Page 3 of A Trap by the Rakish Duke
Even the ruffians holding down her father seemed to have stiffened in the presence of the newcomer. Their leader’s tongue drew over his cracked lips and he loosened his grip on the knife.
“Leave us. I will take things from here,” the handsome stranger commanded, his voice echoing through the room. His words sent a shiver down Aurelia’s spine that wasn’t exactly unpleasant.
Despite the intensity of his words, the rich, deep timbre of his voice caressed her ears like a gentle whisper.
Who is this man?
She noted the fear in the ruffians’ eyes as their leader scrambled to his full height, changing his tune considerably. Even as he stood up straight, his height was in no way comparable to that of the towering stranger, who looked down at him with scorn.
“Your Grace, we have been sent to collect the debts that are owed to our employer. I am afraid that we cannot leave without getting what is owed to us.”
Your Grace?
Aurelia racked her brain, trying her best to place the stranger. She had never seen him at a ball or any social gathering, yet his presence commanded respect, even from her father. She feltcertain that she would have remembered him if she’d seen him before.
Tilting his head to the side, he cracked his neck before taking a step forward and towering over the cowering man. “Are you aware of whom you are addressing?” His chiseled jaw stiffened as he narrowed his eyes at the man.
Even from her position beside the door, Aurelia could tell from the tone of his voice that his expression remained as stoic as it had from the start.
“O…Of course, Your Grace. I meant no disrespect. We were only…” The leader of the thugs stopped talking and cleared his throat, taking a step backwards as he placed the knife back in his pocket.
Your Grace? He’s a duke?
The handsome stranger motioned his head toward the door, and the thugs jumped to their feet and hurried out of the room. They jostled one another, fighting to be the first to escape the room.
Aurelia’s stomach fluttered uncontrollably as she continued to wonder who the stranger was. Whoever he was, he had certainly come at the right time.
The broadness of his shoulders blocked her father from view, yet she knew that he needed her by his side.
Rushing forward, she kneeled beside her father, pulling him up to a sitting position before checking the small cut on his cheek. The wound didn’t seem to be very deep, yet a thin line of blood trickled down his jaw.
“Thank you, Your Grace. I am not sure what we would have done if you hadn’t come.” Aurelia used the edge of her shawl to wipe her father’s cheek before smiling gratefully at the stranger over her shoulder.
The fear in her father’s eyes made her stiffen again as she noted how his blue eyes, very much like her own, never left the man’s face.
“I wouldn’t thank me just yet if I were you, Lady Aurelia.” The man’s voice sent a shiver down her spine as she slowly let go of the edge of her shawl.
“Who are you?” She rose to her feet and stared into his deep green eyes, feeling the heat of attraction creep up the back of her neck.
His jawline seemed to be chiseled from stone. Her eyes drifted to the hard muscles of his chest that were visible through his open navy-blue coat. Not even his white cotton shirt could hide the strength of his physique.
“Philip Ellington, Duke of Oakdale.” His eyes drifted down her body again, stirring unexpected feelings of desire in her veins.
Under different circumstances she would have swooned at his feet. Yet, the look in his eyes made her feel as if she was facing a formidable opponent.
“And why should I not thank you for saving us, Your Grace?” Her voice was softer now as her mouth fell slightly open, her chest rising and falling with deep breaths.
“Because I am here to collect a debt far greater than the one your father owes those men.” His gaze dropped to her father, who scrambled to his feet and began to fidget with the edge of his shirt.
A frown creased her brow as she sensed the change in atmosphere, and a thin layer of goosebumps broke across her skin.
“I am here to collect the debt for my brother’s life. A life that your father took.”
Chapter Two
“You must have the wrong man, Your Grace. My father would never commit such an atrocious act.”
The young woman’s bright blue eyes flashed with indignation as she protectively stepped in front of her father and crossed her arms over her chest.
