“Better than I hoped,” Paisley replied, glancing down at the small bundle in his arms. “Perfect for the plan.”
The maid leaned closer, curiosity in her tone. “You sure it’s old enough?”
“It’ll do,” Paisley said flatly. “I don’t care about the animal. The point isn’t to keep it alive for long. Once Miss Madeleine is near this cat, her dowry is as good as mine.”
Whatever did that mean? Even for Paisley, this was a stretch… he’d have to marry her first. Sebastian wrinkled his face at the thought.Not while I’m alive.
Staying out of sight, Sebastian’s hands curled into fists. He knew the kind of man Paisley was but hurting a kitten was a low even for him.
The duke’s voice was calm. They also carried a touch of cruelty. He spoke as though this kitten were nothing more than a prop, a disposable tool for whatever evil scheme he had in mind for the day.
Sebastian’s throat tightened as the maid—he recognized her from the upper floors—peeked into the bundle. Her eyes widened. “Your Grace, she’s hardly weaned. She won’t survive long without her mother.”
Paisley’s mouth curved in a smile that did nothing to soften him. “Then she’ll have to manage. I paid you both, so do the job.”
The maid looked down at the kitten again, stroking its tiny head. “If the mother won’t take it back, there’s no saving the poor thing.”
Sebastian didn’t wait to hear more. Whatever Paisley had planned, he was not leaving that defenseless creature in his hands. Not tonight. Not ever.
The duke might think no one had seen him.
He was wrong.
*
Maddie sat curledin the soft embrace of the drawing-room armchair, a book on herbal remedies propped in her lap. She traced a finger under a passage about nettle leaf’s virtues in easing inflammation, and murmured aloud, “If only nettle could cure all my troubles.”
The quiet was pleasant—until the maid appeared with a feather duster and a determined expression.
At first, Maddie only noticed the occasional floating mote in the air. Then came the sniffle. Another. Her eyes began to prickle. She gave the maid a polite smile and bent over her book again. No sense making a fuss about a little dust.
Through the corner of her eye, Maddie saw a bulge under the maid’s apron. Did it move?
The air seemed to thicken, almost… musky. Her breaths felt shallow. That odd, too-tight ribbon about her chest pulled tighter. She shifted, trying not to draw attention to herself.
And in that uncomfortable stillness, her mind slipped—unhelpfully—toward a certain marquess. She remembered the way Sebastian’s voice dipped when he spoke to her, how his gaze seemed to hold her in place even when she wanted to look away. It was absurd to think of him now, with her eyes watering and her throat prickling, yet the thought came anyway, uninvited and warm. As if some part of her had begun seeking him out, even in the quiet.
She blinked hard and fixed her gaze on the page, willing her cheeks to cool. Thinking of him was not part of her plan.
The door opened again. As if beckoned by her thoughts, Sebastian strolled in with his easy, unhurried gait—until he caught sight of the maid. His expression sharpened.
“Maddie!” he said, then he glanced at the maid and corrected himself. “Miss Madeleine, how do you do?” but without waiting for an answer, he stepped toward the maid. “You,”he said, the single word carrying far more weight than his casual tone.
The woman froze, duster in hand. “My lord?”
“Where did you take it?”
Maddie’s head came up.It?Her frown deepened. Was he in the habit of interrogating staff so bluntly? Had she perhaps been mistaken and he was no less arrogant than Paisley?
“The kitten,” Sebastian said. “From the stables. Where is it?”
The maid’s fingers tightened on the duster as if she were trying to cover up the bulge beneath her apron. “I—”
Before she could continue, another figure emerged from the hall—Paisley, looking far too pleased with himself. “What’s all this?”
Sebastian didn’t even glance his way. “Where,” he repeated to the maid, “did you take the kitten? It wasn’t even weaned.”
“Is this how you treat the staff, Cambridge?” Paisley ignored the maid and shot Maddie a grave look. Almost theatrical.
