disaster you are plotting. I love you, but I cannot do this alone anymore.”
Chastity’s eyes softened with guilt. “Hazel…”
Patience stepped closer. “We’re sorry.”
“We truly are,” Chastity added quickly. “We did not mean to frighten you. We just… wanted to feel exciting, like the other girls.”
Patience nodded. “We promise we will do better.”
Hazel let out a long breath, weary down to her bones. For once, their apology sounded sincere. She searched their faces, saw remorse there, and a great deal of childish fear.
She turned to her sisters. “Listen to me very carefully. You will return to the party at once. You will do soquietly, as though you have done nothing at all. Do you understand?”
Both of them nodded at the same time. They slipped out silently, and only after the door closed behind them did Hazel finally allow herself to close her eyes. Her pulse was still racing. Her temples ached. She pressed her palms against her cheeks and inhaled slowly.
They are safe. No one saw. No disaster today.
But the relief brought no comfort. She felt wrung out and drained, her spirit stretched thin from years of the same fight, shepherding and protecting. She longed, suddenly and fiercely, for silence, for a life that did not require her to hide behind curtains or scold girls who should know better.
She inhaled deeply, then headed for the door. There, she placed a hand on the handle, intending to slip out unnoticed, straighten her gown and join the party as though she had simply been freshening up.
She opened the door and then froze… for standing there in the doorway, blocking every possible escape, was Greyson Thornhill, the Duke of Callbury.
