“He needs to pay for what he’s done!” he shouted at Seth. “If it was Cassandra, you would want vengeance!”
“If it was Cassandra, I’d stay by her side,” Seth snapped. “I wouldn’t allow her to wake up afraid and alone—in an unfamiliar bed and different clothes! You want to be Lady Jasmine’s husband? Act like it, and sit down.”
Matthew backed down because Seth was right.
But why is Blackmoor here?
Naturally, he would be there in an emergency. Only an emergency. The last time Matthew and Blackmoor had been at the same ball was the night of Cassandra’s attack.
When he knew there was a threat.
“You were there in an instant, Blackmoor,” Matthew accused. “Almost as if you werewaitingfor me to walk by.”
Blackmoor’s face remained passive. “A ‘thank you’ would suffice.”
“You know what happens in that mansion, don’t you?” Matthew asked. “HowDuke Kendall hurts women. Did you know he was going to attack Jasmine?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me, Blackmoor,” Matthew hissed. “Did you know?”
“No.” Blackmoor shook his head. “I knew he had something planned, but I thought his target was—”
“Me.” Caroline stood at the top of the staircase. She stomped downthe stairs and glowered at Blackmoor. “Isn’t that right, Lord Blackmoor? You thought Duke Kendall was going to attack me, and you didn’t say anything!” She pointed her finger at Matthew. “And you didn’t warn me about him!”
“I did warn you,” Matthew growled.
“Not properly!” Caroline spat.
“I told you he was dangerous!”
“Everyone in our family is dangerous! You didn’t tell me he wasevil! Keeping secrets from me is not keeping me safe. It didn’t with Jasmine—” Caroline’s words ended with a broken cry, and tears streamed down her face. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves!”
Cassandra called down the stairs, “That’s enough, all of you.”
Holding onto the railing, she made her way down the steps. Seth reached for her hand, and guided her down the last steps. At the bottom, she turned to Matthew.
“Jasmine’s asleep again. It wouldn’t do for her to wake up alone.”
Needing no other excuse to leave the room, Matthew bounded up the stairs to return to Jasmine’s side. Conversation continued downstairs, but he closed the door to block out the sounds—leaving him in silence with Jasmine.
She was now dressed in one of Cassandra’s cotton nightgowns, and he tried not to think of the last time he had seen Jasmine in a nightgown.
The first time, he corrected.There will be other times.
Unless Duke Kendall gave her too much laudanum. Pressing his fingertips to Jasmine’s neck, he counted her heartbeats to the ticking of the clock.
It was so slow.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Followed by a thunderous pounding on the front door.
THUMP-THUMP-THUMP.
Aunt Valentine bellowed,“Where is my daughter!?”
A stampede of footsteps echoed from the stairs.
