CHAPTER ONE

“You will take your things and remove yourself from my house.”

Seraphina swallowed hard but kept her countenance steady as she stared at the man who had looked after her well-being — her financial well-being that was — over the past year.

He hadn’t overly cared any further.

“I understand, Lord Eastclere,” she said, even as she inwardly began to panic. How was she, a young woman of questionable background, supposed to support herself and Mrs. Pembrooke with the very modest stipend they received every month? Where would they live? She had no skills to speak of, unless one counted painting. “I can see how you would believe that I betrayed you. But please know that I was only trying to help everyone involved in the situation.”

“I housed you. I fed you. I provided for your fancy dresses and all the social events you wanted to attend,” Lord Eastclere seethed, pacing back and forth across his drawing room. “And you decided to repay me by watching me, by taking notes, but reporting on all of my actions to people who you believe are your friends but who would drop you at the slightest hint of scandal?”

Seraphina straightened her spine.

“I was trying to help them. And help you. If you had continued on with your plan to break the Paragon Diamond into pieces and sell it, while also cashing in on the guarantee, you could have been convicted of treason yourself.”

“And you think this is better?” he practically seethed, extending his hands. “To live in a crumbling estate with no diamond? With nothing left to my name? With my reputation in pieces?”

"But you are alive, and you are not in prison. That must mean something.”

Seraphina’s conscience wrestled within. When Lady Verity had sought the truth, Seraphina had been so torn between helping her and keeping her allegiance to Lord Eastclere, who had acted as her guardian since she had ventured into London over the past year.

In the end, she’d decided to do what seemed right.

She only wished he could see it that way.

He hadn’t been particularly kind to her and had made it very clear she was a burden, but at least he had allowed her to remain.

Until now.

“You are no longer my ward,” Lord Eastclere bit out. “Gather your things and leave before I send you onto the street myself.”

Lady Seraphina nodded. “But Mrs. Pembrooke—”

Her chaperone, who had helped look after her since the death of her parents, was rather elderly and spent most of her day sleeping. Seraphina could find her way forward herself, but what was she to do with Mrs. Pembrooke?

“Mrs. Pembrooke is not my problem,” Lord Eastclere seethed as he stomped out of the room. “Now get out before I have your things thrown onto the street!”

Seraphina took a deep breath and willed the tears to stay within.

Showing any sign of emotion would get her nowhere. She had to be strong and find a way forward herself.

She turned to find her chaperone to inform her of their change in circumstance, but came to an abrupt standstill when she found the elderly woman standing in the doorway.

She assessed Seraphina with nothing more than a brisk nod, clearly having overheard the conversation.

“Well,” she said, “where should we go, girl?”

“Evelyn’s for now, I suppose,” she said, praying that her new friends would take her in, at least until she found a way forward. Evelyn was the Duchess of Ravenscar, married to Thalia’s brother. Thalia had been the first friend Seraphina had made when she arrived in London, and this was certainly going to be a test of how true that friendship was. “I’ll ask the maids to help us pack.”

They didn’t have much with them besides the clothing that Seraphina had collected since they had arrived and a few small items that easily fit into a valise. Seraphina palmed her locket in her hand, opening it to stare at the portraits of her parents that were already becoming aged with time.

“I hope I am making you proud,” she whispered before making her way out the door, not looking behind her.

She hadn’t particularly enjoyed the past months spent here in Eastclere’s London home, which, although it was a beautiful property, held so many secrets that it was difficult to unravel them all.

Seraphina certainly wouldn’t miss the man himself. He had treated her as nothing more than an inconvenience since he had received the news that he was to look out for her.

But she was no longer an inconvenience.

She set her shoulders and called for a hansom cab to take them to Evelyn’s.

She could only hope that they would be welcomed.

For she had no other ideas. No one else she could rely on.

She glanced over at Mrs. Pembrooke, whose jaw was set, not a hint of worry on her face, but determination.

She didn’t know much about her chaperone’s background, but she got the sense she had been through a great deal, and it was difficult to unsettle her.

Seraphina decided she would try to emulate that pluck.

For there was only one direction to go now.

Forward.

~~~~~

Damon entered the solicitor’s office with a great deal of hesitation.

He wasn’t particularly fond of leaving his house, especially if he had been summoned somewhere.

If he was going to leave, a solicitor’s office was not high on his list of locations he would like to frequent.

“Lord Greymoor, thank you for coming,” the solicitor, Mr. Pine, said, reaching out his hand and shaking it. “I appreciate you coming to see me on such short notice.”

Damon grunted, although he was impressed that Pine was able to look him in the eye and not follow the scar that cut through it and the rest of his face.

At least the office was slightly dark, for the gray light from the overcast day barely filtered in through the windows, and only a few lamps were lit around the room, no candles near the shelves, which were heavy with paperwork.

“Didn’t have much choice. Thought it would be best to get it over with.”

“Yes, most people do not particularly look forward to meeting with a solicitor,” Pine said with a grin that was far too affable for the dimly lit labyrinth that surrounded them. The solicitor’s desk, at least, was organized, stacks of papers and a sharp quill pen sitting before them.

“What am I here for?” Damnon said, dispensing with any pleasantries. “Does this have to do with the Paragon Diamond?”

“Right to it. Very well, then,” Pine said, shuffling some papers on his desk. “No, actually, this has nothing to do with the Paragon Diamond, although I have been rather involved in affairs of that particular piece myself lately. I heard it has been recovered.”

“So it has,” Damon said, although he wasn’t sure if Pine was referring to the first instance it had been stolen or the second. He reminded himself to speak to Asher about the diamond later. “Then what?”

“It has to do with the guardianship of a young lady.”

“Guardianship?” Damon bit out, the word distasteful on his tongue. “What does any guardianship have to do with me?”

Damon’s parents had both passed, and he had no siblings, while all of his cousins had families of their own. He couldn’t think of any particular person who would rely on him for anything.

“Lord Eastclere was previously responsible for a young lady, Lady Seraphina Vale. Do you know of her?”

Oh, yes, Damon knew of her. Far too well. She was friends with the wives of two of the only men in the world Damon could call friends.

And she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

One he made every effort to avoid.

“Yes,” was his only answer for Pine.

“She was previously the ward of Lord Eastclere.”

“Previously?” he repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes. Eastclere has relinquished his responsibility for her, as was his right under the initial agreement. Therefore, another home that would suit must be found in accordance with the wishes of her father, as were laid out in his will.”

“That is all well and good,” Damon said cautiously. “But how does any of it pertain to me?”

“You truly have no idea?” the solicitor said with interest.

“No idea about what?”

The solicitor hesitated. “How well did you know the Baron of Woodale?”

“Not at all, from what I can remember, although I remember the name. I believe he was friends with my parents.”

“Quite right,” the solicitor nodded his head. “He was the young lady’s father.”

Damon furrowed his brow. “Are you certain? From what I can recall, he was not married.”

The solicitor paused as though considering how much to tell Damon, but then forged on with the minimum facts.

“As it happens, he was, although his marriage was not well known to most.”

“Very well,” Damon said, still waiting for Pine to get to the point of how this affected him.

“He was the one who named Eastclere the young lady’s guardian upon his death.”

“Why Eastclere?” Damon asked in spite of himself.

“From what I gather, he created a list of names of people or families he trusted. Eastclere was originally meant to be the elder Lord Eastclere, but upon his death, it fell to the current Lord Eastclere.”

“I see.”

“Now, the young lady still needs a guardian.”

“Is she not of the age of majority?”

“She is one and twenty as of this month, and she has no male family members to care for her. She lived in the country with Mrs. Pembrooke under Eastclere’s financial support, with a small stipend. Her father’s will stated that the Marquess of Eastclere be named her guardian. If he was unable to continue his duties, they fell to you.”

Damon was silent for a moment, wondering if he had heard correctly.

“Pardon me?”

“The duties fall to you. You are Lady Seraphina’s new guardian.”

Damon let out a choked laugh.

"There must be some mistake."

"There is no mistake."

"I am wholly unsuitable."

"In what way?"

“Well,” Pine said, “first by the fact that Lord Woodale named you and not your father as one of the potential guardians, and secondly, by a woman so close to the family that Lady Seraphina was entrusted to her.”

"Mrs. Pembrooke?”

“Yes.”

Damon rubbed his forehead.

“I’ve barely met the woman. How does she know anything about me?”

“It appears she knows enough to trust you.”

That immediately raised questions.

Why him?

Why would Lord Woodly choose a reclusive clockmaker over dozens of respectable peers, and why would Mrs. Pembrooke back the choosing if she knew anything about him?

He was a recluse. Damaged. Unsuitable for anyone. He could barely manage himself. Why would anyone entrust a young lady to him?

“What happens if I deny this request?”

“Well, that’s where things become difficult,” Pine said, wincing. “There was only one other name on that list, and we cannot locate the man. The first thing I would have to do is to return to Lord Eastclere and ask him to reconsider keeping on Lady Seraphina, at least until he could marry her off.”

“So she would return to being his ward, and if he no longer wanted it, the first thing he would do is to marry her off to someone of his choosing?”

“Likely.”

Damon sighed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. It seemed he wasn’t given much choice. He supposed he could leave her to do as she pleased and provide for her as needed. Money wasn’t an object for him. The problem was having another person — especially her — in his place.

“Fine,” he bit out. “I’ll do it.”

“Wonderful,” Pine beamed. “I’ll prepare the documents, and you can go collect her. She is currently residing at the Duke of Ravenscar’s.”

“Wonderful,” Damon muttered in response.

He knew he should take on his responsibility immediately, but instead he waited another two days before finally following through. He had attempted to do so the previous evening, attending the same soirée as Lady Seraphina, but it hadn’t seemed the right place to speak to her. He couldn’t put it off any longer. Asher was certainly surprised to find him at his door.

“Greymoor! What are you doing here?” he asked, looking up from the desk in his study.

“I came to speak to Lady Seraphina about the matter we discussed last night.”

“I see,” Asher said, studying him, obviously having thoughts but not speaking them aloud. “Would you like me to ask her to join us?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Very well,” Asher said, calling to a footman. He studied Damon as they waited. “Would you like to discuss it?”

“No.”

“Well, when you’re ready, you know where I am.”

Damon just nodded.

He knew the moment she arrived without even seeing her.

It was the light scent of orchids that announced her presence instead. Why she smelled like them, he had no idea, but smell like them she did.

“Your grace, you sent for me?”

“I did. Please come in,” he said, and she took the chair beside Damon in front of Asher’s desk. “You know Lord Greymoor.”

“I do,” she said, studying him with those emerald green eyes that were so rare and seemed to cut right through his soul.

“He has some news to impart.”

Damon sighed, pursing his lips together, hoping she didn’t run screaming in fear.

“Lady Seraphina, I have some information on the matter of your guardianship.”

“Very well,” she said, instantly guarded. He could understand why.

“I have been appointed your guardian. You will come live with me immediately.”

Her lips pressed together. Her nostrils flared. And she said exactly what he had been dreading.

“No.”

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