Page 109 of The Duke's Sinful Bride

Yvette felt the weight of his words, her heart breaking for the little girl who had already endured so much. Maisie had suffered so much in her young life, from not knowing her mother, to not receiving enough affection from her father, and then she was nearly kidnapped.

“Has she… has she been alright?” Yvette asked, her voice barely above a whisper, because she could not imagine the mental strain that night had had on her.

Killian nodded, though his expression darkened as he explained further.

“She’s fine, physically. But mentally… she’s been asking questions, Yvette. Questions that I don’t think she should remember.”

“We’ve been trying to investigate the fire, and it seems it wasn’t an accident. It was set intentionally, and the man responsible… well, we’ve been searching for him.” Killian added after a pause.

Yvette’s heart skipped a beat, the realization hitting her with a sickening thud. “It was Lord Hilfern.”

“Lord Hilfern?” Killian asked darkly and Yvette nodded.

“No one knows where he’s gone, though. We’re still looking for him, but he’s vanished.”

Yvette’s brows furrowed in confusion as she recalled the night, and his excruciating demise.

“I doubt you’ll ever find him,” Yvette said to him, trying to rid herself of the sound of his desperate cries as the flames ate away at him.

“Lord Hilfern?” he asked as she nodded.

“But why? Why would he set the house on fire? What does he have to do with us?” Killian asked, and Yvette licked her lips before responding.

Her heart was racing now, her mind scrambling to make sense of what he’d said that night. Killian’s face hardened, as he looked at her.

“Lord Hilfern,” she started slowly, “he… he wanted Maisie. He believes she’s the last of Albina, his first love. He was obsessed with her, Killian. He’d spoken about wanting to preserve and protect her from you, but I wouldn’t let him.” Yvette explained.

“What happened next?” Killian asked and Yvette swallowed.

“It seemed he was intoxicated, and it led to his death. He was so far gone that he couldn’t control himself. He walked into the fire and burned to death.”

Killian’s eyes widened in shock as he processed everything that he’d just heard.

Killian stood at the doorway, his heart heavy after hearing Yvette’s account of the horrific night.

He felt a strange sense of relief knowing that Hilfern was dead, but a part of him couldn’t help but feel that he should have been the one to end him—he should have been the one to protect his family from such an evil force.

But Yvette’s strength, her bravery in the face of everything, had left him speechless.

As he left her room, a quiet sorrow lingered in his heart, but it was a sorrow tinged with a promise. He had to ensure their safety from here on in, no matter the cost.

Meanwhile, later that afternoon, in the warmth of Yvette’s room, the mood shifted when Fiona and Georgiana returned withEdward and Maisie. The little girl, still with traces of concern in her eyes, rushed to Yvette’s side and wrapped her tiny arms around her neck. The room seemed to hold its breath as Maisie’s soft voice broke the silence.

“Mama! You’re truly awake,” she whispered, burying her face into Yvette’s chest.

Tears welled in Edward’s eyes as he wiped them away, his voice cracking as he spoke.

“Yvette, never scare me like that again.”

Yvette’s heart ached at the love in their words, the love that had been put to the test and had survived. She stroked Maisie’s hair and whispered, “I’m here now. I’m here, love.”

That night, when Killian returned to the room, the weight of the day seemed to melt away as he wrapped his arms around Yvette. His voice was low, a promise filled with raw emotion, “I’m never letting go of you.”

Yvette smiled softly, her hands resting on his chest as she whispered, “Don’t let go.”

Killian’s smile grew as he brushed a strand of hair from her face.

“It might be greedy of me,” he said, his voice hushed, “but I want to kiss my wife.”

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