Page 92 of A Rake's Redemption
“I am sure you do, considering her dowry is a small fortune.”
Inis winced at her uncle’s directness. She was tempted to stand up and defend Alex, but something made her stay hidden.
“I don’t want your money.” Alex’s tone was clipped.
“Really? How interesting, given that your brother has kicked you out of Dansworth House and put you on the streets.”
Inis winced again. Alex’s scheme had worked only too well. George was seeking his own revenge.
“I may not have a home, but I am hardly destitute,” Alex answered. “In fact, I am sailing to America to see about a real estate transaction there.”
Inis closed her eyes. He must be talking about the house in New Orleans. The one she’d intended to go to.
“Have a good trip,” the duke said. “I believe our time is up.”
There was no sound of scraping chairs, which meant Alex hadn’t moved. Inis held her breath.
“I would like to ask Inis to accompany me. I love her.”
Inis quickly covered her mouth before her gasp could escape. Alex hadfinallysaid the words she wanted to hear. Not duty or responsibility… She started to rise from her hiding spot, but something—almost like gentle hands on her shoulders—kept her hunched down.
“That’s humorous coming from a rake notorious for one-night conquests,” the duke said. “But you’re speaking of my niece. I think you’ve already done enough to damage her reputation.”
“If I’d known who she was, I would have—”
“It’s of no matter.” Her uncle cut him short. “Inis is betrothed to the Earl of Adare’s son. They will be married in a fortnight.”
There was a moment’s pause, then Alex’s voice. “Is that her decision? I would like to speak to her.”
“Permission denied.”
Inis heard her uncle ring the servant’s bell kept on the desk. Seconds later, she heard the door open and several pairs of heavy boots enter.
“What are your orders, Your Grace?”
That voice belonged to her uncle’s captain of the guard. They must have been waiting in the hall. Why?
“Escort Lord Ashley back to the docks and see that he boards the ship back to London,” her uncle said. “And stay there until it sails. If he disembarks, have him arrested for attempted abduction here and for enslaving my niece in London.”
Inis covered her mouth again to muffle her fury. She wanted nothing more than to jump up and shout at her uncle that her life was her business and she wanted to go to America, too. But the same invisible pressure she’d felt earlier held her in place. A strand of reason slipped through her anger. Her uncle would deny her pleas just like he had before. She needed to wait.
“This is not finished,” Alex said.
“Suit yourself,” the duke answered. “If you want to spend years in jail, that can be arranged. Your brother will be only too happy to accommodate my request for documentation that you held my niece captive under an assumed name.”
“Damn you both to hell,” Alex said.
Inis heard a resounding thud and cringed. The captain had no doubt hit Alex. A struggle ensued, and then she heard the sounds of boots sliding along the floor as the soldiers hauled Alex away. Was he conscious?
She heard her uncle get up and leave, but she stayed in her hiding place, so incensed she was shaking. She’d never thought her uncle to be a cruel man before, but what she’d just heard had changed her mind. She wanted no part of him, his house, or his aristocratic lifestyle any longer. And she wouldnotmarry the damn Earl of Adare’s son, either.
Waiting another ten minutes until she was sure the hallway was clear, she took the servants’ stairs to the second floor. Once she was inside her room, she bolted the door, pulled gowns out of the wardrobe, and began tying the sleeves together.
She knew what she was going to do.
And, very faintly, she thought she heard a tinkle of approving laughter.
…
