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The young woman gasped at this crude behavior and took a step back, bumping her back into the railing.

“The Lady of the Flames?” she said, her voice soft.

“Indeed. It is what they call you. You did not know?”

She looked at Kenneth as if seeking confirmation. He was too astounded to respond right away, too taken aback that society would bestow such a cruel name upon a young woman who’d suffered so much.

“Lawrence, you are entirely out of line. It must be the laudanum that the physician administered.”

His cousin looked at him, his amber eyes wide. “Laudanum? I should think not. No. I am merely fascinated by this… extraordinary young lady. A medical marvel she is. To survive such a raging fire as the one that occurred at your home, and to come out so….” He spoke with increasing excitement… “Flawless on one side and disfigured on the other. Truly, I cannot imagine what you have lived through. Say, may I… I suppose I ought not…” He raised a hand toward her, and she shrunk back, her eyes wide with terror.

Kenneth stepped forward and slapped his cousin’s hand down.

“Lawrence! That is quite enough.” He turned to Lady Ruth, but it was too late. Her face was pale, and her lips trembled.

“Lady Ruth,” he said quietly, reaching his hand out to her, although he was unsure why.

“No!” She turned away and ran down the stairs, her pelisse billowing behind her as she ran.

“Lady Ruth!” Kenneth called out, to no avail. She did not stop and ran across the marbled black and white floor, her shoes producing a clanging with each step until the sound faded and at last stopped.

Kenneth stood on the landing, feeling worse than he had the first time he laid eyes on her. His hands curled into fists and his nostrils flared as he turned toward his cousin.

“What? I simply wanted to take a closer look. It is not every day one sees such curiosity as this.”

“She is not a curiosity. She is a young woman with feelings. Just before you came and acted as you did, she was full of compassion for you.”

Lawrence shrugged. “I do not see what all the fuss is about. I heard so much about her, the Lady of the Flames, I could not resist a closer look. By Jove, if you had not stopped me, I might have been able to touch her scar. I wonder how that must feel: so tangled, so leathery, and so…”

Kenneth could no longer control his anger. He charged forward and grabbed his cousin by the collar, pushing him backward across the hall. His crutch fell with a bang onto the floor. Kenneth found himself uncomfortably reminded of the previous day, when he’d found himself so shocked at her appearance his own cane had fallen, producing much of the same sound.

“Kenneth!” His father’s voice boomed down the hall, but he could not stop himself. He slammed his cousin into the wall with such force, the small oil painting displayed there waved back and forth in a precarious manner.

“Kenny, have you gone mad?” Lawrence protested and pushed against Kenneth’s chest with all his might. Lawrence Cragshade was naturally of a weak constitution and thus could not muster much strength even when not impaired by laudanum and an injured leg. It wasn’t until Kenneth felt his father’s strong hands grip his arms and pull him back that he let go of his cousin. Lawrence slid to the floor, glaring at him.

“Get ahold of yourself, Kenneth. What has gotten into you?”

He shook his head, freeing himself from his father’s grasp. He spun around and narrowed his eyes at his cousin who was presently scrambling back to his feet.

“I will not have you speak to her in such a manner again. Not her, nor her sister. Not any of our guests.”

“You’ve gone mad, Cousin. Mad, I declare.”

“Kenneth…” His father looked at him with concern, but Kenneth could not stand to be in their company any longer. With a shake of his head, he turned to the staircase and rushed down, stopping only when he found himself in the warm sun.

What has gotten into me? I am acting like an absolute mad man.

He glanced to his left and found himself at once shrinking back, for there she stood. Off in the distance, standing at her father’s side. Her head rested against her father’s shoulder and it was obvious she was crying.

He wanted to go to her, apologize for his cousin’s crude manner, and yet found that he could not. Instead, almost as if without thinking, he turned and rushed away, leaving the distraught lady behind once more.

Chapter 11

“Now, now, dear. What has happened?” The Duke of Twilightfare rubbed Ruth’s arm with such tenderness that it soothed her racking sobs and she stood upright, wiping the tears from her face.

“The Duke’s nephew. He is a heinous young man.” She swallowed and bit her bottom lip as she looked at her father. “He says they call me The Lady of the Flames. Is this true?”

Her father flinched and averted his eyes, confirming her worst fears.