Page 1 of The Beastly Earl

Prologue

Westbrook Farms

May 1897

The heat from the blaze burned her cheeks as if she’d stayed out in the sun too long. Flames licked the manor’s façade and had already begun to dance behind the black clouds of smoke billowing out of the nursery’s windows. The sight sent a wave of terror through Louisa unlike anything she’d ever experienced.

“Oh dear God, Charlie. Willie.” Her anguished cry echoed loudly in her ears, but the pandemonium surrounding her ensured no one heard her.

Cries went up into the air as someone pointed toward the side of the house that wasn’t on fire. She jerked her head toward the sound and saw her nephew, Jamie, quickly walking toward where she, Constance, and Helen stood with the servants who had fled the fire. Following close behind Jamie was Theo. Imogene drew up the rear carrying a small bundle in her arms. Helen and Constance both cried out with joy and ran toward the children.

Frantically, she looked past the children searching for more figures hurrying toward them, but there was only the terrifying blackness of the night. For what seemed an eternity, only darkness filled her vision until Nanny emerged from the shadows carrying Charlie in her arms. A cry of relief flew past her lips as she met the older woman halfway to pull her oldest son into her arms. He was crying wildly and choked her as he flung his small arms around her neck.

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she kissed her son repeatedly and examined him for any burns. Relieved to find him unharmed, the emotion evaporated as she turned back toward the empty shadows. Inside her chest, her heart pounded a fierce beat not unlike a racehorse’s hooves hitting the dirt as it ran. Charlie still in her arms, she saw a shadowy figure moving into the light. The sight of Aunt Matilda hurrying toward them with Tilly cradled close to her breast made Helen cry out with happiness. Her sister-in-law ran forward with an outstretched arm to pull her daughter into her arms as she kept Theo close to her side.

Another cry filled the air, and she jerked her gaze back toward the dark side of the house to see a footman hurrying toward them with Braxton in his arms. The terror and fear gripping her muscles made her tighten her grip on Charlie as the heat of the fire reached out to taunt her as if it was laughing at her fear.

“Angus!” Helen cried out in relief as footman emerged from the darkness with her son in his arms.

All the children were sobbing in fear, and the sound scraped across her senses as if someone were slicing into her with a sharp knife. Dear God, where were Willie and Devin? The fear slithering through her closed off her throat until it became difficult to breathe. Tears blurred her vision as she buried her face in Charlie’s hair and prayed as she’d never done before in her life. This time it was Aunt Matilda who cried out as two more footmen rounded the house with children in their arms.

“There! Willie. Alma. Saints be praised,” Aunt Matilda exclaimed in loud relief.

With a cry of joy, Louisa hurried forward with Charlie still pressed tightly against her chest to pull Willie close with her free arm. Tears of relief streamed down her cheeks as she clutched both of her children close. The boys’ tears wet the thin wrap of her night robe, and she tried to soothe them as they clung to her with a desperate terror she was feeling too. Suddenly a feral scream pierced the night.

The blood-curdling cry sent an invisible, icy hand brushing over her back. She turned with a jerk to stare in horror at the façade of her home burning brightly in the darkness. Another dreadful shriek echoed out into the night. It repeated itself until it became one horrifying continuous scream filling the air. It was the cry of a wounded animal in agony. Terror swept through her as the scream ended abruptly as a split-second later a loud crash filled the air. The violent noise made her jump as flames shattered the nursery windows and shot out of the empty frames to illuminate the dark night. The fire had now reached the main entryway and engulfed one half of the manor.

Another wild scream echoed from the second story combined with male shouts of panic. The sounds pulled a loud gasp from the small crowd staring at the burning building. It was a collective breath of horror that died away into silence until the only thing filling the air was the roar of the fire, the soft sound of sobbing children, and the distant clanging of bells from a fire brigade that was already too late.

Indistinguishable male shouts of helpless anger and fear poured out of the burning house. The panic in the male voices sent a sudden stillness through her as she turned her head to account for every child. They were all here. That only left the men and…

“Patience, where is Patience?” she cried out as her gaze searched the people surrounding her. Constance took up her cry as Aunt Matilda’s face became ashen.

Without hesitating, Louisa kissed her boys’ cheeks and whispered reassurances she would return as she gave each of them into the arms of a maid and footman. Spurred by the fear her aunt appeared ready to collapse, she hurried to Aunt Matilda’s side. The woman swayed on her feet, and Louisa quickly wrapped her arm around her aunt to keep her from falling to the ground.

“Constance!” she called out with a quick glance behind her. In seconds, her older sister was on the other side of their aunt to help ensure the older woman remained standing. As Louisa touched her aunt’s arm, the older woman began to tremble and it shot a bolt of dread through her.

“Patience,” her aunt rasped softly. “She and Caleb stayed behind tae ensure the children were safe.”

“Oh, dear God,” she whispered as she met the matriarch’s horrified gaze and an image of Patience’s happy smile filled her mind.

A barely audible cry of horror escaped her aunt, before a violent tremor pulsated out of her. It heightened Louisa’s fear as she watched the Scotswoman close her eyes. The sudden look of stark grief accentuating the gray pallor of her aunt’s face made her go rigid. The an dara sealladh. Aunt Matilda had seen something that had rocked her to the core.

Another image of Patience flashed before her eyes before Caleb’s somber features filled her head. It wasn’t possible. She refused to believe it. The Rockwoods always rose to a challenge. They never accepted defeat. She couldn’t have lost both of her siblings in one single moment in time.

In the next breath, guilt made her tremble. Her first thought had been for her brother and sister’s safety, not Devin’s. She closed her eyes as she remembered the last words she’d screamed at her husband. They’d been terrible words. Startled by Constance’s unexpected, tight grip on the arm she’d braced against her aunt’s back, Louisa jerked her gaze toward her sister. Tears shimmered in her older sister’s eyes as she looked at Louisa. The an dara sealladh. The family gift had shown Constance something too.

“What? What have you seen, Constance?”

A shout went up from people surrounding her before she could press her sister for an answer. She turned her head toward the house and saw a small party of men moving in the shadows. Julian was the first one she recognized. When she saw Patience in his arms, she drew in a breath of relief. Lucien, Percy, and Sebastian followed close behind their brother-in-law. Soot covered their faces, but it didn’t hide the dark, grim emotion hardening their faces.

Constance and Helen both released quiet sobs of relief as they ran into the arms of their husbands. She glanced briefly at Julian laying Patience on the grass with Percy kneeling at her side then turned her attention back to the darkness. The fire was spreading quickly now, and the shadows that had shrouded the side of the house were giving way to the light of the blaze.

A wave of dread swept through her as she frantically looked past Sebastian searching for Devin and Caleb. When they didn’t stride into view, Aunt Matilda grabbed Louisa’s hand.

“It will be all right, my darling lass.”

The quiet words of sorrow wrapped around Louisa’s body like a vicious band of metal. Fear and guilt engulfed her with the same strength and power as the fire consuming her and Devin’s home. Tugging free of her aunt’s hold, she leapt toward her eldest brother and grabbed his arm.