Dueling With the Duke (Brotherhood of the Sword) by Robyn DeHart Page B

why you think you can protect us. You owe me that much after chasing me all over London tonight.”
    Ordinarily he would not answer such questions, but she had a point. They’d had to tell Evelyn Marrington, Ellis’s cousin, about the Brotherhood when she’d agreed to pose as Queen Victoria. This was a similar situation, and as long as Lilith was here with him, she couldn’t divulge said secrets to anyone else.
    He sat on the sofa. “I belong to a group of men dedicated to protecting the throne. We are known as the Brotherhood of the Sword.”
    Her mouth opened for a moment, then she closed it. “So you do work for the Crown.”
    He nodded. “I do.”
    “Both you and Viscount Ellis are part of this group?”
    “And many more. We are all over the country and serve in many different capacities. Ellis and I happen to be in the most elite circle, closest to Her Majesty.” He considered telling her he’d been the only one trusted to protect Victoria while she’d been injured, but thought better of disclosing the information. He placed his hand over hers. “Lilith, believe me when I say that we can protect you and Isabel.”
    Her gaze moved from his to their hands and back up. Her lips parted.
    Damnation, she was beautiful.
    The moment ended as Ellis reentered the room. “Lady Thornton,” he said. “I believe your charge wishes to retire for a while. Perhaps a change of clothes.” He frowned, looked back at the corridor behind him. “In truth, I’m not certain what she wishes, but she does seem rather restless.”
    Lilith nodded. “I shall tend to her. Thank you.”
    “There is breakfast being served in the dining room. Perhaps food would help,” Ellis said.
    Gabe waited until Lilith had left the room before speaking. “They cannot be allowed to leave.”
    “Already taken care of. I have all the doors being guarded,” Ellis said. “Now, what happened outside that school?”
    Gabe paused, uncertain what he should share, but Ellis was, and always had been, his most trustworthy comrade. “There was a man outside the school. He’d been loitering in the alleyway and then tried to snatch the girl when we brought her outside.”
    “And you believe this has something to do with Thornton’s attempt on Victoria?”
    “It’s the only thing that makes sense. If Thornton was involved with a plot, then whomever he worked with is still out there,” Gabe said.
    “Why would they want his niece?” Ellis asked.
    “I’m not certain. Lilith doesn’t believe that she’s merely Thornton’s niece. Perhaps she knows something.”
    Ellis nodded. “And whomever Thornton had been working with took his body, but why the devil would they do that?”
    “It could be nothing more than a cover-up, a way to protect the people he was working with,” Gabe said.
    “Which means that somewhere there’s evidence, a trail that will lead us from Thornton to whoever is behind the attempted assassination.”
    “Potterfield will never approve of the investigation since we have already broken protocol,” Gabe said.
    “You’ll have to do this on your own,” Ellis said.
    “Abandon my oaths to the Brotherhood?”
    “Yes, but remember, if you’re right, then ultimately you aren’t abandoning anything. You are, instead, steadfastly upholding them in the face of adversity.” Ellis took a deep breath. “I can cover for you for a while, but you know Potterfield.”
    “He is relentless about following the rules. Normally, so am I, but I feel certain that Thornton is—was—involved in this, and I need to know to what end. Need to know with whom he worked.”
    “Presumably the threat is still there.”
    “While I am working this investigation, can I trust you to protect the girl?” Gabe asked.
    Ellis frowned. “I am not equipped to be a nanny.”
    “She’s in danger and might prove important. No one will look for her here.”
    “That’s certainly true. My townhome is the last place anyone would look for a maiden,” Ellis