Page 78 of The Duke and the Hellion Bride

Magnus had no idea what was going on. And he only half understood what Miss Goldsmith was saying. He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and then looked the woman in the eyes. “Tell me again, clearly. And from the beginning.”

Miss Goldsmith did just that, explaining with far more clarity what was going on exactly and why she was here. “... he has called her to his home tomorrow,” she explained, continuing the story as Magnus finally began to understand. “Where I believe they will meet with his lawyers to begin the process of annulment. He has her trapped, Your Grace, and she fears there is nothing she can do to escape.”

“Unbelievable!” Theodore cried. “And you, Miss Goldsmith. You are very brave for coming here.”

“Oh...” She blushed furiously. “Thank you.”

Magnus ignored his friend’s flirting. He ignored Miss Goldsmith’s pleading. His focus now was on Diana, his wife, the story told which dashed the funk that had hung over his head like smashing an egg against the wall.

He felt his heart begin to pound solidly in his chest. He felt his sense of worth, his courage, return in droves. All the doubt that had besieged him. The sense of hopelessness, weakness, helplessness that had beaten him down. It faded – no! He battered it away. Because through it all he focused on that which mattered, words which had him standing as if he meant to fly!

His wife, Diana, still cared for him. By all accounts, she might very well have loved him. And now, she needed his help.

Once, Magnus might have run when faced with a situation like this. But as Magnus had promised his wife not so long ago, he was capable of change. He had changed. Love had done that to him, and now he meant to save who was responsible. She whom he loved with all his heart.

It was time Magnus did as he should have days ago. It was time that Magnus fought for his wife, his happiness... for love.

“Tomorrow, you say?” he asked. On his feet, there was a growl in his voice, anger boiling away just below the surface.

“Yes, tomorrow morning,” she said. “She does not know I am here. Again, the children. If anything was to happen to them...”

“Do not worry for the girls,” Magnus said. A smile, only for a moment, at the thought of Diana had how much she was willing to sacrifice for his nieces. The smile then turned to a sneer like a wolf cornering its prey. “It is Lord Herrod whose safety is in question. At least it will be, by the time I am done with him.”

ChapterTwenty-Seven

It was hard for Diana to fathom how quickly her life had changed.

Just three days ago, it seemed that her life existed as if torn from the pages of a romance novel. It was not without challenges, there were hardships involved, and dammit more than once she hadn’t known if it could possibly work. But that was how the best romance stories always went, wasn’t it? True love wasn’t meant to be easy but when it was found, those hard times made the good that much more prophetic.

Now, it was no exaggeration to say that she had found herself in the middle of what could only be described as a horror story.

She sat in the back of the carriage as it approached Albury Estate, eyeing the large manor with a growing sense of foreboding that made her chest tighten. The day was sun-drenched and indeed a glorious thing to behold, but dark storm clouds sat on the horizon, and she was certain that before the day was done they would have blackened the sky and drowned the world as she knew it.

The manor was typical of modern-day estates, nothing particularly off-putting about it, but to her it looked like a castle in which a monster resided. And indeed, as the carriage turned down the drive and made its way steadily toward the front of the manor, she spied that monster in all his glory.

His smile was broad, teeth flashing in the light of the sun. But his nose was crooked, bent and ugly, and his posture rigged and stiff. He held his arms wide as the carriage came to a stop, his big eyes lighting up with triumph. So hard, he tried to appear magnanimous and caring, but Diana knew him for what he was.

He was her keeper. Her tormentor. Her captor. He was evil personified and there was nothing she could do to escape his clutches.

“Ah, my love,” he purred as the carriage doors opened and she stepped down. He rushed forward, taking her hand to help. “Could this day not have come any sooner. I do not know of you, but I did not sleep a wink last night.”

“Nor did I,” she said truthfully.

“I would hope not.” She was down from the carriage, but he refused to relinquish her hand. And as he spoke, he looked at her like a crazed lunatic, unable to believe his own luck – a prize won that he would rather die than let out of his sight. “And I predict that ahead of us are many more sleepless nights.”

Her stomach dropped and she felt might be sick. “Just promise me that...” She took a breath and forced herself to meet his eyes. “Promise me that you will keep your word.”

“My word?” he frowned.

“The girls, Josephine and Adeline. You will not harm them.”

“Oh!” he laughed and shook his head. “Are you still on about that? Truly, I had forgotten. But yes, yes, they will not be harmed. That is assuming there are no more surprises,” he added with a wink.

“I am here, am I not?”

“That you are.” He licked his lips and took a step back, still holding her by the hand. “Now, let me get a look at you...” His eyes flashed hunger, similar to the way that Magnus once looked at her, only the reaction she felt in her soul was nowhere near as amorous. “My, oh my. You are...” He clicked his tongue. “A pearl without price. Yes, I cannot help but think that the two of us will be quite happy together.”

“As you say.”

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