KATHERINE

"Lavinia, sweetheart, keep playing with the girls!" I ordered my daughter, who disappeared down the hallway, giggling.

Gripping my skirt tightly, I descended the stairs, practically flying over the carpeted steps.

I could feel the tension thick in the air, the danger lingering in the atmosphere, so I hurried to intervene.

"Good morning," I greeted the elegantly dressed man as I came to stand beside Elliot.

In an instant, his possessive hand gripped my waist.

"My wife, the Duchess of E