Page 49 of A Duke's Sinful Bargain
“Just a title of land in the north and some money… say, seven thousand pounds.” Sir Rupert spoke as if he were not talking about an entire fortune.
“Seven thousand!?” Alexander exclaimed. “That is preposterous!”
“So is what you have been doing with Lady Ravenscroft, but I am not here to judge.” Sir Rupert was obviously having a good time at the expense of Alexander’s shock. “I am merely here to offer my… friendship for a price.”
Alexander was incredulous. “You are not only a scoundrel, but also a coward, Sir Rupert! A worm willing to stoop to any lengths to satisfy his own selfish desires, even if that means tarnishing someone else’s good name.”
“Good name?” Sir Rupert raised a brow. “I am all for playing games, but a line needs to be drawn somewhere, Your Grace. Lady Ravenscroft’s husband has left her a tarnished name already. She herself chose to stoop even lower, if you will permit me to use the same phrase. And you? Well, you accepted it, because what man would not?”
Alexander lunged at the man uncontrollably, and if it had not been for Tom’s quick thinking, Sir Rupert would have left with only one eye open. Maybe not even that. But Tom managed to restrain his master before any bloodshed could take place. Tension crackled in the air like the flickering of an invisible fire as the confrontation reached its boiling point.
“How do you know all this?” Alexander demanded.
Without thinking, his mind gave in to doubt. His gaze swept over to Tom, heart heavy with suspicion. A frightful question appeared in his mind. Could Tom, the loyal confidant who had stood by his side through thick and thin, have betrayed the secret?
Only one glance in Tom’s direction was enough to answer this question. On Tom’s face was a reflection of that same incredulity that gripped Alexander’s own heart. Tom’s eyes widened in shock, his features twisted with indignation and disgust as Sir Rupert continued to make his demands.
“My sources are my own,” Sir Rupert asserted. “And they are irrelevant.”
They were far from irrelevant. It meant someone else knew of his and Anna’s secret. He didn’t care about himself, only about her.
“What is relevant, on the other hand,” Sir Rupert continued, “is that the Blackthorn family owes me.”
Alexander frowned in displeasure. “We do not owe anything to the likes of you!”
Sir Rupert pretended not to have heard him. “It was actually your father, Your Grace, who took my family’s land in the north after our inability to repay a debt. This led to the family fortune spiraling down and we ended up losing everything. The last of our meager possessions disappeared when my parents passed away and I lost everything.”
He paused, as if gathering the strength to continue. Alexander was listening incredulously.
“Now, I don’t want you to think that I’m sitting here before you, just asking for what I need. No, no. I’ve tried obtaining what I need, but you see, everyone wants land as collateral for starting a business venture of any kind.” He paused, and when he continued, he knocked his fingers against the table with every word he said. “And every time I was asked for land, I remembered the Blackthorn name. It is mine. And you took it from me!”
This was the first time the man raised his voice. He got up from his seat without touching his drink. “I will not take advantage of your hospitality much longer. You have two weeks to secure the land and funds lest you wish to face the unraveling of your carefully guarded secret.”
Alexander wanted to shout at the man, to attack him, to throw him out, anything but watch him leave in silence, footsteps echoing through the corridors. When he was not able to hear them any longer, Alexander slumped into his chair, his heart heavy as a stone.
“Two weeks, Tom,” Alexander said aloud, almost hoping Tom would correct him, that all of this was nothing but a bad dream and he would wake any moment now. But that didn’t happen. “How could I possibly secure land and funds in such a short amount of time?”
Tom frowned. “You are not thinking of giving in to his demands, Your Grace?”
Alexander looked at him helplessly. “What else is there to do? This is not about me. This is about Anna. I am determined to protect her, even if it means facing the consequences of Sir Rupert’s vindictive plan.”
“There has to be another way,” Tom urged.
Alexander thought about it for a moment. “If there is, I will find it. I cannot allow this vile man’s threats to dictate the course of our lives.”
“We have to find out who else knows,” Tom mused. “That is imperative.”
“Yes, but how?” Alexander wondered, shaking his head.
Neither he nor Tom had the answer to that, the most important question of all.
“And how will I tell Anna all this?” Alexander asked, petrified of what her reaction might be. He could not promise her secrecy, but he was damned adamant in doing his best to provide it for her, for them both. Now, it seemed he had not only failed in doing that, but there was also someone from his own past who wanted vengeance, and Anna would bear the brunt of it all. Alexander could not allow that to happen, no matter what.
Thoughts of an impending scandal were followed immediately by a sense of despair. The truth was that Sir Rupert’s ruthless blackmail would not only expose his and Anna’s illicit affair, but also the depth of his feelings for her. That he cared for her deeply was by now undeniable. Driven by these emotions, he would do whatever it took to keep her safe from harm.
Even proposing marriage to her. He could see a fleeting glimpse of a future with her, one filled with love and companionship. But as this idea took root in his heart, doubt gnawed at him. Was this for her only a means to an end? Was she in this solely because of her late husband’s debt? If this were true, then from his current standpoint, it felt almost like betrayal, despite the fact that it had been their initial arrangement.
Alexander sighed, raking his fingers through his hair nervously. “I need to think about this, Tom. Alone.”
