Stolen by the Ruthless Duke (Stolen by the Duke #2)

Prologue

“ B ridget, do not cry,” Lady Ophelia Russell urged, trying to console her crying lady’s maid. “Things are not as bad as they seem, surely?”

“I wish I could agree, My Lady, but—” Bridget sniffled. “I do not think anything will ever be all right again. How… How could he do this to me?”

Ophelia glanced skyward, sighing. “Listen to me. We have been friends for as long as you have been my lady’s maid. And friends help one another, do they not?”

Tearfully, Bridget nodded. “They do, but this feels impossible to resolve.”

She cupped her stomach, not yet showing—it would not do so for many more months.

Bridget was with child, and she would soon run out of options.

“We still have time before your situation becomes obvious,” Ophelia assured her. “And by then, I will have devised a plan for you. I promise, Bridget, we will get you through this. One day, you will be all the better for it, cradling your beautiful child.”

A pang of jealousy shot through Ophelia. While Bridget’s situation was not ideal and risked her position at Greatsby Hall, she would, in nine months, birth a new life and raise a child. That was all Ophelia wanted, too.

“Is it cruel to wish that I could switch our circumstances?” Bridget whispered. “I know that you would lift this burden from my shoulders.”

Ophelia frowned. She tucked a lock of her friend’s hair behind her ear.

In her bedroom, the two stood huddled by the window, far from the door and drafty hallway beyond.

“This child will be a gift to you,” Ophelia swore. “And the lord who left you in such a state without providing for you shall be sorry.”

“Do you think Lord Ferndale will return one day? That he will come to his senses and provide for us? The night he… seduced me, he whispered so many promises to me. It was all by the candlelight, Ophelia. Surely he meant those words!”

Ophelia’s heart beat faster, and she swallowed.

“No,” she said uncomfortably. “I do not. And I am glad for it, as he does not deserve you if he has left you in such a way without even a farewell.”

Bridget nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. Moments later, she collapsed onto the edge of Ophelia’s bed.

Ophelia’s stepmother would have a heart attack if she saw it, but Ophelia would never ask her friend to move. She allowed her this brief respite.

“We will conceal your—your situation for as long as we can,” she decided. “And before you start showing, I…” She paused.

Nine months was a long time, and Bridget’s stomach would grow round much sooner. She was slight; she would show easily.

“Perhaps I would be married, by then,” Ophelia continued. “You shall move into my new residence with me, and you shall not have to worry, for I will protect you.”

Bridget shook her head. “I cannot ruin your reputation by asking for your protection in such a way, My Lady.”

“I am offering you help,” Ophelia said gently. “I think it is the best course of action. It also prevents my stepmother from seeing you on the streets, as well as helps you to keep your position as my lady’s maid.”

“Your husband will dismiss me as soon as he knows. I would not be fit to work for you.”

Misery laced her friend’s voice, and hopelessness seeped into Ophelia from a distance.

Bridget sobbed even harder, muffling her cries in her palms. “I have been a fool!” Her voice broke. “Seduced by a lord, and for what? One night… One… very beautiful night.” She sighed, shaking her head. Her tears fell harder. “And now he has abandoned me.”

“More shame on him.” Ophelia’s lips pressed together.

“And what of when I’m brought to bed?” Bridget whispered. “How shall I provide for the child? Your kindness cannot extend to such measures. I cannot expect nor ask that of you.”

“That is something we will handle nearer the time,” Ophelia said, desperate to help her further.

More tears welled up in Bridget’s eyes. Her young face was pinched. She was barely eighteen, lost, with child, and abandoned now. So many lords did this to women like Bridget, knowing they could get away with such behavior. It allowed them their fun without consequence.

“Lady Kirkland is a terrible, hard woman. You know she has eyes like an eagle, and she’ll never tolerate this,” Bridget sobbed.

“Bridget,” Ophelia whispered.

She knew her friend was right. If her stepmother found out… Heavens knew what she would do to poor Bridget for the sake of keeping up appearances. Lady Kirkland had fired servants for much, much more trivial matters like placing a dessert spoon beside a teacup during an afternoon tea, or even for laughing too loudly in the kitchen.

If she discovered that Bridget, an unmarried maid, was with child? Ophelia shuddered at the thought.

She had to find a way to help her friend because, soon enough, Bridget would show. And the hawk that was Lady Kirkland would notice.

Which meant that Ophelia herself would have to intervene. There had to be a way to convince her stepmother to keep Bridget and her child safe. There had to be.

“I am sorry. I must… I must return to my duties while I still can.” Bridget stood up, brushing off her apron. “Thank you, My Lady. Your kindness knows no bounds, but I have much to think about. I will be back to prepare you for dinner shortly.”

With that, Bridget hurried out, and Ophelia was left alone, watching after her friend, a pang in her chest.

Determination thrummed through her. Bridget was her only friend, and she’d find a way to protect her from Lady Kirkland.

No matter what.