“Leave.” The man’s tone was firm, brokering no argument.
Elspeth pulled in an indignant breath and straightened her spine. “You cannot mean to cast a fellow peer out into the elements.”
She heard his heavy footfalls as he moved past her, then pulled the front door open. Her gaze averted to the horizontal rain. No way would she allow him to toss her back in to the moors. She needed shelter, rest, and dry clothing. Going back out in the elements would be the death of her, and Elspeth would much prefer to live.
“Leave,” he said again.
Elspeth dropped her valise to the marble floor, where it landed with a thud and a splash. “I will not.” Lightning flashed again, and she took the opportunity to give him her most beguiling smile. “Allow me to stay until the storm has passed, and I promise to stay out of your way. If you will only direct me to a room, you needn’t be bothered anymore.”
The man left the door open to the elements as he marched across the entry hall and through the door on the left.
Relief swelled in Elspeth as she made to follow. When she stepped into the antechamber, the man struck flint and tinder, lighting a candle. For the first time, she got a clear and lasting view of him. He was handsome, tall, and lean with dark hair and the lightest blue eyes she’d ever seen. His jaw was firm and nose chiseled, all of which gave way to broad shoulders.
She trailed her gaze down his form, her attention snagging on the signage ring that sparkled on his finger. A lord, to be sure. Her smile turned genuine as she returned her attention to his face or the side of it she could see as he was half-turned away from her. “Thank you for your kindness, my lord.”
“I have not offered you a room,” he said, turning to face her fully.
Elspeth’s gaze narrowed, then her heart softened tenfold at the full sight of him. The poor man had a web of scars spread from beneath his collar to his temple. His ear, too, was disfigured. “What happened to you?” She asked in a whisper, feeling an instant kinship with him.
Their situations were undoubtedly much different. All the same, they both suffered. He must be as broken and bedraggled as she. Why else would he keep himself shut away here in this rundown manor?
“You will join me for a meal in one hour’s time. The dining room is the third door on the right after you ascend the staircase.” He met her gaze. “If you agree, I will allow you to wait out the storm. If not, you must leave.”
Elspeth ignored his beastly manners, and replied with cheer in her tone, “It would please me to dine with you, sir.” She took a step closer, her gaze never straying from his. “May I inquire as to your name?”
He remained still and expressionless. “Earl of Thornton, Damian Stone. Your room is up the stairs to the left. Second door to the right.” He thrust the candle into her hand, then took his leave of the chamber.
Elspeth stared after him for a moment, then found her footing. She retrieved her valise as she strode through the entry hall and prayed something within it would be dry. As she moved into the main house, she looked about for Lord Thornton, but he had vanished.
The stairs groaned with her footfalls as she made her way up them. As she traversed the hall, she wondered for the second time what had happened to the man.
Whatever left his face and neck scared cut deeper than the surface if his behavior was any indication. For it seemed to Elspeth that he hid out here in the moors and used his gruff manners to ward off those who crossed his path.
She could hardly blame him after her own experiences with society, and her heart ached for him. As she entered the bedchamber he’d indicated, she found a low fire burning in the fireplace. She went to it and held her hands out to soak up the warmth. How had he managed to set the fire so quickly?
Elspeth closed her eyes and let the stress of the day melt away while she relaxed.
Chapter 2
Damian watched the duchess as she ate, his curiosity building with each passing moment. She was the first person to cross his path since his injury who did not shriek, flinch, or run away. His monstrous