“You’ll what? Hobble about Bath?”
“Yes, if I have to.”
“The only thing you need to do right now, Duke, is go inside. If you die of cold after surviving that beating, I shall never forgive myself.”
He eyed the stubborn point of her chin and considered the tingling pain in his fingers. He was a lawyer. He knew well enough how to argue a case but with Violet he was lost, and she was going to win every argument, he swore.
“What news of my father?” he asked with a sigh.
“He made it safely to Bath. The driver deposited him at your house for some reason. We spoke to him, and he wasn’t aware Sir William was even to come here.”
Duke grimaced. “That doesn’t surprise me. My father can be absent-minded.”
“So we at least know he was not taken on the road and is most likely in Bath.” She patted his arm. “We’ll be able to find him, Duke, I know it.”
“We will not be able to do anything,” he said through gritted teeth. He swore he could strangle the woman. Did she not understand how risky the situation was? “These men are dangerous, Vi.” He took her shoulders in his hands.
“It’s fine.” She tried to shrug out of his touch.
“It’s not fine.” He forced her to remain still. “They nearly killed me, and I know they have killed before. I cannot let anything happen to you.”
“Duke, I—”
“I cannot lose you, Vi, do you understand?”
Her throat worked. He glanced at the locket there then made the mistake of following the line of the delicate gold links upward until his gaze settled on her mouth. The fabric of her long sleeves were soft to the touch but cold. Not enough to douse the flame that flickered inside him, though. He stared at her for endless moments, aware of the pull that made him shift closer.
The thought of losing her and never having tasted her again, tore at his insides. He hovered over her for some time, searched her gaze as he did so. One of them would pull away surely? One of them had the strength to fight this desire.
“You are not going to lose me,” she said, her voice shaky. “I can do this, I swear it.”
Duke swallowed hard. He’d lost two women in his life before. How could he let that happen again? He straightened abruptly. “You can’t, Vi. No matter how clever or strong you think you are. You can’t.” He took a step back as her expression soured.
“Clearly—” she tugged off one glove, then the other and scrunched them up in one hand “— you have no faith in me at all.”
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he issued a lengthy breath. He didn’t have to respond or apologize. She gave him no time to. With a brisk few steps Violet moved past him and even slammed the door behind her, the sound reverberating through the night.
“Well, that will about do it,” he muttered to himself.
There were no worries of kissing her now. He’d be lucky if she let him near her again.
Chapter Twelve
Violet stared into the darkness, hearing only the comforting tick of the clock on her bedroom mantlepiece and the slight rustle of leaves outside. She frowned, tugged her blanket about her shoulders, and rolled onto her side. A sneaky sliver of cold air slipped under the blanket, and she tussled with it in an attempt to seal herself tightly underneath. Whatever noise had woken her was silent now. It was most likely Simon the cat who prowled the house at night in some sort of pretense of being a predator. He never actually caught anything much to Mrs. Kumar’s annoyance.
Sinking into her pillow, she scrunched her eyes tightly shut. All she wanted was a nice, restful sleep. Was that too much to ask? Knowing Duke was in the house made it so much harder to settle her mind for some reason.
She jolted upright at the sound of another thud. So shehadheard something. Hand pressed to her violently pounding heart, she listened intently. Another thud and then footsteps. Perhaps it was simply one of her sisters unable to sleep or maybe Ivy had started sleepwalking again.
Or maybe it was one of the dangerous men Duke was so concerned about.
It made no sense, of course. The men had nothing to gain by coming here, especially seeing as they had Duke’s father. A floorboard creaked outside her bedroom, and she slipped from the bed, her toes hitting cold wooden floors. Her breaths were harsh in her ears, and she fought to control them.
Able to see the room more clearly now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she moved to the fireplace and snatched up the poker, cradling it in both hands. She took a few steps toward the door. The footsteps were gone. There were no more creaks.
Probably Ivy. But Violet couldn’t shake the sensation she should check to be certain. The idea of her family vulnerable and asleep whilst an intruder crept around the house made her stomach knot.
Carefully, she twisted the doorknob and inched open the door to peer into the darkened hallway. No shadows. No one leaping out to attack her. She released a long breath and lowered the poker. Most likely nothing but she should check the house just in case. She certainly was not going to sleep until she knew the source of the noise.