Page 9 of The Masked Fae (Royal Fae of Rose Briar Woods 1)

“Shame,” I say blandly. “It appears we have no business.”

“What if…” She trails off, her face growing pale in the lamplit hall.

“Yes?” I ask curtly.

Alice raises her eyes to mine, making it impossible to look away. “Perhaps I may work for you, in your household, until I can afford to buy new supplies? Then I will paint your portrait, and if you are pleased with it, you may free my brother.”

“I have no desire to do any more business with your family.” I begin walking again.

“Please, Lord Ambrose!” Alice begs, crossing the hall swiftly, ending up in front of me, her skirts swaying with the movement. She presses her hands together, holding them in front of her heart. Her eyes shine with tears. “Please.”

“Your brother does not deserve your sacrifice,” I say callously.

“I am homeless now anyway, without even a copper to my name. Take pity on the innocent sister who had no part in your wager but was affected all the same.”

Against my better judgment, I begin to waver. “And what would you do in my household?”

Alice looks around, frantically grasping for ideas. “I’ll become a maid, or a governess if you have children who require teaching. Surely you can find a place for me in a manor this large?”

“There are no children here.” I turn to Regina. “And I do not believe we need another maid, do we?”

“We do not.” She says the words sternly, but I hear the strain in her voice. She stares at me, initiating a silent conversation.

She has nowhere to go, her eyes say. Your night of careless entertainment had casualties. How will you fix it?

No matter how I argue back, she doesn’t budge.

“Find a place for her,” I say heavily.

Ian raises a brow, gracing me with a calculated smile that tells me I’m showing weakness. He will be sure to tell my mother.

Regina dips her head with an air of disinterest, pretending she has no opinion on the matter. “Yes, my lord.”

“Thank you,” Alice breathes, looking like she’s going to burst into tears. “Truly, Lord Ambrose, I will forever be in your debt—”

“No,” I say before she can finish the careless vow, my voice harsh. “You are not in my debt—we have not struck any sort of bargain. You are simply working in my home for a few months so you may buy new supplies. It has nothing to do with your brother. If you paint a satisfactory painting, I will buy it. With that money, you may attempt to purchase your brother’s freedom if you so choose, though the task is not as simple as you believe. You owe me nothing, and I owe nothing to you. If you decide to walk out tomorrow, so be it.”

Alice nods, looking timid again. Softly, she murmurs, “I understand.”

Looking smug, Ian and the maids leave the foyer, most likely eager to share their gossip.

“I will make room for her in the servants’ quarters,” Regina says to me, already walking toward the left wing of the manor.

“No.”

Regina looks startled. “No?”

The idea of sending Alice into a den of Fae—the one place in the house where I have less jurisdiction than I should—is alarming. Too often, she’d be in their company, away from my eyes.

“Put her in the spare room on the third floor.”

Regina’s lips part with surprise. “But that is where your sister stays when—”

“I am not expecting Sabine to visit anytime soon.” I glance at the empty wall where Ian just loitered. “Make it known that the girl is under my protection while she is here, and no one may take advantage of her untethered nature. Spread the word. If someone so much as thinks of touching her, I will not show mercy.”

Without looking at Alice again, I stride from the foyer, yanking at my collar, worried I’ve made a grave error in judgment.