As he stood in the drizzling rain and watched the Duke enter the carriage, Carrick pondered, 'What man would ask for a woman's hand in marriage only to allow these outrageous acts to take place?'
He never imagined he would say this, but the Duke was worse than Dante or Magnus in his eyes. At least with those men, you knew they were terrible and evil. They did not hide it. This one, though, Pierce. He was sneaky and hid behind a fake persona, acting as if he were an innocent lamb. Under that facade lay a devious, murderous predator.
That made him twice as dangerous, then the others. What's worse, Carrick could see he even had Dante fooled.
The entire situation made Carrick's heart uneasy. He would have left long ago if he weren't tied to indentured servitude to the Count. Contessa Rose deserved better, according to him. It was upsetting how the Count and those around her kept running her down and harming Rose.
