Dauntless (Gentlemen of the Order 1)

Noah squared his shoulders. “I’ve never failed you before. I don’t intend to fail you ever. Trust my judgement. Allow me to work with Miss Dunn and bring an end to her problems.”

“No.”

Surely Daventry could make allowances. “You worked with your wife to solve the case of Atticus Atwood’s journals, so I’m sure you know what I must do.”

Noah wasn’t sure what he would do. He could not turn his back on his friends and colleagues, could not abandon Eva, either.

Daventry folded his arms across his broad chest. “Do you think I wanted to put Sybil in that position?” His raised voice was sure to gain the ladies’ attention. “Fetch my wife. She will tell you I did everything in my power to protect her. Hell, she spent a year thinking I despised her just so I could keep her safe.”

And yet everything had worked out perfectly.

Noah had never seen a couple more in love.

“And if you could change the course of history, if you had to do what was deemed right, would you? Would you let Bower deal with Sybil’s problems while you watch from the comfort of your armchair?”

The questions caught Lucius Daventry by surprise. He took a moment to reflect before saying, “It’s different. I loved her.”

The blunt reply left Noah questioning his own feelings.

He thought about Eva constantly. There was something special about her, something he’d been aware of from the beginning. The magnetic pull proved too powerful to ignore. He was distracted, possessive, obsessed. Damn it, there was every chance he was in love, too.

“Would you cha

nge anything?” Noah reiterated.

Daventry looked Noah in the eye. “I wouldn’t change a damn thing.”

“Now can you see my dilemma?”

A light knock on the door had a frustrated Lucius Daventry charging across the room.

Sybil Daventry stood in the hall, her smile as vibrant as her curly copper hair. “We couldn’t help but hear parts of your conversation. May we come in?”

“I don’t think—”

“Please.”

“Very well.” Lucius Daventry stepped back, his rigid countenance softening as he stared at his wife.

“Miss Dunn has something she wants to say.” Sybil touched her husband’s arm affectionately, and he inclined his head in response. “I think it’s important.”

Daventry closed the door behind them. He carried another chair from the corner of the room and invited both ladies to sit. Then he moved to stand to the right of the desk, his powerful presence commanding everyone’s attention.

“Well, Miss Dunn?” Daventry said. “Do you wish to defend Mr Ashwood?”

Noah glanced at Eva. She sat as confidently as she did the first day they met. If she was intimidated by the master of the Order, it wasn’t apparent. After what she had endured, most women would take to their chambers complaining of a megrim.

“Sir, a catalogue of terrifying events first brought me to Hart Street,” she said, her voice calm like the gentle flow of water on a breezeless day. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, wasn’t sure if anyone would help me, but my situation had grown desperate.”

“We work to bring peace to the lives of the tormented,” Daventry replied proudly. “It’s a dangerous calling, Miss Dunn, as you discovered firsthand last night.”

“More dangerous than I might ever have imagined.” The hint of sadness in her eyes touched Noah’s heart. “I could have picked any agent to hear my case, but I chose Mr Ashwood because it was evident he commanded everyone’s respect. You must agree, respect is earned, and so I concluded that he must be a man worthy of such great esteem. Yes?”

Daventry glanced at his wife and with some reluctance said, “Yes, Miss Dunn. My colleague is exceptionally good at what he does.”

“And it is clear the men look to him in your absence,” she pressed. “They seek his guidance, value his opinion.”

“Yes.”