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Prologue

One family united by loss, driven to find love…

Dundee, Scotland 1790

Roderick Maddox, fourth Duke of Manchester, stood at the helm of his newly acquired ship, and surveyed the river inlet he was steadily inald Alban, the third of five brothers, the sixth Alban a sister She was the real reason for his visit Reginald’s eldest brother, Stone, held a Scottish earldo their coastal land to run a shipping co other endeavors The Albans had become one of the richest families in all of Scotland

That reason alone h the wedding would not be held for at least five years as Lady Delia was only thirteen Beyond her wealth, however, Reginald had told him, with a twinkle in his eyes, that Delia was one of the few ladies on the island capable ofRoderick’s ways After all, she held five older brothers in check And his ways, in truth, were in need ofof his father, he’d found hie of a dukedom, and its less-than-stellar assets, but without e of how to improve them Nor was he terribly popular with the ton A few trysts with questionable ladies had given him quite the reputation—not that he cared

Even if she could not ta company with the Alban brothers definitely would; and so he was off to o well, he would enter into business with the men when he married their sister

His navigational skills were i by the day and he reckoned oneharbor It was essential hebusiness as the southern branch The river narrowed slightly and the water e rock faces jutted up on either side of hi him feel closed in, almost claustrophobic

Just up ahead, he noticed several nizing Reginald instantly But the smile died on his face There was an oddness to their behavior Shoulders hunched, they paced, nearly running into one another, their eyes trained down, closer to the water

He followed their gazes until his eyes reached an overhang halfway down the cliff where a sut clenched, the little one was too far down for the inald and two other er, thin and lightweight, but he had barely been lowered below the lip of the cliff when a shower of rocks rained down, splattering the water and the ledge on which the child rested

The little head lifted and terrified eyes est, bluest eyes he had ever seen looked at hi the shade of blue even sharper Shewater h sheheart nearly stopped Between her pale countenance and her voiceless plea, it was alhost

Roderick looked up for but a inald “Catch her,” he mouthed over and over He turned his focus back on the child, her eyes were still trained on him

They were nearly underneath her when a noise did rise over the water A large crack rent the air, and Roderick didn’t have to look to know that the cliff was giving way above He didn’t knoould happen to thethere, but he couldn’t focus on them now His eyes stayed on her and he yelled louder than he had ever yelled anything in his life “Jump, jump now!” He moved down the ship as it passed to stay under her and his brain screa you juoing to do it He would pass her by and, unable to look away, he would watch her be crushed by falling rock

Four more strides and he would reach the end, three and he would run out of space, two and then it would be too late, one and suddenly she saw the end too All in one motion, she stood and hurtled herself into the air Her body sailed toward hi to slow her er than he had thought, but not one second later, his hands made contact with her torso and he pulled her toward hiht possible, her body crashed into his and he stu second, he thought they ht both fall into the tumultuous water, but he clenched every ranite, as he held her to hi water

Her eyes, even larger and bluer than they appeared on the cliff, stared into his Unable to look away, by increhtened up with her in his ar over the water but solidly on the boat “You’re all right,” he ot you, you’re fine”

Her purple lips parted, as though to answer, but nothing came out and then he watched as her eyes blinked twice and then closed Her body went liainst his For just a moment, he was afraid that he had still lost her, but then her warm breath blew across his cheeks even as her body went lihter and finally peeled his eyes away from her face

In that instant, he knew that this was Delia Reginald had been correct This slip of a girl would change his ways because, in this ive everything he had to keep her safe from harm Life came into sharp focus

Froe boulders cascaded into the water and the sht his notice His eyes raised up to the top of the cliff but all theriver where the rocks had crashed

His brow crinkled, Reginald wasn’t there