Silence stretched between them. Finally, Lysander spoke, his voice measured. "Do you swear you'll take good care of her?"
Until now, he hadn't trusted Leroy. He thought Leroy only considered Lorraine as a substitute for his one true love Elyse. But more recent whispers told a different story: how Leroy had cut Elyse's hair in retribution for ruining Lorraine's portrait, how he had dismissed his mistress from the household, how he and Lorraine now lived so closely that even the servants blushed at their intimacy.
Perhaps Leroy wasn't the monster Lysander had believed. Perhaps, for his sister's sake, he could be given a chance.
Leroy gave a single, steady nod. "With my whole heart."
Lysander's gaze hardened, though his voice shook faintly. "The accident that cost my sister's hearing… it was no accident. It was our father. He tried to kill her and our mother. He succeeded in killing our mother, but Lorraine…"
