The Price of Desperation

[LORD RAFE ALDER MORLAND]

My eyes lift at the sight of him, and Mother sucks in a hard breath at his sudden presence, clearly alarmed by it.

His gaze lifts from hers to mine, and I am led to wonder just how long he had been standing there, worse—just how much of our conversation he had heard.

He must have heard something.

My lips press as his gaze fall back to my mother when she bows and greets th