“Ah. You are speaking of Miss Givenwald?”
“Indeed.” He shook his head, his lips quirking at the memory of the woman he was about to call his bride. “I cannot imagine how I survived this long without her guidance. At least, that is how she acts when I dare to mention any sort of danger.”
Amos crossed his arms. “It’s probably not wise to show her all of your scars then.”
Dominic gave a mock wince. “She would forbid me to leave the house after we are wed, no doubt.” He thought of her ripe breasts and the way her cheeks had flushed when he’d brought her to the heights of pleasure. “But then, I’m not sure I will want to venture very far once the vows are spoken.”
Amos laughed.
Wishing to change the subject, or else Dominic might be easily coerced to ride to his estate and join Lexie at his estate, he asked, “How is Devon getting along? I know it is nearly time for his son’s birth.”
“It could be a daughter,” Amos pointed out. “And I know he would be glad for either.” He exhaled heavily. “To answer your question, he has been quite distracted, so I have forbidden him to join any more exploits until the babe makes his or her appearance in the world.”
Dominic nodded. “I would say that’s wise.”
“I can’t believe I am going to be a grandfather,” Amos said softly. “I never thought I would stop grieving my wife, but I admit that the thought of looking upon an innocent face and seeing those eyes shining with new wonder out in the world has lightened my heart more than anything else ever could.”
Tilting his head to the side, Dominic said, “I never took you for a poet, but that was quite eloquent.”
“Sod off,” Amos growled, although his lips twitched with amusement.
By the time they had returned to the Crown & Sceptre, dawn was starting to make a faint appearance. The red rays turning the horizon to fire causing Dominic’s chest to tighten suddenly. “Red skies in the morning, sailor’s warning,” he murmured.
Amos followed his gaze and said, “That might be true on the water, but we are on land.”
“Never discount the turn of the tide wherever it is,” Dominic returned evenly. “These superstitions have guided me well over the years. A powerful storm is brewing. We cannot discount it out of hand because we aren’t on board a ship in the ocean.”
Amos inclined his head, obviously adhering to the seriousness in Dominic’s tone.
As his successor departed, Dominic realized that although he was starting to feel the effects of a long night, he was a long way from sleep. His mind was whirling now that the sky had warned him of impending danger.
He thought of Lexie traveling alone, but he kept reminding himself that one of the best Runners in his employ had joined her on the journey. There should be no reason why she couldn’t make the trip without incident.
And yet…
Dominic knew he couldn’t ignore the warning in his gut. However, if something had happened in London regarding the Duke of Cuthbert, he had a messenger boy he trusted who would deliver a message to him. Since there was no new correspondenceon his desk, he had to content himself that Lexie was safe and unharmed.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he decided that if he was going to have a clear head to continue this investigation into the earl, he needed to try and get a few hours rest.
However, the moment he had the thought to leave, there was a brisk knock at his office door.Bloody hell.
When he strode across the room and spied the young boy in his employ, his stomach sank as he accepted a sealed missive before the boy scampered off again.
Dominic ripped open the letter and read the few hastily penned lines from the Runner he’d assigned to travel with Lexie.
Set upon by bandits. Fight ensued. Lady escaped. Believed to be unharmed.
Bloodyfuckinghell.
He crumpled the note in his fist. Was it too much to ask that Lexie be kept out of harm’s way? Or was he meant to endure this crushing weight of guilt for not escorting her himself when Avalon needed to be present to end this blasted nightmare?
Wasting no time, Dominic slammed the door shut behind him as he rushed to leave. He wasn’t sure where he intended to go, but hopefully his gut would lead him in the right direction.
Lexie awoketo a single ray of sunshine burning her eyelid before it was hidden by heavy clouds. The window she was staring at did not immediately look familiar, and as memory began to resurface, she sat up with a gasp.
She was in a small bed with a straw mattress and a worn, patched coverlet that appeared to have been lovingly handmade at one point. She lifted a hand to her bodice and found that she was still fully clothed, to her everlasting gratitude. Whoever musthave taken her in was honorable and not of a mind to cause further havoc.
Setting her legs over the side of the bed, she tested her strength and found that after a moment of uncertainty, her weight easily held. Taking a deep breath, she smoothed the hair from her face. However, a quick glance at a mirror on a modest dressing table showed that she looked as terrible as she’d feared. Her gown was ripped in several places from her late-night escape through the forest, and her hair was in terrible disarray. She couldn’t attempt to repair it since several of the pins she’d used to secure it were missing.
