Through sheer strength and size, he forced her out of the way and took over the task of buttoning my coat. I was perfectly capable of doing it myself, but he swept away my hands when I tried.

“Who’s Eliza Bancroft?” I studied his dark expression.

“The woman you kicked out.”

“Oh. You saw her with me.”

His fingers paused on his task, his eyes lifting to mine.

Of course, he’d seen me. No matter how distracted he seemed, he was always aware of my every move.

“I went over the guest list before Caroline sent the invitations.” His hands resumed, sliding deftly along the row of tiny buttons. “I made sure no one from my past was on the list.”

No one he’d fucked.

He didn’t need to clarify that. The apology in his eyes said it all. There was no absolution for the cruel things he’d done when he was younger. But he’d found a way to control those impulses by becoming a priest.

Until he’d met me.

“When Eliza approached you, I was going to intervene.” He finished with my coat and cupped my face. “But you handled her with patience and cunning, which gave me time to follow up on this other threat.”

“You’re not dealing with this alone, Magnus. We’re a team.”

“Yes, but you shouldn’t have had to deal with that woman at all.”

He stared into my eyes, his expression raw and open, silently admitting that he’d been intimate with Eliza and that he regretted it deeply.

That acknowledgment morphed to anger as he glared at my mother, his voice rising. “She was not on the guest list.”

“Lower your tone.” Her eyes flashed. “Eliza was a last-minute addition. She owns Bancroft Holdings, and I need her—”

“She was not approved!” he roared. “Christ, Caroline. I can’t fucking trust you.”

“Magnus.” I touched his arm, attempting to curtail his aggression.

“What are you suggesting?” My mother set her jaw. “I would never harm my daughter. We all received a bottle of wine and an invitation to the Morelli Christmas Ball.”

“Who’s we?” I asked.

“Me and all your siblings. Except Elaine.”

Elaine didn’t receive an invitation because she was with Lucian, the oldest Morelli son. My sister was sleeping with the enemy, and while that news had sent a shockwave through Bishop’s Landing, I knew at gut level she would never hurt me or anyone in our family. She had nothing to do with this.

I rubbed my temples. “Has every bottle been tested?”

“Yes.” Magnus ran a hand down his face. “Only yours was poisoned.”

So someone targeted me. I found comfort in that, knowing my family was safe from this.

“Tell your mother goodnight.” He shifted away to wait by the front door.

As I opened my mouth to say a quick bye, she swept in and wrapped her arms around me.