Page 26 of Ruthless, But for Her

“The deed is done. Whatever retribution Roland or Silas enact...”

“I care little about either of them. I'm not speaking of retribution.”

Ashton sat up properly, glancing toward the shuttered window. “You woke me to begin an argument already settled? Margot's already decided. It's done.”

“Perhaps this time, it shouldn't be.”

The two men stared at one another, any more words, unnecessary.

They never defied Margot. At least, hardly ever. Ashton had wanted to, more often than his brothers.

But in this, he and Margot were aligned.

“It surprises me that you would suggest going against her wishes,” he said to Sorren, who finally broke eye contact, looking away.

Ashton remained silent while Sorren struggled with his demons. Everyone had them—and the three of them had a few more than most.

He looked back to Ashton, his shoulders relaxing slightly, signaling defeat.

“I like it not. As Ryker said, Silas will involve the crown in this, attention we can little afford. But more importantly, we were not raised to take a woman against her will. If you were surprised that I would defy Margot, I'm more so that she would condone it.”

Ashton relaxed against the feather pillows. It was his favorite time of day, somewhere between his waking and the rest of the world's.

“No one is suggesting we keep her.”

An intriguing thought.

An intriguing woman.

“It isn't right,” Sorren argued.

If Ashton agreed, he'd only stoke a fire that could not be put out. So instead, he offered the same reasons Margot had when Sorren made his case last eve.

“She will be well treated, and unlikely to be long for Mere's End. I would expect a response within a few days. The concessions may be worth breaking our own rules.”

“It's the one rule we don't break.”

“Agreed,” he consented. “But she will be treated well. Lady Cassia was pleased with a hot bath and delicious meal last eve. As I said before, it will be my personal duty to assure her safety and comfort.”

“Abduction,” Sorren said. “We took her, Ashton. Call it what it is. No bath changes the word.”

This time, he offered no argument. Nothing he could say would convince Sorren, especially when he was right. Sorren was not easily swayed...a trait which had served them well throughout the years.

“Will she be forced to remain in her bedchamber? Or do you plan to see her with one of Margot's girls for company?”

“She will do what she pleases. And if that is to remain in her chamber, so be it. If she prefers the hall below-stairs, then she shall be free to come and go as she pleases.”

“And if she wishes to leave the Daisy?”

That was a trickier question. Ashton had little desire for her to mingle with the population of Mere's End. Not only would she attract notice, as she had the day before, but it could put her safety at risk. And he wouldn’t allow anything to harm her.

“I will speak with her when the sun rises. But for now,” he said, “I suppose the day will begin earlier than usual.”

Sorren smiled then, slow and easy, with nothing of Ryker's wicked grin in it. Sorren was the biggest of them, the most dangerous in a fight...and the warmest by far.

He rose without another word, ducking beneath the door frame out of habit, and pulled it shut behind him. Ashton listened as his footsteps faded down the hall.

Sleep would not return. He dressed in the dark and thought of the woman down the hall, who had asked for nothing and had somehow set all three of them at odds before her first morning at the Daisy.