Page 2 of The Duke Who Stole Me (Stolen by the Duke #4)

Chapter Two

“ L et me go!” Juliana protested as the man dragged her out of the ballroom and led her up the flight of stairs and into an empty, dimly lit room. “Who do you think you are? Let me go this instant!”

But her cries fell on deaf ears.

The stranger—possibly a criminal, since he was wearing simple clothes that weren’t appropriate for the event—lifted her arm above her head and backed her up against the closed door, his large body pressing into hers slightly to keep her in place.

Dread coiled in her stomach, and she swallowed hard, alarm bells ringing in her head at the compromising position they were in. He was so close to her that his dark beard tickled her face.

Panic set in. If anyone were to walk in and see them, it would result in a scandal that would ruin her reputation forever, over a man she knew nothing about.

She couldn’t let that happen.

So, she tried her hardest, using all her might to push him away, but he didn’t budge. Not once. Her tiny frame was no match for his much larger one.

“Let go of me. I beg of you,” she pleaded. “I must find my family and make sure they’re unharmed!”

She was on the verge of tears now. She was in a room with a man she didn’t know, and she did not feel safe for a second, especially because she did not know what he wanted from her.

“They probably are,” he muttered under his breath, before letting out a frustrated sigh that surprised her.

“You do not know that!” she argued, her tears drying up as she tried to sound as intimidating as she could.

“The attackers are most likely gone by now,” he replied in a monotonous voice, as though he could not be bothered by her pleas and even presence.

“And how would you know that if you’re not one of them?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

She was not sure what had possessed her to say that.

“Enough,” he growled, his grip on her arm tightening. “I ask the questions, and you provide the answers.”

The threat in his rich baritone was real, but at that moment, Juliana wondered what sort of criminal he was. He didn’t seem like one.

Her heart skipped a few beats, and she blinked several times as she watched him.

“What do you mean?” she asked when she finally found her voice.

“You have been engaged to Lord Norfield for over a month, and he seems smitten with you. So, you must know his haunts. Tell me where he is.”

His tone was accusatory, but Juliana didn’t let that deter her.

“What? No, I don’t know where he is,” she replied.

“Do not test my patience, My Lady. You have been meeting with this man almost every day for the past month. Your beloved must have told you something,” the stranger persisted.

“My engagement to Lord Norfield is based solely on duty. Whenever we met, we spoke of trivial matters, as customs dictate,” she countered.

He watched her, saying nothing. The mystery in his light-colored eyes beckoned to her irresistibly, his hard body pressing further against hers.

Juliana could hardly breathe, but she knew she couldn’t walk away from this man.

“I told you not to test my patience. Answer my question,” he ordered, his eyes piercing through her very soul.

“And if I do? What will you do?” she challenged in the same tone.

A vaguely sensuous light flickered in his eyes as they fell to her mouth, her chest, and then right back to her mouth again. She felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach.

“You have a sharp tongue,” he drawled, sounding amused.

“I am simply at my wits’ end. I do not know a thing about Lord Norfield.”

Her voice was breathless, which, for some reason, made the stranger furrow his brow, an unfathomable emotion flashing in his eyes.

He leaned in suddenly, his breath hot on her face. Her heart flipped, her pulse quickened, and strange as it may sound, her body prayed he would touch more of her.

Her eyes fluttered shut in anticipation, yet he released her.

“Fine,” he said, his voice cold as he took two steps away from her, then another.

Juliana blinked, her senses returning.

“Return to your family. And forget you ever saw me. For your family’s sake.” He pointed to the door behind her.

Juliana nodded.

She did not need to be told twice; she bolted out the door, her hand pressed to her chest as she ran to the ballroom.

“Julie!” Georgina cried out as she ran forward, meeting Juliana halfway in a tight embrace.

Juliana spotted Ava and Emily holding on to their mother, looking around the ballroom as if they were searching for something. She began running toward them before they saw her, and when they did, their eyes lit up.

The ballroom was in utter disarray, with tables overturned and decorations scattered all over the floor. A great difference from how it was at the beginning of the evening.

True to the stranger’s words, the masked men had vanished.

Guests filed out of the ballroom, all holding on to a family member.

“Are you all right?” Juliana asked her sister, her worried eyes roaming over her.

Little Gina nodded.

“We searched all over for you. We thought…” Emily trailed off, unable to continue speaking, as though the rest of the words were too painful for her to utter.

Juliana instantly plastered on a small smile and pulled her into a comforting hug. “I am all right,” she soothed, rubbing her back.

Just then, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. It was the stranger. He looked even taller than she remembered, his movements swift and direct.

“Who is that man, Mama?” she asked, pointing at him subtly as she let go of Emily.

“What man, my dear?” Lady Ridgewell asked, looking in the direction Juliana had pointed.

“The man with the beard.”

Juliana pointed at the stranger again, and her mother gasped the moment she saw him.

“Him? The Duke of Blackmoor?” Lady Ridgewell squinted at the stranger, tilting her head to the side.

Juliana’s eyes widened in shock. That man was a duke?

Before her mother continued, the man had vanished into the night, completely unnoticed. Just as Geoffrey had.

“No, it cannot be. He declined our invitation a week ago.” Lady Ridgewell shook her head. “That man must work for one of our guests, dear. Though I must say, he bears an uncanny resemblance to the duke.”

If her mother thought he was the duke at first glance, then it most likely was him.

But instead of pointing that out, Juliana nodded.

“I am so pleased to see you unharmed,” an annoyingly familiar voice said from behind her.

She did not need to turn around to know that it was her uncle Francis, the Earl of Ridgewell. A frown creased her brow instantly.

“Well, Lord Ridgewell, I am not pleased. You allowed the most horrifying thing to happen in our former home,” Lady Ridgewell cried, clutching Ava’s hand tightly.

“Whatever do you mean by that?” Francis asked, with slight irritation in his voice.

“You were the one who insisted on the match with Lord Norfield, and today those attackers came looking for him,” Lady Ridgewell pointed out.

Juliana saw her sisters nod.

“You assured us he was an honorable man, but Lord knows what disgraceful business he has been involved in,” Lady Ridgewell continued, shuddering.

“Lady Ridgewell, I can assure you that Lord Norfield is an honorable man,” Francis insisted.

Juliana narrowed her eyes at him—he could claim no such thing after tonight.

“Why then did those men storm in here with weapons, looking for him?” Lady Ridgewell pressed.

Francis’s eyes flickered. “Those criminals most likely wanted to kidnap him for ransom. The engagement ball was a perfect opportunity for them.” He cast a glance at Juliana.

Nonsense , she was tempted to say, but she swallowed it.

There was no point in talking to her uncle. Although, with the way he defended Geoffrey, she had an inkling that he might know something.

“There must be a logical explanation for this,” he added.

Juliana nodded.

For once, he was right. There had to be an explanation, but she doubted it would be logical.

However, Juliana knew that if she was ever going to get an explanation, there was only one person who could give it to her.

The Duke of Blackmoor.