Page 76 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
Mary pointed to the door opposite her. Edward could see the smoke coming from beneath the door and ran for it, flinging it open to find the curtains were on fire.
“Lily!”
The girl in question was curled in on herself on the bed, tears falling down her fat cheeks. She screamed as soon as she heard Edward’s voice, opening her hands out to him. “Save me!” she cried.
He gathered her into his arms. “I’m here don’t worry. I’ll get you out.” Carrying her into his arms as she clung to him as determinedly as a limpet, he hurried towards the door. The governess was nowhere to be seen, and Edward could only assume she’d beaten a hasty retreat.
Hurrying as much as he could, he headed for the stairs. Behind him, he heard a loud whoosh and felt a blast of heat at his back. The fire was spreading.
“Lily! Edward!” His heart sank as he heard Ava’s voice, followed by violent coughing. There were flames coming from behind himandothers from in front of him. It was as if multiple fires had been started simultaneously to trap them.
Edward pushed that thought away as unproductive and quickened his footsteps, wanting to reach Ava quickly.
“Stay where you are!” he shouted hoarsely. “We’re coming to you.”
“Oh, thank God.”
Edward could hear Ava’s relief even from a distance. He smiled even as he shook his head, knowing she was worried about them. “Go outside!” he shouted though the impact of his voice was muted by the hoarseness resulting from so much smoke inhalation.
“I’m waiting for you,” she bellowed as loudly as she could from somewhere near the stairs. With an internal sigh, he began to make his way towards her. She stood like an apparition near the stairs, her white cotton nightgown billowing slightly. She had no shoes on her feet, and her hair was down her back, eyes so wide they seemed like black holes in her face. He shuddered, grabbing her arm, and pulling her down the stairs with him. The increasing smoke made it hard to breathe, and the stairs beneath his bare feet were getting warmer as the fire drew closer.
“Faster,” he said urgently. “We have to move faster.”
Hoisting Lily more securely over his shoulder, he increased his pace, dragging Ava along with him.
“Your Grace!” He heard the shout from below and squinted to see Mr. Gabriel looking frantic, the night shirt he was wearing billowing about and exposing his bare legs. “Are you… are they?” Marcus flailed about, gesturing helplessly at Lily and Ava.
“Help me,” Edward requested and handed Lily over to the steward. “We have to get out quickly. The fire is spreading.”
“Notley has called the fire brigade,” Marcus said. “He is arranging a line from the well to put the fire out.”
“That’s good,” Edward replied, relieved that someone had taken the initiative to do so and once again, grateful for his proactive butler. Then he gasped, remembering Ava’s family. “Your father,” he said to Ava.
“I told them to get out.” She coughed, and he put a hand on her back, leading her out as fast as he could. They stepped out of the door to find Mrs. Sutton handing out cups of water to all. She passed a cup to Ava, who drank it down as Marcus lowered Lily to the ground. She looked terrified, and Edward went down on his knees to look her in the eye. “Are you all right?”
She nodded mutely, but even Edward could see that it was a lie. Lily’s whole body was shaking, and she looked terrified. He gathered her in his arms, embracing her close as Mrs. Sutton handed him a cup filled with water.
He put her on his knee and held the cup to her lips. “Drink, baby. Just a little.” She bent obediently over the cup, sipping slowly. “That’s it. Does that feel better?”
Again, she nodded without saying a word, but she was still shaking. Ava came over and took Lily into her arms, sitting on the grass so that Lily could cuddle into her lap. Their eyes met, Edward’s full of apology. He felt certain that the fire was noaccident and that this had something to do with his brother. Ava’s words burned in his mind when she had begged him to let it go, and he had not been able to do so.
She gestured at the house. “Go! We’ll be fine. Go, and help them.”
Edward looked around. Aside from Diana, who lived on the same floor as they did and thus had been affected by the smoke, the others had all gone to help in putting out the fire, even Ava’s family.
Diana lay on the grass, a wet cloth over her face. Reluctantly, Edward got to his feet. “All right, stay right here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Ava nodded, her attention back to her daughter, who she was rocking gently. Edward turned, running back into the house. He saw that some curtains in the corridor were on fire and quickly grabbed one of the coats, beating at the flames.
This is my home. I’ll be damned if I let anyone take it away from me.
Ava heard gentle snoring and turned her head to see that Diana had fallen back asleep on the grass. She giggled, shaking her head ruefully as she marveled at Diana’s ability to fall asleep anywhere. It had rained earlier in the night, and the grass wasdamp. Ava was glad of her shawl with which she was able to keep both herself and Lily warm as she prayed that they would be able to put out the fire before it destroyed their home.
Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind, a hand over her mouth. She whimpered, trying to shake it off but the hand was strong, and the other one held so tightly to her arm that it was painful.
“Get up, slowly,” a voice said, and she frowned.
“Aaron?”
