“Angel, what is it?” he murmured, reaching toward the letter.
She let him take it, her stepmother’s written threats already burned into her memory.
“Jeremy, take George upstairs, would you?” she heard Damien say. Even though his deep voice lilted toward a question, she knew it was not a request, but a demand.
Jeremy must have known, too, because he quickly rose from his seat and walked toward George.
“Come on, my boy, perhaps you could show me how you make these wonderful dolls I hear so much about.”
Caroline heard George say his goodbyes, and their footsteps faded as she remained dazed and rooted to her chair.
“Treasonous witch,” Damien hissed the moment they were alone, and tossed the letter down to the table. “Caroline, angel, look at me,” he insisted.
When she did not move, he hunkered down by her side and gently grasped her jaw, turning her head for her.
She snapped out of her spell as she met his amber eyes, and she drew in a deep inhale as she lunged for him. Damien pulled her into his arms, raising her to her feet as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
“She is not going to stop,” she cried, feeling hot tears slide down her cheeks and onto Damien’s shirt. “She is never going to stop until she gets what she wants.”
“Shh, angel,” Damien soothed, stroking his hand down her back. “That is not true.”
“Yes, it is,” she insisted, pulling away to wipe her tears. “You saw what she wrote, Damien. She is going to ruin us one way or another.”
“She can try,” Damien snapped. “I will never let her hurt you.”
The force of his tone had Caroline’s eyes shooting up to his face, and she saw a mixture of rage and determination brightening his amber eyes.
“We shall end this,” Damien said, wrapping his hand around the nape of her neck to press her forehead against his. “Now.”
Caroline closed her eyes, lingering in the warm protection that was her husband’s embrace, and nodded. She had once believed he was a liar, but she had come to accept that he was the ruthless man she always knew him to be. This time, though, she understood something different: he would be ruthless nottoward her, but for her.
She let Damien sweep her into a kiss. She waited, wanting those delicious, dizzying tingles to take over her and make her mind go blank. Instead, his kiss filled her with strength, as if he was passing his determination to her through his lips, and as he pulled back, she drew in a breath and felt courage surge into her heart.
Damien’s hand slipped down to hers, and without a word, he led her out of the dining room and toward the foyer. He threw open the front door as if he was ready to charge down the street with them toward Agatha’s—but as they stepped outside, they were met by Evander’s surprised face as his hand was raised to knock.
“Evander,” Damien muttered, his gaze still cold and determined as he met his old friend’s eyes. “What are you doing here? I thought you had left?”
Concern flooded Caroline as she gazed into Evander’s blue eyes. Much of him appeared nearly the same as before—except for his eyes. They remained haunted, no longer holding those piercing shards of life they once had.
“I am about to,” Evander replied, looking from Damien to her. “I just needed to tell you something else.”
He took a step back onto the walk, and Damien closed the front door behind them before they joined him.
“I meant to tell you last night,” Evander went on, gripping his cane so tightly his knuckles turned white. “But we were all together. Everyone seemed so happy that I…”
He paused, a harsh mixture of longing and fear in his features as he bowed his head.
“I forgot,” he whispered. “I forgot for a moment that things were bad.”
“Do not dare apologize for feeling a moment of happiness, Evander,” Caroline gently urged. “God knows how we all need such moments. No matter how brief.”
“My wife is right, old friend,” Damien’s deep voice added softly. “And you came back. That is all that matters.”
Appreciation glimmered through Evander’s eyes, and he gave a stiff nod.
“I discovered something else,” Evander continued, looking at Caroline. “Cousin, do not be mad at your husband, but when you two visited me, he shared some concerns about you. More specifically, about your stepmother. Agatha did not tell anyone that your father apparently left you nothing; she kept it a secret. Since she loves to show her power, I found that very strange. So I sent my men to the hall of records, and Caroline, the copy of the will they have on file for your father? It is a fake.”
Caroline’s brows shot up in surprise as her head began to spin, and it was only Damien’s tight grasp on her hand that kept her grounded.
