The Earl Who Escaped: Victorian Romantic Mystery by Tammy Andresen

Author:Tammy Andresen
Language: eng
Format: epub

CHAPTER TEN

Ella looked into Eric’s gaze, her insides churning, her hands and wrists stinging from all the cuts. Melisandre always grew angry when Ella taunted her, but she’d never been violent before.

But the concern in Eric’s eyes made her stomach twist. In part, she’d goaded that behavior out of Melisandre. She wasn’t exactly an innocent party, and his worry wasn’t completely unjustified.

She deserved some of it, most of it—though Melisandre deserved her tricks too. But then again…how did that make her better than her stepfamily?

Ought she rise above?

Fern’s words came back to her. Eric had it in his power to save them. And while he might not be able to outmaneuver Vivian, he was successfully strong-arming her, pushing her into a weaker and weaker position in the house, and now he was going to send Vivian and Melisandre away.

He’d stood so tall in front of her, protecting her, defending her, and then declaring that Vivian was leaving. He’d done so much more for her than anyone else had in such a long time.

And what had she done? She’d largely ignored his help as she attempted to gain her petty revenge.

It was just that her father’s words had hurt so much. And they’d made her feel like her own little games were the only sure-fire defense.

She hadn’t always been like this, but since her father’s death, she’d been furious with the position in which he’d left them to rot. And something in her had shifted. Before he’d passed, she’d held some hope that her father would realize Vivian’s heart and take care of his daughters again. But after seeing that letter, she’d known the truth…he would never have been able to see the light and save them.

And she’d assumed Eric wouldn’t either…

“Ella?” he asked, gently taking her wrist in his hand. “Are you all right?”

Tears clogged her throat. Not from the cuts, but simply…everything. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said as his other hand came to her waist. “Fern, would you help me?”

“Of course,” her sister answered with a nod. But her gaze cut to Ella’s and her eyes widened, her mouth thinning. She knew what Fern was attempting to say. Why did you take that shoe?

He started leading her toward the kitchen. “Melisandre will answer for how she hurt you,” Eric assured her, his hand spread wide on her back. “I promise you that.”

“Thank you,” she croaked out, guilt still making her feel heavy as he helped her toward the kitchen.

“Why would she think that you’d taken the slipper?”

“I don’t…”

“Ahem,” Fern said behind them, coughing loudly.

Did her sister wish for her to tell the truth? That she’d been enacting her own little revenge schemes? That she’d planned a much larger scheme to steal him?

But that kiss hadn’t felt like stealing, it had been far more like falling…

Her breath caught as her gaze slid to him, so tall and strong next to her. If the wasn’t careful, this man could capture her heart.

He was just so good.

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