Chapter 6 #2
Silas made a noncommittal sound, frowning at the newspaper on his desk. The front page was filled with the recent murder of a well-known nobleman. What the public did not know, however, was that he used to run the largest prostitution ring in England.
Silas was not at all surprised that someone had finally slashed his throat, though it was being blamed on a lovers’s spat gone wrong.
His mind inevitably returned to the late Earl of Downfield, his current mission.
He turned to his secretary. “Saunders, I have a small assignment for you.”
Saunders looked up, protest in his eyes. “I haven’t finished with the ledgers, Your Grace.”
“Yes, yes, but you can do that later.” Silas waved a dismissive hand. “I need you to go to St. Margaret’s abbey. A young lady has escaped to the premises, and I would like you to make discreet inquiries into what they mean to do about it. Emphasis on discreet.”
Saunders quickly got to his feet. “Yes, Your Grace.” He bowed quickly, grabbed his coat from behind the chair, and hurried out of the room.
Silas picked up his coffee cup in a huff and turned to face the window. He caught sight of his sister and Helena sitting on the grass, facing each other, deep in conversation.
What are they talking about?
He took a slow sip of his tea, his eyes lingering on Helena.
She sat with an ease he hadn’t expected, with her posture open, relaxed, almost as though she belonged there.
It wasn’t just her composure that intrigued him; it was the way she held Amelia’s attention, the way she seemed to draw her in without even trying.
Amelia, who rarely allowed anyone to hold her focus for long, seemed utterly fascinated by her. There was something in the way Helena spoke, the way she moved, that had captured his sister’s curiosity.
Silas couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
His gaze darkened slightly as he studied Helena’s profile. There was something alluring about her; perhaps her defiance, her strength. The way she challenged him, even in their brief exchanges, stirred a curiosity in him that he wasn’t accustomed to.
Now, watching her laugh softly at something Amelia had said, a thought—no, a need—flashed through his mind.
Her lips on his, her eyes fluttering to the back of her head with bliss, the curve of her neck, open and ripe for biting.
A jolt of heat went through him, one that quickly twisted into something far darker, far more dangerous.
He shoved the thought aside, tightening his grip on the teacup until his knuckles went white.
No, this was a distraction he couldn’t afford.
But even as he tried to refocus, that image of her lingered, too vivid, too tempting to dismiss.
“Oh, for Heaven’s sake,” he set the cup down with a sharp exhale, his mind racing to pull himself back from the brink.
He had work to do, answers to find, and the Crown to protect.
Yet, the faintest trace of Helena’s presence, her scent, her very essence, seemed to haunt him, a silent whisper that refused to fade.
“You mustn’t judge my brother too harshly,” Amelia said softly. “He has not had an easy time of it. Sometimes I think he just holds himself too tight. As if, were he to do the slightest thing wrong, then everything would fall apart.”
Helena smiled. “I understand. You are his sister, and you love him. He’s a lucky man to have someone care about him as you do.”
“And yet…?” Amelia prodded.
Helena laughed. “You are too insightful for your own good. I was just going to say that in my humble opinion, he is a bit…”
Before she could finish, Amelia cut her off, her voice a bit too eager. “Grumpy, absurdly stubborn, a veritable tyrant over the smallest things, and if I may be so bold, rather prone to looking as though he’s swallowed a lemon whole!”
Helena stifled a laugh, her lips twitching. “I hadn’t noticed,” she teased, her tone light.
Amelia gave her a knowing look, eyes sparkling. “Oh, don’t pretend you haven’t! You needn’t feel obliged to censor your thoughts; you’re quite free to express your opinions with me. Just… perhaps avoid saying it to him directly. Unless you want to be met with a lecture on proper decorum.”
“I will take your word,” Helena chuckled.
Then, she looked around the landscaped garden, enjoying the flower arrangements, the way the various statues were placed, noting the gazebo she could see in the distance.
“It is peaceful here,” she added.
Amelia nodded. “Yes, I suppose it is.” She looked around. “Peaceful is one word, lonely is another.” She gave Helena a wistful smile. “I suppose that is why I was so glad you could stay. I do not get much company all the way up here in the country.”
“What about your neighbors?”
Amelia made a dismissive sound, “We barely see them. Silas is always traveling, and they would hardly call upon me. So, I’m usually alone with just my tutor and the staff, who are very busy with work and do not have time to chat with me.”
Helena’s mouth turned down in sympathy. “That does sound lonely. I know how it feels. I didn’t have anyone to speak to even when I was at my home.”
“Are you an only child?” Amelia asked.
“I was, for a long time. My brother was not born until I was eleven years old. My father was like your brother, you see. He used to travel a lot. My mother… well, to be frank, she was distant and unapproachable. I didn’t have a tutor once my governess left, but I occupied myself with reading, and teaching myself to play the musical instruments that were available. ”
Amelia grinned, her blue-gray eyes shimmering. “And what did you learn to play?”
Helena gave her a one-armed shrug. “Oh, I play the harpsichord and the violin equally awfully. Thankfully, the music room was further away from the other rooms, so nobody had to suffer my musical endeavors except myself.”
Amelia reached for her hands. “I would have suffered with you, gladly! If only for the company.”
Helena laughed, shaking her head. “You say that because you haven’t heard me play. I am certainly never going to win a husband by showing off my talents in that direction.”
“Perhaps I can help you brush up at the harpsichord. My tutor taught me how to play it fairly well. Or at least well enough that Silas has asked me to play him a tune every now and then after dinner.”
“Oh, that is awfully kind of you, Lady Amelia. But… I’m afraid I don’t know how long I shall be here.”
Helena frowned, thinking about what she could possibly do when she left the Duke’s home. She did not know enough to find work as a governess, and she certainly did not want to end up as someone’s mistress.
Even if she tried to find a job as a maid, she had no discernible skills.
No connections either. And her family was trying to kill her.
“What miserable thoughts are you thinking, my lady?” Amelia asked. “Your face became ever so gloomy.”
Helena tried to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. She shook her head, pulling at the grass at her feet. “It’s nothing.”
Amelia rubbed her shoulder consolingly. “Be assured that you can stay here as long as you need to.”
She blinked at the adolescent, her insight once again surprising Helena.
Then, she exhaled. “You’ll give me leave to doubt that your brother will agree with that, my lady.”
“He took you under his wing, and I know from personal experience he takes his responsibilities very seriously. I assure you, we will take care of you.”
Helena sighed. She did not want to contradict Amelia, but she had a difficult time believing her. Whenever she appeared, everything about the Duke made one thing clear: he wanted her gone.
Helena couldn’t help but wonder if Amelia was aware of her brother’s secret life as a spy. It seemed unlikely, given that her own father had clearly seen no need to inform his family.
Perhaps it’s the Crown’s policy to keep such matters concealed.
If that were the case, Helena knew better than to be the one to reveal Silas’s secret.
Her treacherous mind continued conjuring images of him from that morning.
There was something in the boldness of the Duke’s gaze at the breakfast table, the way his large hands wrapped around the delicate cup, the sharpness in his eyes that seemed to notice everything.
It stirred something inside her, a sensation she couldn’t quite place.
She didn’t want it, yet it lingered, persistent and impossible to ignore.
It was an unfamiliar feeling, one she had never experienced before, and she could do nothing but try to dismiss it—unsuccessfully.
Why am I thinking about him?
She didn’t want to spend a minute more thinking about the Duke than she had to. It was bad enough she was under his mercy; she did not want to be in thrall to him.
“What are you thinking about?” Amelia’s voice broke into her musings, making her startle.
“Oh, I, er…nothing,” she stammered as heat rushed to her face, sharp and sudden, as though a fire had flared before her.
Amelia narrowed her eyes, gaze fixed on Helena’s face. Helena held the look, her features smooth while trying her best to give nothing away.
“Do you suppose we can get something to eat? I did not finish my breakfast,” she said, mostly to distract the young lady.
Amelia jumped to her feet. “Of course! It was my fault, dragging you away before you were done. I was just so annoyed at Silas.”
“I understand.”
Amelia giggled. “Stay right there, and I shall have the maids fetch us a basket so you something to eat,” she said.
Helena smiled. “Thank you.”
Amelia skipped away happily towards the kitchens, and Helena watched her go, the lightness of her movement almost infectious.
Still, a heaviness lingered in her chest. She couldn’t quite shake the image of Silas from her mind. The way he had looked at her earlier; the intensity of his gaze, the sharpness of his words… they lingered, much as she wished they wouldn’t.