The heavy rain lashed relentlessly against the high, arched windows of the circular study, the sharp c***k of thunder drowning out the sudden, suffocating silence inside the room.
Evelyn stood frozen beside the broad mahogany desk, her fingers still resting on the smooth leather edge of the binder. Her pulse hammered wildly against her ribs, but she forced her spine straight, channeling every drop of noble blood in her veins to mask the cold shock racing through her mind.
Alexander took a slow, deliberate step forward into the warm firelight. He unclasped his rain-drenched military cloak, letting the heavy, wet wool fall over the arm of a leather chair without breaking eye contact for even a fraction of a second. The ambient scents of fresh sea rain, cold iron, and cedar wood filled t
