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His eyes zeroed in on the cheroot and then flicked his gaze back to Tinderwell. “I’ll answer your question if you answer one of mine.”
“All right.” The other man lit the cheroot in the fire then brought it to his lips, inhaling a long drag.
“How long have you known my mother?”
Tinderwell coughed on the smoke and then banging on his chest as he stood. “I beg your pardon.”
“You, Barrow, my mother.” Jacob said, closing his fingers around his short sword. “How long?”
He didn’t really care. The way the man’s eyes dilated was confirmation enough.
There was a flash of silver a second before Tinderwell let a knife go, the blade flying through the air. Jacob jerked to the side but not quick enough and the blade sliced into his upper arm.
He ignored the burning pain as he pulled out his short sword and leapt across the desk. Tinderwell was already sprinting toward the door, but Jacob was a much younger man, and he gave Tinderwell a hard shove just as he made it to the opening.
The man stumbled across the hall, crashing into the far wall as Jacob pounced on him. “You’ll never touch her,” he snarled as he landed a punch right into the man’s nose.
“Your mother?” Tinderwell grunted. “I’ve touched her plenty.”
Jacob hit him again, square in the gut, causing the other man to double over. He was older but he was tough, and he was up in a moment, catching Jacob with a right hook that had him seeing stars.
He crashed into the wall, giving his head a shake as he tried to clear it. When he straightened, Tinderwell was gone.
Blood poured down his arm, but he strode toward the front of the house, catching sight of Tinderwell’s carriage as the driver snapped the reins. Red and gold, the vehicle flashed in the sun as it pulled away.
Jacob had found the missing piece.
His mother had taken a lover. The same man who’d been courting Emily. He didn’t need Tinderwell to confirm the details to know it was true. Barrow had lied to him about Emily being poor to scare him off, and when that hadn’t worked, Barrow was now dead and Tinderwell was trying to find Emily.
Jacob knew one thing for certain. He’d die before he let that man touch her. And as for his mother…
She was going to pay.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Five miserable days had passed since Jacob had left. He hadn’t even said goodbye. And while it was wonderful to see Aubrey, Emily found herself crying most of the time. All the grief she’d stored up seemed to now be leaking out of her eyes.
Which, in the last twelve hours, had finally dried up.
It was the loss of her parents, the worry for her brother, but also, and she was best at admitting this in the dark of the night when she lay in her bed, she missed Jacob. Desperately.
The way his hand felt on her back, the way her body fit into his. The way he made her feel breathless and safe all at the same time.
Because of him, she longed for things she’d never wanted before.
Her hands trembled as she sat in the front sitting room, staring out the window. When would he come back?
And what would their relationship be when he did?
Something about him being gone, she’d admitted to herself that she did want to be with him. Despite knowing he didn’t want to marry, she allowed herself to acknowledge this wasn’t just about learning herself.
He made her feel things no one had before.
He’d saved her time and again, gone out of his way to help her, and somehow, he still treated her like a grown woman, a competent adult, and that mattered to her.
Not that it changed anything if he didn’t wish to wed her if he didn’t feel the same. That latter part was important.
But he’d been clear that he didn’t see his future with any woman. Her heart gave a few sick beats in her chest.
