Katherine Langford is in London ready to make her debut to society when she discovers that the home next door is being rented by the "Murderous Marquess" Hayden Rowling. Always impulsive, Katy decides to sneak over and take a peek at the notorious M...
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Alas, every word that fell from his lips was a pretty lie, designed to seduce me!
Rising from the bench, Katy faced Hayden across the gleaming expanse of the piano's lid, her ears still ringing.
He hadn't even taken the time to doff his coat or hat. Rain dripped from the shoulder cape of his coat to the parquet floor, while the brim of his hat shadowed his eyes. From the corner of her eye, Katy could see Madelaine visibly shrinking, her shoulders hunching inward, her lips growing narrow and pinched. The sight made Katy want to stamp her foot in frustration.
"Who let you in here?" Hayden demanded.
"No one," Katy replied, truthful and defiant all at once. He shifted his accusing gaze to his daughter. "Madelaine?"
The child shook her head violently. "I certainly don't have a key."
He swept off his hat. After catching her first clear glimpse of his eyes, Katy almost wished he'd left it on. "Then how in the devil did the two of you get in here? You know it's forbidden."
"We were playing as explorers," Katy confessed, hoping to divert his attention from the child.
Her ploy worked a little too well. Hayden rounded on her, his narrowed eyes and taut jaw challenging her to continue.
She lifted her shoulders in an apologetic shrug. "And as I'm sure you know, there's nothing more enticing to an explorer than the lure of the forbidden."
For just an instant, something else flickered through his frosty hazel eyes—something both dangerous and alluring. "So what did you do? Steal the key from Sophia?"
"Of course not! I would never encourage Madelaine to steal." Katy folded her hands primly in front of her. "I simply picked the lock with one of my hairpins."
Hayden gazed at her in disbelief for a moment, then let out a harsh bark of laughter. "Oh, that's rich! You won't encourage my daughter to steal, but you have no qualms about teaching her how to pick a lock." Madelaine came around the piano and tugged at the sleeve of his coat, but he was too busy glaring at Katy to notice. "What do you plan to do for your next lesson? Show her how to hold up a coach at gunpoint?"
Before Katy could sputter a retort, Madelaine gave her father's sleeve another tug, this time succeeding in getting his attention. "She didn't teach me how to pick the lock. She picked it herself." Her voice rose. "And do you know why? Because she saw that I was lonely and bored and unhappy and she was the only one in this house who cared enough to do anything about it!"
Both Hayden and Katy gaped at the child, astonished by her passionate outburst. Never in a million years would Katy have dreamed that Madelaine would come to her defense. As she studied the girl's fierce little face, she felt an unexpected rush of tenderness.
