Page 104 of One Night with a Prince
“Christabel and I will tell the press about some forged letters making the rounds that insinuate that Prinny had a child by Mrs. Fitzherbert. We’ll claim that Christabel’s husband had them forged so he could sell them to pay off a gaming debt. And that will leave you with nothing to blackmail Prinny with.”
Stokely shot up from his chair, his face a cold, hard mask. “You wouldn’t dare. The minute you raise the possibility of there being such a child, the press will descend in a swarm to examine every aspect of General Lyon’s past and Lady Haversham’s marriage. They’ll unearth the truth, and the prince would never allow that.”
Gavin stared at him coldly. “I don’t care what Prinny would allow—I’d just as soon see him destroyed. Why do you think I want the letters for myself? So I can ruin his chance of being king.”
Stokely, of all people, knew how much Gavin loathed the prince. But that didn’t mean he’d fall for this.
“I seriously doubt Lady Haversham would conspire with you in any effort that would destroy her father, too.”
“As you said earlier,” she retorted, “my father can flee anywhere he pleases.”
“If you truly didn’t care what happened to your father,” Stokely snapped, “you would have taken me up onmy offer.”
Gavin could cheerfully kill the man for that offer. Especially since he sensed she was hiding the worst of what had happened.
No matter. Once they had the letters, Gavin would take great pleasure in making sure Stokely paid for his actions.
Stokely was eyeing her now with suspicion. “You’d never let Byrne raise the subject of Prinny’s child in the papers, not when it might destroy your family.” The baron rounded the desk to stare Gavin down.
“And while you may not care about Prinny, you care abouther . I’m not a fool. This is a bluff, and a feeble one at that.”
He started toward the door. “The letters are not for sale, not now, not ever.”
Time for drastic measures. “Then I’m afraid I shall have to call you out, sir, to defend Lady Haversham’s honor after the insult you gave to her earlier today.”
“No, Gavin!” she cried. He hadn’t told her of his measure of last resort, because he knew she would protest. But Stokely couldn’t use the letters if he were dead, after all.Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlUnfortunately, Stokely merely laughed at the suggestion. “Duel over the honor of a whore? Don’t be absurd.”
As rage exploded in Gavin, Christabel grabbed his arm. “Perhaps another sort of duel would appeal to you more, Lord Stokely,” she said quickly. “A duel more suitable to your talents. And ours.”
Gavin stared at her. What was she up to?
At least her words had kept Stokely from leaving. He eyed her with the faintest hint of interest in his face. “Go on.”
“Why not add the letters to the final prize of the games? We’ll forgo the pot—you and Lady Kingsley can keep it for yourselves even if you lose—but if we win, we get the letters. And ifyou win, you keep everything.”
Gavin suppressed a smile. Leave it to Colonel Christabel to come up with a strategy that might actually entice Stokely.
“You’re not even sure you’ll make it to the final round,” the baron pointed out. He was actually considering the offer. Good. “You’re not even sureyou will,” Gavin countered. Stokely snorted. “Lady Kingsley and I have been ahead of you the whole way.”
“Exactly,” Gavin said. “So why not agree? You’re far more likely to win than we are. Of course, ifyou don’t make it into the final round, we would still expect the letters to be part of the prize. And ifwe make it, I’ll forgo my thousand-pound wager with you, too. Think of it—no matter whether we win against you or lose, you get to keep the thousand pounds and the pot. That’s a rather hefty consolation prize.”
Stokely frowned. “How is this any different than if you pay me for the letters?” His lascivious gaze settled on Christabel. “Of course, if Lady Haversham’s…affections were thrown into the bargain, I might consider—”
“Absolutely not,” Gavin bit out. “She isn’t part of the bargain.” And by God, when this was over, he’d tear the man’s lungs out for even thinking of it.
“However,” Christabel put in, “Iwill offer one additional inducement. If we lose, then I’ll attest to the authenticity of the letters. That’s what you wanted from me anyway, isn’t it?”
“Not entirely,” Stokely said.
“It’s all you’ll get,” Gavin snapped. When Stokely bristled, he forced a modicum of civility into his tone.
“This way you’ll gain nearly everything you wanted.”
“IfI win. And if I can trust the two of you to hold to your part of the bargain.”
“Have I ever cheated on a bet before?” Gavin snapped.
“There’s always a first time.”
