Page 92 of A Deal with her Forbidden Duke
“He sent me away to Eton, and then I went on to Cambridge, where I met John. A man who spoke of his sister so lovingly it was hard not to feelsomethingwith how he spoke about you, Madeleine. When I was twenty and five, I received a missive that my father was dead, that drank himself into a ditch and died there. I returned to Silverton, and I rebuilt this duchy.”
His voice turned harder now, fierce. “I dragged it out of the ground, I cleared every debt in my father’s name, and once I had revived the legacy I would protect, I sought out the men who had killed my mother.”
He noticed Madeleine tensing up.
“I wanted to kill them. To soak the ground with their blood, as they had with my mother’s. I forced them to leave the country. Afterwards, I sought out my father’s associate. The one who had sent the message.”
Alexander laughed humorlessly, shrugging.
“I tore his reputation to pieces. I spun rumors, awful lies, wove in the names of those I had forced to run. I made sure that manhad nothing left, not even a penny to cling onto, not one glimmer of hope.”
Madeleine drew in a breath sharply.
“See, there are worse ends than death, Madeleine, and that is forcing somebody to stay alive to see the ruin of their life. Theirowndownfall. And I made sure that man knew when I acquired his gaming hell.”
“His gaming hell?” Madeleine asked.
“I renamed it the Raven’s Den, for a raven often perched on my mother’s gravestone. I made sure no dealings such as my father’s betrayal took place. No more violence, or murders. I placed Horace Matthews as the manager, and… well, you know the rest.”
Madeleine’s face had gone pale at the story. She clenched his hands so tightly it almost hurt.
“That night… the night you came home bloodied and hurt…”
“I told you I hated to be reduced to a common thug,” Alexander answered.
“There was a fight at the Raven’s Den and I got involved. I disliked it. I can ruin a man without my fists, there is more intelligence in that.”
He shook his head, clearing the memories away, for as he spoke of his mother, he swore he felt her blood coat his skin.
“So now you know. I will understand if you cannot forgive me for keeping this from you. I understand your feelings about gambling hells. A gambling man ruined my life, as one did yours.”
“But we have both prevailed, have we not?” she whispered to him. “We do not deserve blame or guilt. That is not ours to bear. I am so sorry, Alexander. I cannot imagine how any of that must have felt.”
“Except you do. In a way.” He tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I am not expecting forgiveness. You blame the gambling hells for Donald’s death, I know.”
“I have done,” she admitted. “But you are right. A part of me is still looking for ways to grant him empathy. Perhaps he deserves it, perhaps he does not. But the places he frequented are his own responsibility, his own choice.”
Alexander nodded. “I do everything in my power to remove brawlers, ban those who bare weapons in the establishment, and I ensure a fair and non-violent collecting process for debts. If I find out anybody has been physically threatened, they are dealt with. I strive for fairness and safety. I strive to help those who cannot get out of debt easily, before it gets too dangerous.”
Madeleine’s expression softened as she cupped his face.
“You have me feeling more and more adoration for you with each day, Alexander.”
He turned to kiss her palm. “And I for you, my wife.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Ithink I prefer the music room at Silverton Hall,” Madeleine said as she sat at the pianoforte next to Alexander several days later.
“That is because you can look out at the countryside there. You do not have to worry about thetongossiping there. You, my wife, enjoy your countryside bubble.”
She grinned. “Is that so wrong?”
“Of course not.” He laughed quietly as he guided her fingers over a few keys. She was enamored with the way he stroked the ivory keys, and tried to keep her thoughts quiet.
They had spent the last week in London. Now that she knew Alexander’s true business arrangements, she understood when he disappeared late at night, or for a while to attend meetings. She had even met Horace Matthews. It felt strange to have met him so formally when he had been at her wedding.
Soon, they were to return to Silverton Hall, and she found herself eager to leave in the next couple of days. However, she would miss Tessa and Colin again.
