“I applaud your effort to find some sort of ulterior motive on my part in asking that Lady Weston be released into my care.” He shrugged. “The truth is your son, Viscount Eversleigh, is a particular friend of mine. In his absence, I took it upon myself to act as his sister’s protector. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I fear there’s really nothing more to it than that.”
“Of all the times for Roarke to be out of the country…” Lavinia sighed before she glanced back at him. “Please don’t think that I’m ungrateful for your assistance, Your Grace. It’s just that Lyra needs a gentle hand to guide her through this difficult time.” A slight frown creased her forehead. “I fear my daughter has not had the easiest time of it. Her husband wasn’t the most…sensitive man, and unfortunately, my relationship with Lyra has been rather strained over the years. We’re finally starting to make amends, so I should hate for her to suffer from such unfounded rumors.”
Alister clenched his jaw at the mention of Lord Weston. “Rest assured, Lady Eversleigh, I will do everything in my power to see that Lady Weston’s name is cleared of all charges.” He forced his expression to soften. “You have my word.”
Lavinia must have read the honest determination in his eyes, for she murmured, “I believe that is true, Your Grace.” Standing, she held her hand out to him. “I should be going. I’ve taken up enough of your time, and you’ve been gracious to give it.”
Alister smiled and bowed over her hand. “It has been a pleasure, my lady. I will keep you informed of any new developments in the case.”
With a brief nod of her head, Lyra’s mother turned and walked away.
Once she was gone, Alister moved to the window. Soon he watched as Lady Eversleigh climbed into her carriage, but he was oblivious to anything but the remnants of the past.
For years he’d known exactly what sort of vermin Roger Coventry had been, and if he were still alive today, Alister would beat the man within an inch of his miserable life before calling him out and finishing the job. He should have done so long ago, instead of sitting back and allowing Lyra to suffer the brunt of the earl’s mistreatment. But since he knew he didn’t have the right to interfere, he’d held back.
However, that didn’t mean his conscience wasn’t wracked with guilt because of it. Every time he’d seen the couple together over the years, he had blamed himself for the dull light in her eyes that used to be a joyous, hope-filled sparkle. She had been so full of life before her marriage to Roger, and the fact that Alister could have stepped up and offered for her before she’d made such a disastrous match had weighed heavily on him for years.
Initially, he’d had his reservations when Sussex had first mentioned this plan to gain access to Weston House, but then Alister realized this was his chance to right a wrong, to help Lyra pick up the pieces of her life after Roger had effectively done his best to shatter it.
The only problem was that he was as drawn to Lyra now as he’d always been. From the moment he clapped his eyes on her in that Tower chamber, he couldn’t seem to stop looking at her, as if his very soul yearned to memorize every line and delicate curve of her lovely face. He’d had to clench his fist in an effort to keep from reaching out and touching that silky, blonde hair—or from kissing those delicate, tempting lips.
But if there was anything Alister had managed to perfect over the years, it was the ability to tamp down his true feelings. Hewouldretain his distance from Lyra, regardless of his own desires, because he was a professional.
And right now, there was work to be done.
Turning on his heel, Alister went in search of the earl’s study.
CHAPTER THREE
Lyra came awake with a start. For a moment, she was disoriented. Her bedchamber had grown dark, and other than the dim light of the dying fire, she wasn’t sure of her surroundings. Once everything became familiar, she forced her thumping heart to calm. She was safe. She was no longer a prisoner in that dreaded Tower…
With a deep breath, Lyra swung her trembling legs over the side of the bed. She was still fully dressed, too tired and emotionally drained to change earlier, having waved away her maid with a weary hand.
Her stomach rumbled as she stood and realized she hadn’t eaten since that morning. After shoving her feet into a pair of slippers, she decided to make her way downstairs to the kitchens.
She was on the first floor landing when she heard a slight rustling coming from the study. Her mouth parted and her breathing deepened, though she forced her legs to carry her forward. The door was partially ajar, but when she pushed it fully open, the shadowed figure of the man inside turned around sharply.
Lyra was too stunned to react with anything more than a shocked gasp. “Roger…”
Black spots began to swim before her eyes. As the darkness threatened to eclipse her completely, she wavered unsteadily before being caught by a pair of strong arms. She blinked several times to clear her vision and forced herself to glance upward. She was afraid that she might truly see the apparition of her deceased husband, but it wasn’t that cold, hard gaze she found staring back at her, but rather a pair of warm, brown eyes.
Alister…
Lyra shook her head as she finally came to her senses. She put her hands against the hard wall of the duke’s chest in a silent request to be free. She was instantly released.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I don’t know what came over me.”
“It is I who should apologize,” he offered with a kind tilt of his mouth. “I fear I gave you quite a fright.” He gestured to the room behind him. “I was merely trying to find something to read to help put me to sleep.”
Lyra cocked her head slightly. “I’m afraid all that you shall find in there are some old, dusty tomes of very little interest. If you wish, I can show you to the library where there is more enticing reading material.”
“I would be honored, my lady, but perhaps tomorrow?” He lifted a brow. “Unless you were already headed there?”
She felt her cheeks heat as her stomach rumbled. “I was actually headed down to the kitchens for a warm glass of milk and perhaps to find something to eat.”
He held out an arm. “Allow me to escort you.”
Lyra was about to tell him that such gallantry was unnecessary, especially in light of the fact that he was only there on a matter of business, but since this seemed like his attempt at an olive branch, she acquiesced graciously.
