Page 96 of Trapped with the Forbidden Duke
“And the risk of revealing any sensitive information?”
“As you said, the extra bribe took care of that, with the threat of having every penny reclaimed should a hint of a whisper about the Earl of Montgomery find itself in the gossip sheets.”
“Good,” Lucien muttered. “Now, there is the matter of another venture to secure for Nicholas. I want him to take over one when he is back on his feet. He must have responsibilities that he cannot rely on others to shoulder. I need something lucrative but small enough that he will be able to handle upon reentering Society.”
“There is the business of producing carriages,” his solicitor suggested. “Not yet fully expanded but planned to be by the time Lord Montgomery would be ready. It could be several months.”
Lucien nodded sharply. “Then I will choose that one.”
“However,” his solicitor continued, wincing, “Lord Stockton has a monopoly over it. He owns the warehouse and imports all the necessary parts. Introducing another competitor would hurt his income greatly, and could possibly land you in trouble with him.”
Lucien only laughed. “I am not afraid of scum like Lord Stockton. See it done. If it hurts Stockton’s business, then I can only see that as a benefit.”
His solicitor hesitated before sighing and nodding. “I shall see it done. May I help with anything else, Your Grace?”
“That will be all.”
With that, Lucien stood up sharply and left his solicitor’s offices.
He climbed into his carriage, thinking only of his wife as he returned to Stormhold to prepare for the ball being held at the Tulley countryside estate that night.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“You look stunning tonight, Edwina,” Lucien murmured, holding Edwina close. “Teal suits you.”
“It does not look so bad on you, either,” she teased, brushing her thumb over his cravat as he guided her around the dance floor.
Her palms smoothed distractingly over his shoulders as if she were brushing away lint. But he knew it was her fascination with his broad shoulders. He was rather pleased with how much his wife adored his physique.
He knew she mostly enjoyed the ease with which he could pick her up when they were being intimate. Edwina had worried once or twice afterward that she was too wide for such things, and Lucien had responded by picking her up and thrusting into her right in the middle of his chambers, with no wall to support him, but simply his strength.
“I was thinking that perhaps one day this week we might make use of Jasper’s wedding gift,” Edwina murmured, threading her fingers through his hair.
Once again, Lucien was almost distracted by her gentle touches. For a woman who liked to be taken roughly at times, her touches were tender. A man like him had never deserved such things, but now…
It was possible with Edwina.Shewas making it possible.
He pushed those thoughts aside.
“Is there something you wish to see?” he asked, focusing on her instead of his foolish self-deprecation.
She hummed, nodding. “I found out that the commissioner at the opera house has hired a talented singer from France. She sings epics from old mythology, and apparently, even if one does not understand, it is still something to behold.”
“If you wish to go, then we shall go,” he promised her.
Around them, other couples danced, and he spotted Jasper with a lovely young lady in his arms. No doubt she was the first of many dance partners he would go through during the night. His gaze landed on Edwina’s friend, Diana, who was dancing with the Marquess of Highbury.
“Your friend’s face is as pink as a rose,” he snorted.
Edwina craned her neck to look at her friend. “Ah, she has admired him for a very long time. In fact, when she found out you were staying at Montgomery Manor, she asked me if you knew the Marquess and requested to have some sort of introduction set up if you did.”
“I know him, and we have conversed several times at balls,” Lucien said, smirking. “But it seems I do not have to worry about it any longer.”
“I am glad she is finally dancing with him. I only hope it is followed by a proposal of sorts.”
“Do all women dream to move fast into a courtship?” he asked. “I know the ways of the ton, but I have not been around any debutantes to know if they truly hope for a quick offer of courtship or if it is merely duty.”
He did not admit that he feared he lacked knowledge he could use to deal with his daughter. What if he pushed his wife into something she did not wish for?
