Page 145 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke
She clasped Jane’s hands. “The duke has just told me the most wonderful news.”
Jane glanced curiously toward Hector. “What news?”
Her mother looked ready to burst. “He has bought Wynten House!”
Jane stared. “What?”
Lady Wynten nodded rapidly. “He purchased it outright.”
Jane turned slowly toward Hector. “You…?”
He met her gaze calmly. “It seemed sensible.”
She blinked. “Sensible?”
Before Hector could answer, Zachary gave a derisive snort. “You may keep the wretched place. I have no need of it.”
No one answered. His irritation visibly deepened. “I have better investments to concern myself with.” He straightened his waistcoat. “I wish you all a pleasant afternoon.”
The words carried very little sincerity. Without waiting for a reply, he turned and strode across the room.
Jane watched him disappear into the crowd.
Only after he was gone did she look back at Hector. “You bought my home.”
“Our home,” he corrected quietly.
The words settled warmly inside her.
He continued. “I considered relocating Lady Wynten. But every room in that house carries memories of your father.”
“And Colin.”
“I thought it kinder to let you remain where you belong.”
Jane’s eyes filled unexpectedly. “You did all of that...”
He looked almost puzzled by her emotion. “It was simply the easiest solution.”
She laughed through her tears. “You always say things like that.”
He frowned slightly. “Like what?”
“As though rescuing someone’s entire life is merely another item upon your morning schedule.”
For a moment he simply looked at her. Then one corner of his mouth lifted. “If it pleases you, then it was worth doing.”
Jane squeezed his fingers. “Thank you.”
He held her gaze. “You never need thank me for protecting my family.”
Those two words stayed with her long after the conversation ended.My family.
Chapter Twenty-One
The last of the wedding guests lingered in Hector’s drawing room long after the wedding breakfast had ended.
Laughter drifted through the townhouse, mingling with the clink of crystal and the low murmur of conversations that had become more relaxed now that the formalities of the day were behind them. Servants circulated with trays of tea, coffee, and wine while small groups gathered before the windows or around the fireplace.
