Page 64 of Her Wicked Duke
“Then I would ask you to leave my study.”
He stared at her, knowing full well she held his fortune in her hands. One snap of her fingers and he could be out of the castle, stripped of his title, a man without a home.
She lifted her chin in stubborn pride. “We shall dine together later. By then, I expect you to have controlled your temper.”
With that, she walked out of the study, and he collapsed into his chair as the clacking of her cane faded away.
He enjoyed only a few minutes of peace before he heard the commotion. A slam of a door sounded through the castle, and a shout followed shortly after.
“Alexander!” The yell, rageful and torn, echoed through the castle. “Come out here and face me at once! Where are you, you bastard? Alexander!”
Christian’s voice had Alexander’s spine stiffening. Alexander stood up immediately.
Christian was not supposed to be back for several weeks. He stormed down the hallway, his voice growing louder and louder as he called for Alexander.
Soon, the study door was pushed open, rattling the bookshelves. And then, he was there, red-faced and angry, his hands reaching out to grab Alexander by the collar.
“You back biter! Did you not think word would reach me on my tour? Did you think I would nothearabout your misdeeds and your wronging my sister?”
Christian pulled Alexander’s face down close to his, while Alexander’s heart raced. He had seen his best friend angry before but never at him. Of course, they had plenty of spats before, but not like this.
“You disgrace yourself and me,” Christian snarled, throwing him back. “Did you think you could keep your rotten secret from me?”
“It is not a secret, nor is it rotten!” Alexander shouted. “Christian,please, just let me explain!”
“Are you the man who has stalked her for all these months? Written his sad attempts of poetry and threatened any other honorable man, to stop her from finding a match? Terrorized her and haunted her days? You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Alexander.”
“No,” Alexander cried. “No, I amnother stalker! I have been trying to find out who it is, and I think I know who?—”
“Of course, you would knownow,” Christian roared. “Anything to take the attention off you!”
“Christian, please, you must hear me out.”
But Christian shook his head. He stepped back and stared at Alexander. His eyes dropped to the sketchbook, and Alexander went to cover it, but it was too late.
Christian grabbed the sketchbook and shook it open. A letter slipped out, one Alexander had been trying to write to Anne to explain himself. He hadn’t gotten to the part where he told her his suspicions of who her stalker was.
Alongside the letter were his drawings. Christian looked up, appalled. His fist slammed into Alexander’s face before he could duck. Alexander staggered back into the bookshelves even as Christian cursed and shook his fist.
Christian paced, looking as if he would hit Alexander again, before he stood back, his hands resting on his hips. He pointed a finger at him. “If youevergo near her again, Iwillkill you, Alexander. We have been friends for many years, and I entrusted her to your care. I did not think the man I wanted you to protect her from was yourself. I did not realize you took my request to protect her as an invitation to take her to your bed.” He shook his head, his lip curling. “I will see you on Illington Hill at dawn, Alexander.”
“Christian, you cannot mean to?—”
“A duel,” Christian hissed. “Find a second to accompany you.”
“Please, if you would just listen, it does not need to come to that.”
“No,” Christian said. “I have been away for a long time, but now I am back to protect my sister from men like you. Even if you are not her stalker, you have ruined her, and now you will not even marry her.”
“You know me, Christian! Would you truly want your sister to marry a man like me?”
“No,” Christian snarled. “Which is why I challenge you to this duel. You should never have even looked in her direction in the first place.” He brushed his hair back from his forehead. His face was tight with anger. “Illington Hill, at dawn.”
Anne hugged her knees to her chest. “I should have been happy to see you home,” she mumbled as her brother cleaned his pistol. “Now I find that our reunion is tarnished by this scandal.”
She sat up. Christian continued to ignore her except to tell her that he would make it all better.
“Christian, do not do this,” she begged.
