Page 23 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

“I am not in the habit of explaining myself to men who refuse to explain anything to me,” she said. “Especially not when my brother’s life is involved.”

At that, something in his expression shifted, and he stepped forward just slightly. “Lady Jane,” he said, voice controlled, “this is not a place for you.”

Jane almost laughed. “And yet, here you are.”

His jaw tightened. “That is not the same.”

Jane was suddenly very aware of how close he was. Of how little light separated them. Of the fact that she was alone here with a man she barely knew, in a part of London she had no business entering.

“You need to leave,” he said quietly.

“I need answers,” she replied.

“You will not find them here,” he said.

Jane bristled. “And you expect me to believe that? That a man like you came to seek… to seek certain services… all the way out here?”

He raised an eyebrow, “A man like me?”

“I meant a peer,” she huffed. “I may be unwed, but I am not completely oblivious to what men of the ton choose to do at night, Your Grace. My brother was very clear to me about that.”

Before he could respond, a faint sound echoed from deeper in the alley. Footsteps and distant voices.

The duke’s attention shifted instantly. Jane followed his gaze instinctively.

“What?” she began.

“Quiet,” he said sharply.

She stopped. The sound grew closer. And, in that moment, Jane realized with sudden clarity that whatever this place was, and whatever the reasons for his being here might be, things were not as straightforward as they seemed.

The voices at the end of the alley faded just as quickly as they had appeared, swallowed again by the murmur of the city beyond.But the tension they left behind did not leave with them. It clung to the narrow space between her and the duke, sharp as wire.

He watched her. As if he had not just caught her following him into one of the worst parts of London like a reckless fool with no sense of danger.

Jane lifted her chin before he could speak again. “I went to Bow Street,” she said.

The duke’s gaze sharpened slightly. “And?”

“They were useless,” she replied, too quickly to disguise her frustration. “They told me to be patient.”

Something almost like disdain crossed his face, but he did not interrupt.

Jane pressed on, the words spilling out now that she had started. “They spoke as if Colin were misplaced luggage. As if I should simply… wait for him to be returned.” Her hands curled into fists at her sides. “I will not wait.”

The duke studied her for a moment longer than was comfortable. “You should go home,” he said at last.

Jane let out a short, humorless breath. “I need to find Colin,” she said more quietly, forcing control back into her voice. “Quicker than the authorities intend to move. I need help to do that.”

The duke’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You came here looking for me to provide it.”

Jane hesitated, then nodded once. “Yes.”

His gaze flicked over her face, like he was measuring something she could not see. “And you decided following me into a brothel alley was the appropriate method of request?”

Jane’s cheeks warmed at the reminder of where she was standing. “I didn’t follow you into the… brothel,” she replied, the last word becoming somewhat difficult to articulate. “I followed your carriage.”

“Which led you here,” the duke said.