Page 22 of A Virgin for the Duke of Ash

It seemed to him that little John might not be just another poor orphan, after all, by his speech alone.

As Daniel pondered the possible implications of this observation, a cheerful voice jolted him out of his thoughts, accompanied by a friendly clap on his shoulder.

“There you are! I knew I would somehow find you here!”

Daniel frowned slightly as Ethan grinned at him and then at Mrs. Thomas.

“Ma’am, would you mind it horribly if I accompanied this sour-faced individual for a moment?” he asked her charmingly.

The head of the orphanage laughed and shook her head. “I would not mind it, Your Grace, but you are mistaken on one account, though—the Duke of Ashton is always a welcome presence here at St. Martha’s.”

“Mrs. Thomas must be the only woman who enjoys your perpetually dour countenance,” Ethan remarked, shaking his head. “Her and the Dowager Duchess.”

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. “Is there any reason why you sought my company all the way here?”

Ethan merely grinned at him and slung his arm over his shoulder. “Why don’t we head over to the courtyard? A bit of fresh air might do you a world of good.”

Daniel did not protest as his friend dragged him off to the courtyard. Unlike most other orphanages in London, this one was mostly kept clean and even had a decent array of toys for the children to play with. There was even a swing and a tree house.

All of that, of course, was thanks to the patronage of the Duke of Ashton.

“Enough with this farce, Ethan,” he finally growled. “If I wanted fresh air, I would have gone?—”

“Gone where exactly, Ash? To Hyde Park?” Ethan dropped his smile as he mimicked Daniel’s stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “And speaking of the park, I heard that three certain young ladies are headed there right now.”

“That is none of my business,” Daniel retorted briskly and raised his eyebrow at his friend. “And neither is it yours.”

To his credit, Ethan looked slightly chagrined. Daniel even caught the slight flicker in his eyes.

“And how has that been going for you?” Ethan asked him with a knowing smile.

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

Ethan looked at him pointedly. “Oh, I know you do, Daniel. You do not need to live with Colin’s younger sister to keep an eye on her.”

“Do you know how many bastards I have had to forbid from ever stepping into Ashton Hall?” Daniel growled at him. “It is the very fact that Evie is Colin’s younger sister that has put her into an even more precarious situation. Every fop and dandy is asking for her hand in marriage, when we all know what they really mean to do is ask for her dowry!”

“And is that not the way of the marriage mart?” Ethan smirked. “Besides, she has the Dowager Countess looking after her. Evie is also smarter than you give her credit for. I trust she will not choose some insipid bastard who is only after her dowry.”

“Not while she is under my watch, no.” Daniel shook his head and started walking away from his friend.

“Where are you going?” the Duke of Sinclair called after him.

Daniel threw him an exasperated look over his shoulder. “To the park, of course.”

“But Evie will be with Lady Scarlett and Lady Phoebe,” his friend reasoned. “Surely she does need another companion to maintain propriety. Besides, I have a feeling that she will not appreciate your presence there.”

A slow, cold smile spread across Daniel’s face. “The park is a public place and open to anyone who wishes to take a turn about its grounds, is it not?”

“I still think it’s a bad idea, Ash.”

What was a bad idea was leaving Evie and her friends—who did not know any better—unattended, to be ogled by every bastard who salivated after their most generous dowries. Of course, it hardly helped matters that they were not exactly bad to look at.

Evie, in particular, had garnered a great deal of attention ever since she made her bow, and Daniel knew it was not only because of her generous dowry.

It was the height of foolishness, indeed, if she was to be left to her own devices, and Daniel did not consider himself to be a foolish man.

Evie, however, was an entirely different story…

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