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“Grab a few more guards and gather him up, will you?” he asked, “We’re taking him with us.”

“I will stay down here and help with him while you three go up and say your goodbyes,” Morgan said, hanging back as the others began to leave.

Ezra heard the badly hidden tone of longing in his friend’s voice and doubled back as Ambrose and Duncan continued their way upstairs.

“Do not fear, Morgan, one day you will have a wife to say goodbye to as well,” Ezra said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Morgan smirked and muttered “bastard” as he shook off Ezra’s hand.

“I am serious, old friend,” Ezra said.

The emotions that had irked him so badly before, no longer seemed so terrifying as he gave Morgan a calm, understanding look. He had been satisfied that he could call back that tall, imposing black wall of numbness when it came to interrogating Derrin, but now he was relieved that it was beginning to fade away and make room for something better.

“You will find her, and you will be all the better for it,” he said sincerely.

Morgan looked at him curiously, one brow moving high as the other went low, and took a step back.

“Christ, mate, youhavechanged,” Morgan said in awe.

He looked back up at Ezra and simply asked, “Lydia?”

Ezra tilted his head in acknowledgment, and Morgan swore under his breath.

“Well, I hope you are right, mate,” Morgan sighed, rolling up his sleeves as the guards filtered in.

“I am,” Ezra stated, then clapped him on the shoulder one more time. “Now don’t take long. We will meet you at the carriage.”

Upstairs, Ezra found the others gathered in the foyer. He spotted Lydia at once, her face lighting up as she saw him approach, and his chest grew tight as he opened his arms to embrace her. She went to him immediately, and Ezra felt the ring of bruises around his throat burn as he gathered her close and kissed her.

Lydia’s hands smoothed over his chest, his shoulders, and his hair, as if once again proving to herself that he was alive, and he held her tighter.No onehad ever cared for him the way she did, he realized, placing another tender kiss on her lips before letting her rest her head against his chest.

As he looked up, Ezra took in his other friends. Duncan had Alice wrapped tightly in his arms as little Beau cocooned between them and wrapped his tiny arms around both of their necks. Ambrose had Helena and Barbara squeezing him tight, a fearful look on both of their faces as he held them tightly to him. A few paces away stood their nanny with their four-month-old son, Titus.

I want this,he realized, watching his friends holding and kissing their loved ones. The image of a little girl wrapped in Lydia’s arms suddenly made his heart so full he could hardly breathe, and he felt his bruised throat struggle to swallow. Could he? Could heactuallyhave a family of his own?

“Everything will be fine,” he heard Ambrose say.

“You don’t know that” Barbara hissed, still holding him tight. “Let the constables handle him!”

“This man was able to hide for nearly twenty years,” Ambrose replied patiently, “He was not able to do that by himself. Until we get a solid confession out of him and understand who’s dirty and who’s not, we are on our own.”

“Ambrose is right,” Lydia said from Ezra’s arms as she turned in them.

Ezra looked down at her in awe as she drew her chin up and looked around the foyer at the worried faces surrounding them.

“We have to let our men do this,” she went on, “Justice was evaded for so many years. It is time they were allowed to receive it.”

Their arms still wrapped around their families, Duncan and Ambrose both gave Lydia a nod of appreciation. A moment later, Alice, Helena, and Barbara were letting the two of them go.

“If you die I will find a way to bring you back just to murder you myself,” Barbara warned Ambrose.

He smiled at her brightly, then gave her one more passionate kiss.

“I expect nothing less,” he replied, his tone full of affection.

“And no more scars for you, you hear me?” Alice said, giving Duncan a warning look. “You have given enough. Do not let this man take any more from you.”

“I would not dare go against your orders, my love,” Duncan replied sincerely, cupping her face in his hands.