Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

What the hell is wrong with me?

Daniel flung the sheaf of documents onto the cluttered surface of his mahogany desk, his usually cold features twisted slightly in disgust.

He had spent the better part of the day trying to make sense of everything, but then the memory of Evie draped over him, her breasts rubbing against his arm, her fingers trailing sleepily down his abdomen to his rapidly hardening manhood⁠—

Dammit!

He scrubbed a hand over his face and resisted the urge to groan—whether it was in sheer frustration or arousal, it did not matter.

Ever since he had woken up to find her in his bed, he had not been able to have a moment’s peace.

And that kiss in the gardens that he told her to forget? Maybe he should start following his own advice, because aside from fantasies of dragging her body under his, it was all he could think about.

How many times had he slaked his raging lust with his own hand in the past week alone? He had already lost count. Not only that, but to his great chagrin, it was the only thing that seemed to work.

Alcohol had no effect on him. Even a dozen courtesans would not have been able to give him the slightest relief.

Not that he could even consider doing that at the moment. The mere notion of another woman who was not Evie touching him made him shudder in disgust.

If Ethan ever found out about it, he would be rolling on the floor, howling in laughter, and Daniel would have his friend’s blood on his hands.

This cannot go on.

He stood up and grabbed his coat, passing by his butler, Barnaby.

“Will you need the carriage, Your Grace?” the man asked him.

Even in the face of his obvious displeasure, Barnaby stood stoically, his features devoid of even the slightest hint of emotion.

Daniel nodded briskly in response. “And have the kitchens prepare several baskets. I am heading off to St. Martha’s.”

“As you wish, Your Grace.” Barnaby bowed and hastened off to carry out his instructions, as efficient as any butler could be.

After the man disappeared down the hallway, Daniel could not help but notice that although everything remained spotless, there was nary a soul to be seen. Indeed, if Barnaby was not expected to attend to the needs of the masters of Ashton Hall, he might have made himself scarce as all the other servants had.

And who could blame them? Daniel was well aware that the past few days had put him in a fouler mood than usual. Self-preservation was one of man’s strongest instincts.

But not Evie, though.

Even if he looked as if he would raze an entire town at the slightest provocation, she had absolutely no qualms about going against him.

Just that morning, she had informed him that she would be taking a turn about the park with Scarlett and Phoebe.

Informed, because she did not care one whit whether or not she obtained his express permission.

Daniel knew all too well that promenading in the park was simply a ruse for young ladies to watch and be seen, even if Evie had rattled off a long list of the benefits of moderate physical exertion and being out in the sun.

The thought of any other man watching her, maybe even daring to approach her, was enough to make his blood boil—and therein lay his problem.

It was none of his business whether she found a gentleman suitable to her tastes or not. In fact, it was the goal of every debutante to find a suitable match Season after interminable Season.

The marriage mart had never bothered him before.

Now, there was nothing more offensive to him, and it had everything to do with a blue-eyed debutante with a smile like sunshine and a spine of steel.

The excited shouts and laughter of children pierced through the otherwise dreary air on the edge of the slums of London when they saw the fancy carriage rolling up to the surprisingly well-kept facade of St. Martha’s Orphanage.

A woman who appeared to be in her fifth decade, her face lined with wrinkles and a lifetime of smiles, curtsied politely from the front door as footmen descended, carrying baskets of food.

“We were not expecting your arrival today, Your Grace,” she said with an apologetic smile. “I hope that you will not find the children’s enthusiasms distasteful.”

“Of course not, Mrs. Thomas,” Daniel assured her.

Mrs. Thomas, who had run the orphanage for the better part of the decade, nodded. “You have always been exceedingly generous, Your Grace. We are very much grateful for it.”

“If you need anything, you must not hesitate to tell me,” he told her. “Whatever the children need, Ashton Hall will be more than willing to provide.”

“Thank you so much, Your Grace.” The gratitude was heavy in her voice. Turning towards the children, she called out, “All right, everyone! Back inside the house!”

“Yes, Mrs. Thomas!” they all chorused, before breaking out into excited chatter as they obediently filed back into the building, Mrs. Thomas and Daniel following behind them.

As the children playfully headed back inside, he could not help but notice a slight figure lagging behind the crowd. The young boy looked to be no older than five, with overly large eyes set in a small face. The clothes he wore hung loosely over his body, as if they had been meant for someone larger.

“That is little John,” Mrs. Thomas told him quietly. “He arrived here two weeks ago. His mother had just died, and there was no one left to care for him.”

Daniel did not ask anything more. It was a sad fact that the most vulnerable were often overlooked by the rest of society. If it had not been for places like St. Martha’s and people like Mrs. Thomas, would their lives have even mattered?

Still, there was something in the boy’s haunted eyes that called to him. Daniel was familiar with that look. Had seen it all too often staring back at him in the mirror.

Suddenly, little John paused. Then, he slowly turned around and rushed over to Daniel, throwing his thin arms around his legs.

“Thank you, Your Grace,” he muttered hoarsely, before rushing off to join the others.

Mrs. Thomas looked pleasantly surprised by this as Daniel stood by wordlessly.

“Oh, heavens,” she murmured, wiping a tear from her eye. “He has not spoken a single word since he arrived. We all feared that he might be deaf or mute or both!”

But it was not the boy’s sudden speech that intrigued Daniel. The boy’s softly spoken words, clearly enunciated, belied something that might be even more tragic.

“Thank you, Your Grace.” Not “Thank ye, Yer Grace.”

It seemed to him that little John might not be just another poor orphan, after all, by his speech alone.

As Daniel pondered the possible implications of this observation, a cheerful voice jolted him out of his thoughts, accompanied by a friendly clap on his shoulder.

“There you are! I knew I would somehow find you here!”

Daniel frowned slightly as Ethan grinned at him and then at Mrs. Thomas.

“Ma’am, would you mind it horribly if I accompanied this sour-faced individual for a moment?” he asked her charmingly.

The head of the orphanage laughed and shook her head. “I would not mind it, Your Grace, but you are mistaken on one account, though—the Duke of Ashton is always a welcome presence here at St. Martha’s.”

“Mrs. Thomas must be the only woman who enjoys your perpetually dour countenance,” Ethan remarked, shaking his head. “Her and the Dowager Duchess.”

Daniel crossed his arms over his chest and looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. “Is there any reason why you sought my company all the way here?”

Ethan merely grinned at him and slung his arm over his shoulder. “Why don’t we head over to the courtyard? A bit of fresh air might do you a world of good.”

Daniel did not protest as his friend dragged him off to the courtyard. Unlike most other orphanages in London, this one was mostly kept clean and even had a decent array of toys for the children to play with. There was even a swing and a tree house.

All of that, of course, was thanks to the patronage of the Duke of Ashton.

“Enough with this farce, Ethan,” he finally growled. “If I wanted fresh air, I would have gone⁠—”

“Gone where exactly, Ash? To Hyde Park?” Ethan dropped his smile as he mimicked Daniel’s stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “And speaking of the park, I heard that three certain young ladies are headed there right now.”

“That is none of my business,” Daniel retorted briskly and raised his eyebrow at his friend. “And neither is it yours.”

To his credit, Ethan looked slightly chagrined. Daniel even caught the slight flicker in his eyes.

“And how has that been going for you?” Ethan asked him with a knowing smile.

“I do not know what you are talking about.”

Ethan looked at him pointedly. “Oh, I know you do, Daniel. You do not need to live with Colin’s younger sister to keep an eye on her.”

“Do you know how many bastards I have had to forbid from ever stepping into Ashton Hall?” Daniel growled at him. “It is the very fact that Evie is Colin’s younger sister that has put her into an even more precarious situation. Every fop and dandy is asking for her hand in marriage, when we all know what they really mean to do is ask for her dowry!”

“And is that not the way of the marriage mart?” Ethan smirked. “Besides, she has the Dowager Countess looking after her. Evie is also smarter than you give her credit for. I trust she will not choose some insipid bastard who is only after her dowry.”

“Not while she is under my watch, no.” Daniel shook his head and started walking away from his friend.

“Where are you going?” the Duke of Sinclair called after him.

Daniel threw him an exasperated look over his shoulder. “To the park, of course.”

“But Evie will be with Lady Scarlett and Lady Phoebe,” his friend reasoned. “Surely she does need another companion to maintain propriety. Besides, I have a feeling that she will not appreciate your presence there.”

A slow, cold smile spread across Daniel’s face. “The park is a public place and open to anyone who wishes to take a turn about its grounds, is it not?”

“I still think it’s a bad idea, Ash.”

What was a bad idea was leaving Evie and her friends—who did not know any better—unattended, to be ogled by every bastard who salivated after their most generous dowries. Of course, it hardly helped matters that they were not exactly bad to look at.

Evie, in particular, had garnered a great deal of attention ever since she made her bow, and Daniel knew it was not only because of her generous dowry.

It was the height of foolishness, indeed, if she was to be left to her own devices, and Daniel did not consider himself to be a foolish man.

Evie, however, was an entirely different story…