Chapter Twenty-Three. An Unrepayable Debt

C HAPTER T WENTY-THREE

An Unrepayable Debt

“I wanted to thank you before I left.” My fingers rested lightly on the doorframe to the duke’s private study as the light from the open window cast cheerful diamonds on the rug. “For what you did for him.”

The duke looked up from his ledger with a start. His shirtsleeves were rolled up, giving him the rumpled appearance of a schoolboy. Deep lines on his forehead were etched from concentrating on his work. “It’s nothing, Miss Vaughn. Truly. For all Hawick has done for me over the years. I simply could not bear the thought—” He pinched the bridge of his nose, his golden brows lifted. “I owe him an unrepayable debt, and protecting him in this way is the very least I could do to even the sum.”

I smiled at that. “It is appreciated, Your Grace. While Mr. Owen is convinced they won’t hang him, I am… less sanguine about matters. I’m grateful for you giving him refuge here. The idea of him in a jail cell is unthinkable.”

He twisted his pen in his fingers. The enamel casing caught the light. “I cannot fathom why he would confess to a murder he did not commit. I’ve not known a man less likely to commit murder than he.” The duke’s puzzled expression would have been comical were the situation not dire.

“You truly cannot understand why he would confess?” I arched a brow, stepping into the well-lit room.

A sad smile tugged at the corner of his wide mouth. “Ah… love. Yes, well. Hawick has always been driven by his heart. Far fuller of the stuff than he ought to be. It is his greatest strength and now looks to be his greatest weakness.”

It was the truth, no matter how much I wanted to deny it. Mr. Owen loved me and this was his misguided way of showing it. I cleared my throat, drawing closer to the duke’s desk. “He spoke of something called Eurydice’s Fall. Have you heard of it?”

The duke removed his wire-rimmed glasses, setting them neatly on the ledger before him. “What was Hawick thinking, even bringing up such a club to you? Its doings are not fit for your ears, that’s for certain. A wicked club, full of wicked and dangerous men.”

I disguised my amusement at the thought. For the life of me, I couldn’t recall the last time someone showed an ounce of concern for my delicate feminine sensibilities. “I think he knows I’m a grown woman, Your Grace.” I wet my lips. “You said it was full of wicked men, do you know of any those men?”

“I doubt the members themselves know who else belongs to the group. The wise give them wide berth and do not ask questions, for good reason. But I can tell you that at one time, some of the most powerful men in Britain were members.” His expression clouded and his mouth grew into a thin line. “He doesn’t think the Eurydiceans have something to do with Lucy’s death, does he? That would be very worrisome if so. Those men, Ruby. Those men are not to be trifled with.”

I worried my lip. “I’m not certain. But I aim to find out.”

The duke stood, laying his palms on the table. “Miss Vaughn, please be careful in this venture. These men—if it is the Eurydiceans behind this—they do not take kindly to interference in their dealings.”

“They do not frighten me, Your Grace.”

He inhaled sharply, his eyes not leaving mine. “Perhaps they should.”

I took a step deeper into his sanctuary. “Do they frighten you?”

He scoffed and returned his gaze to his books. “I’m a duke, Miss Vaughn.”

“Dukes are men too, last I checked.”

He inclined his brow in acknowledgement. “Yes, we are. But you will keep my secret, won’t you?” There was a rawness there, a phrase meant to be flippant—but instead tipped his hand. He was afraid of what these Eurydiceans were capable of doing—even to a duke. Well, if they were involved, then it would certainly answer who took the potshot at Ruan and me the other day. Mariah’s images, though old, must be a threat.

“Will you take care of him? At least until I can get to the bottom of what is going on at Manhurst.”

The duke’s expression softened. “Of course. But I must urge caution in this, Miss Vaughn. If Hawick was willing to offer up his neck for yours, you would be wise to accept that gift and not risk yourself again.”

My nails dug into my palm. “I cannot let him suffer. Not when I know he’s innocent. Mr. Owen is dear to me, and if he was willing to offer up his security to protect me—it is only fair if I try to do the same.”

The duke nodded gravely. “And I shall protect Hawick with my life if it comes to that. After all, I owe him far more than I can ever repay.”

I harbored the same feeling toward Mr. Owen. He’d saved me in those bleak months after the war—when I showed up in Exeter reeling from the loss of my family, brokenhearted by Tamsyn’s betrayal, plagued by what I’d seen and done during the war. All of it together had created a soul-deep wound that had only now begun to mend. I owed Mr. Owen a great deal—more than I could ever repay—but I would try.