Page 96 of The Replacement Duchess

“Where on earth did she find that much money?”

“She likely stole it from our father, but I shan’t blame her if she did. He owes us far more than that.”

“To be sure. Oh, Diana, I am simply glad that the two of you are safe.”

“As am I, strangely enough.” She almost laughed. “But what will happen now?”

“We can navigate that in the morning, when we are not exhausted from everything that has happened.”

“Will you be angry with me then?” she asked. “When you are no longer relieved that we are safe, will you feel safe enough to be furious?”

“Had I felt capable of blaming you for any of this, perhaps, but I cannot bring myself to. You did only what you thought was best, and so who am I to hold that against you?”

“You would be a sensible man,” she whispered.

“That does not signify, for I have never been a sensible man where you are concerned.” He laughed, and then Samantha stirred.

Diana watched Samantha, clearly worried that they would wake her, and then she turned back to him.

“We can go to the other room,” he offered, “if it means she will be more comfortable.”

“That might be for the best.” Diana nodded. “Though I dare say that I will not be able to leave her whilst they are here.”

“Well, for one, they shall not be in any fit state to do any more harm to either of you,” he explained. “And what’s more is that someone is coming to take them away. I may have to pay the poor woman to have her inn cleaned after what I did, but that is neither here nor there at this point. Nobody touches my family.”

She seemed to soften at the reminder that she and Samantha were his family.

“Very well.” She nodded. “We can leave when they have been taken away.”

Colin did not know how long that would take. He had found a gentleman outside that had promised to find someone, but that could have taken a good while if he had been successful at all. For the moment, he was simply glad that while Diana knew he was there to watch over the two of them, she was content to relax.

In spite of everything, he brought her comfort, and there was no greater feeling than that.

Fortunately, the gentleman had been successful, and eventually, two Bow Street Runners arrived to cart the footmen away. Colinaided them in loading the two madmen into the carriage and returned to the two ladies. Samantha was asleep still, but Diana was out of bed and pacing.

“What is it?” he asked. “They are gone. It is alright.”

“I know. I simply have quite a lot of energy after all that has happened, and I do not know what to do with it. I shall need to pace for a while.”

“Then pace,” he explained. “Do what you feel you must.”

“Are they truly gone?”

“Completely, well and truly.”

“And I shall not ask what you did to them, but you shall not face any consequences for it, will you?”

“Of course not, not when they kidnapped my wife and held her hostage, that is. I doubt the county would approve of them having taken their Duchess away, even for one night.”

“But they did not kidnap me, not really. I came with them of my own free will.”

“Nobody would believe that for a second. Besides, the moment that they would not let you leave, that is them having kidnappedyou. They shall not be able to show their faces again, even if they are released.”

“I blame myself.”

“You should not.”

It was then that she noticed his hand. At that moment, he also noticed his hand, and at last he felt a sharp pain in it.

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