Page 8 of The Duchess’ Little Miracle

“Improper?” he asked. “Rude? Embarrassing? Did you expect your blackmailer to be anything but?”

He looked down at her, then found her eyes again. “So... you write that column? You are E. R. Voce? That is a fascinating discovery. Why use a pseudonym then? A man’s name.”

“Why? You intend to tell people?”

“I don’t care who writes it.”

“Then don’t ask about it,” she whispered.

“If I were your blackmailer,” William whispered, his gaze dropping to her lips for a fraction of a second before rising back to her wide eyes. “You would already be ruined. You would be entirely at my mercy, trapped in a room with a dangerous man, with no way out, no allies, and no defense. Your ‘calculations’ would have bought your family a tragedy. Do you understand me?”

Seraphina swallowed hard, her pulse fluttering wildly against his fingers. She hated how small she felt, and she hated even more how breathless her voice sounded when she finally managed to speak. “Point taken,” she whispered, glaring up at him with all the defiance she had left. “Now release me.”

William let her go instantly, stepping back, still composed, which made her want to kick his shins. He smoothed down the front of his waistcoat.

“It seems we both have a problem,” William said, pacing back toward his desk. “Someone is using my family crest, which I cannot and will not tolerate, and someone is threatening you, which you clearly cannot handle on your own without getting yourself killed.”

Seraphina straightened her rumpled apron, her voice bristling with injured pride.

“We can help each other. I will use my resources, my runners, and my standing to find out exactly who stole my crest and sent those letters. In exchange, you will help me.”

Seraphina eyed him warily, crossing her arms over her chest. “Help you with what?”

William cleared his throat. “Alice. She is... a young girl. She has recently come into my care, and I have absolutely no conception of what a child of her years requires. The housekeeper suggests more pinafores, the governess suggests advanced French grammar, and Alice... wakes up screaming at night. You are a woman of... loud opinions. You will help me navigate her needs.”

Seraphina watched him, her mind quickly weighing the offer. A Duke’s resources would find the blackmailer in a fraction of the time it would take her to sneak into records offices. It was her best, perhaps her only chance to protect her sisters and secure their safety.

“Fine,” Seraphina said, lifting her chin with as much dignity as her maid’s uniform allowed. “We have a deal. But if you ever try to lock me against a wall again, Your Grace, I will write a column about your terrible conversational skills.”

William’s lips twitched with a faint, reluctant smile. “Agreed. Come back tomorrow morning. We can work out the details then.”

“I can do that.” Seraphina nodded.

“Good,” he said and nodded once. “Now, get out of my study.”

Seraphina turned toward the door, but before she could grasp the handle, William’s voice stopped her short.

“Also, Miss... Seraphina?”

She paused, looking back over her shoulder.

“Next time,” he said, gesturing at the door. “Use the front door.”

Seraphina let out a frustrated huff, throwing the door open and marching out into the corridor, her cheeks burning. As she hurried down the hall, her mind raced through a dozen different ways agreeing to his terms could go completely sideways. She didn’t even know the truth behind this Alice situation, and striking a pact with an enigmatic, overbearing Duke was bound to be a nightmare.

But as she made her way out of the estate, she reminded herself that it was still a far better option than going back home to admit to Lady Byron that she had failed.

This was her next best chance. She was going to explore this option to its absolute limit, and if it didn’t work out, she would do what she was originally supposed to do and face the music at home.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Are you completely out of your mind?” Leonora did not even wait for the bedroom door to click shut before she turned around, her hands sliding straight to her hips. “Sneaking into a Duke’s house? In a housemaid’s uniform? Have you gone completely mad, Seraphina? I should write to Euphemia this instant and tell her about this absurdity!”

“Lower your voice, Leo,” Seraphina muttered, her fingers fumbling with the strings of the stiff apron. Now that she was back inside her own room, the excitement that had carried her through Mayfair was fading. Her limbs felt heavy, and her skin prickled with a late wave of fear. “The servants will hear you.”

“Let them hear me! Let the entire neighborhood hear me!” Leonora marched across the rug. “You could have been arrested. You could have been dragged to jail. Do you have any idea what a scandal like that would do to Euphemia? She has been a Duchess for five minutes, Seraphina. The ton is still looking for any excuse to look down their long noses at us, and here you are, sneaking through back alleys like a common thief.”

“I did not sneak through an alley. I walked right through the cellar entrance with a basket of laundry,” Seraphina corrected, kicking her shoes off into the corner. “It worked. Mostly. You would not believe how well it worked, Leo. The uniform was a great idea. I was practically invisible.”