had had two parents, a mother and a father who’d loved her dearly. Her father had been a doctor, and one night about two years ago, he’d been called to a nearby village. His wife and daughter had accompanied him as they’d planned to visit friends in London.
And then disaster had struck.
Or rather his peers had.
To this day, Pierce was not certain who the masked men had been and he could not help but look for them in every peer he robbed for their speech that night had suggested that they had not been mere criminals. Still, he had never found them and the sense of powerlessness that came over him whenever his thoughts were drawn back to that night riled him beyond measure. If only he’d been there sooner! If only he could have saved Daphne’s parents!
The hour had been late when he had set out from a friend’s house. He’d been expected back in London by morning and he had meant to leave sooner. But the company of old friends had detained him. When he had finally gotten up onto his horse, the night had been pitch-black, an eerie silence settling over the country roads leading back to town.
Up on a small slope, he’d spied London in the distance, silhouetted against the darkened sky, the moon’s silvery rays touching its roofs and towers. And then he had heard it.
The thundering drum of hoof beats.
The rattle of wheels racing across hardened ground.
Screams of terror and then…
…shots fired in the dark.
And laughter.
Never would he forget the laughter. It had been a sport for them. Hunting down a family of innocents. It was the nightmare that haunted Pierce’s darkest hours. The nightmare that urged him to don the black mask and seek…
What?
Vengeance?
Justice?
A bit of both?
Looking down at Daphne, Pierce brushed a chestnut brown curl from her forehead, her small chest rising and falling in peaceful slumber once again. Most nights, the girl slept well, but every once in a while, her mind forced her to relive the moment she’d lost everything.
Pierce knew he would never forgive himself for failing her that night. So, he’d done everything in his power to see her safe and to ensure that she never again would have a reason to fear anything.
Or anyone.
Pierce knew his nightly excursions could very well send him to an early grave. He’d already taken care of the girl’s future, leaving her well provided for in his will. Just in case. Everything that was not entailed would go to Daphne and the people he was responsible for.
To see them safe.
To see that she was provided for.
That she was safe and protected.
Never would Pierce employ anyone he could not trust beyond the shadow of a doubt. He had a keen sense of the human character and knew within seconds the measurements of another’s heart. Still, even good people could fail, especially where fortunes were concerned, and so he did not wish to leave his steward in charge without supervision from a trusted friend.
Unfortunately, those were hard to come by these days.
Pierce had hoped to find a guardian for Daphne. The only man he deemed trustworthy enough to take care of her without thinking of his own needs first was currently touring Europe.
That night two years ago had changed Pierce. It had changed his life, and he had realized that most of those he’d called friend did not deserve the name. The only man who had withstood Pierce’s new evaluation of his friends’ characters had been Hugh Lawrence, the Duke of Ashhaven.
In Eton, they had met as young boys and bonded despite their different tempers and personalities when, one Christmas, they’d found themselves the only two with no home to return to for the holidays. Ash’s parents had just passed away, and his guardian had had no desire for the company of a grieving boy. Pierce’s family had never been close and, that year, they’d simply forgotten he existed.
Still, looking back, it had been a blessing, for Pierce knew no friendship he cherished beyond Ash’s.
But would Ash accept the guardianship? How would he raise Daphne should it come to it?
Pierce loved Ash like a brother, but after his parents’ loss, Ash had become almost obsessed with the notion to make them proud, to fulfill all their hopes and dreams. He had never acted out. Never rebelled. He didn’t drink. He didn’t gamble. He did everything just right, always afraid to disappoint.
Would he be good for Daphne? Could he love her and care for her?
Looking