Holding her like this felt as natural as breathing. As though his body remembered everything, even if his mind did not.
“Lord Calvin Frampton is your father’s only brother—his younger brother. It was he who delivered the news of your father’s decline. He found—he interrupted…” She ducked her head. “Well, he came upon the two of us at a very inconvenient time.”
“Ah…” Alastair raised his brows, recalling his dream…
“I knew who he was, but of course, we had never been introduced. My father later admitted that your uncle advised him to keep the two of us apart, which he tried to do. But I didn’t take the warning seriously.”
Neither, it seemed, had he. “And later, your family was evicted,” Alastair surmised.
“Yes.”
“You believe my uncle was behind it.”
“Your uncle hired a new steward. At the time, I believed that might beyourway ofdealing with me.Only later did I realize that, until you turned one and twenty, your uncle, as your legal guardian, was running the dukedom. Especially as you needed to finish your education.”
“Right.” Alastair didn’t want to make excuses for himself.
“He is your heir presumptive.” Daisy spoke the words as though they had great meaning.
“Yes.”
“You used to joke that Lord Calvin coveted your position. And of course, you dismissed the existence of any real threat, but when I saw the article this morning, I couldn’t help but remember…”
“You think it’s possible that my uncle was the one who ordered me killed.”
Her suggestion landed like a punch to the gut. Was it truly possible that his own blood would go to such lengths?
Alastair didn’t want to believe it, but without his memory, and with no other evidence to go by, the possibility had to be considered.
“Like I said, I never knew him that well. But he would, in fact, benefit from your death… I could be wrong, but…”
Alastair shifted but kept his arms around Daisy, processing everything he’d just learned.
“That is precisely why I need todosomething. How can I hide here when someone wants me dead?” He asked himself as much as her.
“You don’t have much choice right now, but you’ll figure it out.” Her voice softened. “Don’t act hastily, please? Give yourself time to remember.” She held his gaze steadily, and her mouth hovered a few inches from his.
“I hate when wisdom contradicts my wishes.”
“I know you are frustrated, but once you’ve healed, once you remember, you’ll have the advantage.”
“Because they think I’m dead.”
She winced, but replied, “Yes.”
His gaze flicked from her eyes to her mouth. And by God, he wanted nothing more than to see her smile again—to chase the concern out of her eyes. And to taste every inch…
“In that case.” Alastair swallowed hard. “I’m going to need a lot more furniture to repair.”
“I’ll be happy to arrange that.” She wriggled a little and senthim a teasing smile. “You could always help out with the laundry.”
“Laundry?” He lifted one of her hands, hands which knew hard work, hands that had labored to keep him alive. He pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Your wish is my command.”
“Only if you’re feeling better…”
“I’m fine.”
“Except for your head.”
