He turned to peer out of the small window beside him, but through the darkness, he didn’t see anything. Ellie scooted toward the window on her side and drew back the covering. She gasped.
Vincent moved closer to her to get a better look. Off in the distance, flames reached for the sky. Curious, he knelt on the floor and cracked the door open. He wasn’t certain where they were, but when the surroundings became familiar, his gut twisted.
The fire was on his property!
He cursed. “Take us there,” he shouted at his driver.
“Yes, my lord.”
The coach turned toward the fire, and Vincent held on to the door, keeping his eye on the fire. Worry clawed its way through him like an out-of-control animal. Was the fire at the house? Thankfully, Lilly and Laura were attending a ball with their cousins tonight and wouldn’t be home.
“What’s wrong?” Ellie clutched his arm, pulling him back inside.
“Something is on fire on my property.”
She gasped. “No. That cannot be right.”
Suddenly, the threat he’d received yesterday resurfaced. He hadn’t stayed away from Ellie. He wouldneverstay away from her.
“Vincent, do you think it was the person who threatened you before?”
He met her panicked gaze and nodded. “Yes. I’m sure of it.”
The coach rounded another bend as they drew closer to his estate. He held his breath until the manor came into view. Relief poured over him, and he sighed. The fire wasn’t there. But where…?
Then the stable came into view, all lit up with orange and red flames. Black smoke drifted through the air.
“Vincent! Your horses,” Ellie screamed, jerking on his arm.
A knot formed in his throat and his eyes stung with unshed tears. He’d had four horses—four that would be used to start his stud farm.
The coach slowed, and he pushed open the door and jumped out. He ran as fast as he could toward the burning structure, but his heart already told him that his horses had not escaped.
When the heat from the fire became too much to bear, he stopped. “Noooo,” he screamed. Whoever had done this act of revenge was merciless. Vincent wouldn’t rest until the person was caught.
In silence, he watched as the fire consumed the stable, burning each board, each wall, each beam, until it crumbled apart. It was as if he watched his life dissipate before him. The life he’d tried so hard to establish these past few months had vanished with one destructive spark.
“Oh, Vincent.” Ellie sobbed beside him as she took his arm and pressed her cheek against him. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
His heart hurt too much for words to form in his mouth. He couldn’t tear his stare away from the burning structure. However, to acknowledge Ellie, he placed his hand over hers resting on his arm. She entwined her fingers with his.
The few servants he had—and those on the coach—had run up to the stable, and threw dirt on the fire, trying to put it out. Ellie tore away from him to assist them. Pulling himself out of his melancholy, he joined in. Thankfully, there weren’t any close trees to make the fire spread.
Vincent tried not to think about all that he’d lost in this senseless act, instead, focusing on dousing the fire. It didn’t take long before other people joined in, throwing dirt on the fire. The servants from neighboring estates stood with them. Thankfully, there were some kind-hearted people in this township.
It seemed like it took forever, but finally the fire was extinguished. He shook hands with those servants who had assisted as they wearily returned to their homes. Poor Ellie was covered in dirt, and her lovely hair fell out of the coil to hang down around her shoulders. Smudges of dirt marked her beautiful face, but he’d never felt so strongly about her as he did at this moment. Being a duke’s daughter, she shouldn’t have helped, but her unselfish act of kindness had proven to Vincent that she cared for him.
One of his servants had fetched water from the well and brought him and Ellie a cup to drink. Vincent hadn’t realized how thirsty he was until this moment. He and Ellie locked gazes as they drank. Exhaustion pulled on her expression, especially in her weary eyes. His heart twisted. He should have begged her to leave instead of staying and helping. But it made his heart light to know she cared enough to stay, regardless of the labor.
Lowering the cup, he sighed and gave her a weak smile. “Well, Lady Ellie.” Slowly, he moved to her side. “I suppose I should get you home quickly now.”
She nodded with a frown. “Yes, I suppose that is the logical thing to do.”
“It would be.” He took her dirty hand in his. “As much as being alone together sounds better, I have much to do tonight.”
“I know.”
He glanced at his coach. “I’ll have my driver take you home.”
