The Heart of a Duke(99)

“I do.” Brett sighed.

The silence that fell was companionable, as his friend finally understood. It gave Daniel an element of peace, something that had eluded him since his return.

“To be honest, you were getting tedious buried in your ledgers. Not to mention, it was becoming difficult to tear you away from your desk. I knew then that you were not really living, but burying yourself in work or perhaps biding your time.”

Daniel looked at Brett with surprise.

“I suppose that is another reason I wished to persuade you from this trip.” Brett said ruefully. “However, your absence means that Isabelle Hardy will finally look my way.”

Daniel snorted.

“She is the toast of Boston. Now that your lordship is out of reach, I have a chance.”

“You are right. After all, it was just my title that was of interest to her.”

“Of course. Why else would she look to you when I am around?” Brett dismissed the idea as ludicrous.

“No idea,” he agreed wryly. “Cannot think of a thing.”

“However, there are lovely sights here as well.” He eyed Daniel askance. “I am good with sisters, you know. Have three of them myself.”

He shook his head. “I trust Emily to take care of herself.” He nodded to Brett’s right arm in the sling. “When do you intend to tell her you are left-handed? She will not be pleased to hear you have cajoled her into drafting your correspondence when you are perfectly capable of doing it yourself.”

Brett grinned. “It was the only way I could get her near me.”

Daniel gave him a level look. “Tread softly there. It is my neck that would be on the block if you hurt her again.”

“Again?” Brett said, his amusement fading.

“Her fiancé died in India, and she’s still raw, so I beg you, do not push her, Brett. She had a bad time of it after his death.”

Brett frowned. “She is a wisp of a thing, like one of those delicate English roses. But she has thorns, as she has pricked me a time or two. Cannot understand it. Women love me. I should know, my sisters tell—”

“Spare me your sisters.” Daniel held up his hands.

He would miss Brett when he returned to Boston. Perhaps he shouldn’t be cautioning him against Emily. Brett’s poetic comment on English roses was not like his friend. It was worth considering.



IT WAS NEARING dawn when someone pounded on Daniel’s door, streaks of dim light just beginning to sliver through the curtains. They coincided with the chimes of the mantel clock, and he sprang up before the first knock had finished. Years under Edmund’s roof had made him a light sleeper. He had his breeches on and the door opened within seconds.

The footman looked as if he had tumbled out of bed and haphazardly tossed on whatever clothes were at hand. He tripped over his words in his haste to spit them out. “Sir, you need to come quick. It’s Lakeview Manor. It’s on fire!”

Edmund was home.

He clamped down his blind fury and snapped out orders. “Roust Taunton and Mr. Curtis. Have them meet me there. Wake the stables. Have them saddle the horses.”

Slamming his door, he finished dressing, his heart thumping.

Bloody hell. Not again. It was like a nightmare repeating itself. He forced air into his lungs as his throat tightened. He was all right. More importantly, Julia was asleep in her bedroom, and for once, he thanked God he was in his. He hoped she stayed there, cursed under his breath when he knew without an iota of doubt that his Maid Marian most certainly would not.

Gritting his teeth, he whipped open the door and raced out. He did not give a damn about salvaging the beginnings of the timber frame, knowing how quickly fire consumed, but he could protect his headstrong fiancée. Or at least try.



THE ORANGE GLOW lit up the sky. Flames, like dancing ribbons, engulfed the structure, consuming all they entangled. Crackles of popping lights splashed into the night. Oak timbers succumbed under the scorching heat, crashing down in a roar of spitting sparks. An inferno of heat forced everyone back from the burning mass.

A horse-drawn cart had been loaded up with barrels of water. Men had formed a human chain, passing buckets to douse the perimeter around the blaze. It was too late to save the frame, but there were thickets, brambles, and the lines of trees that created a border between Taunton Court and the manor, which threatened to carry the blaze farther.

As the heat engulfed Daniel, he stood in impotent fury. Moments later, he became aware of Julia’s presence and found her beside him. Having her there eased him. Edmund had taken nothing away from him that he couldn’t rebuild. It was just loss of work, time, and wood.

Julia was everything.