Page 14 of A Duke to Steal Her
Who did he think he was? Her savior, her hero? Why was he doing all this?
Emily glanced around the opulent room, at the fine furnishings and silken drapes, then back to the man across from her.
“I will never be your mistress, Your Grace,” she stated.
A slow smile spread across his face. “Interesting that your mind leapt there, as though unbidden. I don’t recall proposing such an arrangement.” His voice dropped lower. “Perhaps this is some subconscious desire of yours?”
“You are impossible!” Emily exclaimed. She could feel her cheeks burning. “Is this jealousy? Revenge? Or simple madness that drives you to such extremes?”
For the first time that evening, the Duke’s expression grew serious, the playfulness vanishing from his eyes. “Your groom’s interests conflict with mine. You are… collateral.”
Emily recoiled. “Collateral? You speak as if I represented a financial transaction instead of a person.”
“I speak the truth; however unpalatable you may find it.”
“You speak like a villain in a Gothic novel,” she retorted, pushing back from the table.
“Perhaps I am the villain here,” he acknowledged with a slight nod. “But I suspect you know something of villains already, given your connection to the Duke of Blackmoor.”
Emily froze. “My brother-in-law? What has Vincent to do with any of this?”
“Come now, my lady. Surely, you’re aware that before the Duke of Blackmoor settled into domestic bliss with your sister, he served the Crown in various… unofficial capacities.” The Duke’s gaze remained steady on hers. “A man with his skills could easily make this entire incident disappear.”
Emily gulped. How could he have discovered Vincent’s time as a spy for the Crown?
“You know a great deal about my family,” she said slowly.
“I make it my business to know a great deal about many things.” He rose from his chair, circling the table to stand before her. “I meant what I said earlier, my lady. You are perfectly safe here. No harm will come to you under my roof.”
Emily stared up at him, suddenly realizing how meticulously he must have planned this abduction. This was a carefully orchestrated move in some larger game she couldn’t begin to comprehend.
“I do not doubt your capacity to keep me safe,” she said quietly. “It’s your intentions that concern me.”
The Duke took her hand, raising it to his lips with courtly grace. “My intentions, Lady Emily, are precisely what they need to be.” His breath was warm against her skin as he spoke. “I promise you this—you can have a very good time at Nightfell if you wish it.”
Something unfamiliar fluttered in her chest. Something this man, with his mysterious motives, had a way of making her feel.
Emily snatched her hand away, rising to her feet.
“Good night, Your Grace,” she said coldly, retreating toward her bedchamber. “I trust you can find your way out.”
She didn’t look back as she closed the door firmly behind herself, but she could feel his gaze following her, and the memory of his lips upon her hand seemed to burn long after she was alone.
Chapter Five
“Enter,” Ambrose called, not bothering to look up from his correspondence after the sudden knock on his study’s door.
His butler appeared, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “Your Grace, I hesitate to disturb you, but Mrs. Finch is in quite a state. It seemsSignorinaBianchi has… disappeared from her chambers.”
Ambrose set his quill down slowly, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. So, his guest was making her move.
“Disappeared, has she?” he repeated, rising from his chair.
“Yes, Your Grace. Mrs. Finch swears the young lady sent her to check some issue with the windows in the east wing, but when she returned?—”
“And no one thought to watch her door while the housekeeper was away?” Ambrose asked, setting his face so as to hide his amusement.
The butler cleared his throat. “It appears the maid assigned to her was distracted.SignorinaBianchi had requested a fresh cup of tea.”
