They call him the Devil Earl-a scoundrel and accused murderer who grew up on the violent London streets. A proper young lady risks more than her reputation when consorting with the roguishly handsome Hero Fiennes Tiffin , but Lady Josephine Langford...
"No, my lord," the butler said. "I'm sorry. Where does it lead?"
"To the sea. Ask the other servants."
"Pardon?"
Hero pressed his fingers to his forehead. "Ask the servants if anyone knew about this passage. I need to know who told me about it."
"Yes, my lord." He hurried off.
Hero looked around. The old gent had taken such joy in his books and now they were destroyed. Hero felt an irrational anger at the useless destruction. The charred stench on the air was nauseating.
A sound caught his attention and he turned just in time to see Josephine stumble. Reaching out, he grabbed her and kept her from falling.
"So much lost," she murmured, and he heard the sorrow in her voice.
"It could have been worse. I'll see that Gabriel Fiennes Tiffin has the funds to rebuild all this to its former glory."
"You may not be the true Fiennes Tiffin heir, but it's obvious you care about this place."
He couldn't deny that he had come to care for it. Giving it up would be more difficult than he'd realized, but it was because he'd come to care for it that he was determined to see it returned to the rightful owner. A good many things would change with his decision—including the fact that Mabel would no longer have an excuse not to marry him.
Someone had set tall torches in the ground. Their burning flames illuminated Josephine, and Hero could see the soot and dirt covering her face. No, it wasn't all dirt. A bruise was forming from where Avendale had struck her. Hero had a strong urge to kill him for that alone. Tenderly he touched her cheek. Strangely he found himself thinking about the man who would have the honor of touching her cheek when she was old. He hoped the man would appreciate that her strength and beauty would never age.
"Our chambers are supposedly habitable. I could use a hot bath."
She smiled at him, stunning him that after all they'd been through, she could still smile.
"I would like that very much," she said.
And he realized she was granting permission for him to have one more night with her.
Josephine
Rất tiếc! Hình ảnh này không tuân theo hướng dẫn nội dung. Để tiếp tục đăng tải, vui lòng xóa hoặc tải lên một hình ảnh khác.
As the water lapped around her, Josephine thought she would be forever spoiled when it came to bathing. It was simply delicious to be immersed in warm water while snuggling against a man, especially when that man was Hero. Fortunately the tub was large. Legend has it that it had been made especially for the men of the family, because they tended to be tall and they liked room to move about. She also suspected that they liked not taking baths alone.
They'd locked Avendale in the cellar, with two guards to keep watch. Portions of the library continued to smolder, but the few servants he'd not sent away when he and Josephine had first arrived were keeping watch there as well, putting out any small fires that erupted. It was strange to suddenly have so few worries, yet Josephine relished the peace. She just wished that Hero's head would stop hurting.
