Page 94 of A Deal with her Forbidden Duke
“John, surely you know a man’s intentions when he?—”
Alexander’s head snapped back as John delivered a hard punch.
“John!” Madeleine cried.
“Do not get involved in this, Maddie,” John snarled out, his fingers digging into Alexander.
“John, do not be foolish,” Alexander snapped. “You cannot win against me.”
“I lostonce, Alexander, and that was a decade ago.”
“Twice,” corrected Alexander, much to Madeleine’s horror.
She shook her head frantically.
“I am a soldier,” John seethed. “Do not test me?—”
“Do you mean to fire your gun at me, then? For a soldier can use a weapon, but his fists? Not so much. At least not you. Come now, John. Calm yourself and Madeleine can explain?—”
“I willhear it from you,” John shouted and punched Alexander again.
Alexander’s responding snarl made Madeleine shivered, and before she could move to get between them, Alexander had her brother overpowered and pinned to the piano. His lip was split and bleeding, and John’s hands were smeared with blood as well.
“Please, stop!” she cried.
“Stay out of this, sister,” John croaked, as Alexander added pressure to the grip he had on him.
“I will not fight you, John.” Alexander’s voice was deathly quiet, all joking removed from it. “You are my closest friend, and I would not dishonor you in any way. I would not dishonor Madeleine, either.”
“Madeleine is married!”
“I am not!” she cried out. “At least not to the man you think.”
The room fell silent as John slowly turned to look at her. “What?”
“Alexander sent word to you,” she said quietly, her shock silencing her.
Humiliation burned an undercurrent through her at him finding her in such a moment with her husband.
“I—I have been traveling for some time,” her brother said. “Getoffme, Silverton!”
“Only if you will not punch me again. Do not push me.”
“Just get off!” John shoved up, pushing against Alexander and angrily staggering away.
He stared between them. “I—I do not understand. Lord Kinsfeld…” He shook his head. “Granted, I could not intervene when I wanted nothing more, sister, but…”
“John, please, will you sit?” she asked.
“No. I prefer to stand.”
She gritted her teeth. “You are as stubborn as ever.Fine. I am no longer married to Lord Kinsfeld because he is dead.”
Shock flickered over her brother’s face. “He is?”
Madeleine nodded. “He… he was found dead after he went missing for a week or more. He was drowning in debt and left utterly shamed. I was introduced to Alexander when he came to collect a debt Kinsfeld owed to him.”
“As the owner of the Raven’s Den, for you may as well know that, too,” Alexander added in.
