Page 8 of Duke of Silver
“So you mean to say that your brother has jilted me,” Lady Elizabeth said, stepping forward with surprising composure, though the ice in her gaze was unmistakable.
Alexander forced himself to meet her eyes, though her stare was cold enough to burn. “Put that way, I suppose...” he began, but her voice cut through his words.
“Your letter indicated otherwise, Your Grace,” she reminded him, her tone sharp with accusation.
Before he could respond, Petunia spoke, sounding as though she was in disbelief. “Gone? How can this be?”
Alexander’s frustration simmered just beneath the surface. “I’m afraid I let my brother slip through my grasp.”
“Is your brother an eel, Your Grace?” Lady Elizabeth asked, her biting sarcasm catching him off guard. A snort came from Lady Anna’s direction.
The Earl cleared his throat, his posture stiff as he spoke. “Is there no chance of your brother taking responsibility for what he has done to my niece, Sterlin?”
The Earl’s calm, controlled fury was palpable, and Alexander could hardly blame him. He felt the same burning rage toward Percy, but there was nothing to be done. Percy had made his choice.
“I’m afraid not,” Alexander replied.
“Then why did you send that missive last night?” Lady Elizabeth asked, her voice cutting through the tense air. “I beg your pardon, but to give us hope only to dash it like this is most unfair. We do not deserve such deceit atop everything else we are enduring.”
Alexander met her gaze, his jaw tightening. “I did not deceive anyone, Lady Elizabeth. That was not my intention.”
“It still does not explain why you sent the missive reassuring us, only to show up now with news of your brother’s flight,” she pressed.
Her words, though carrying genuine hurt, began to grate on him. She was not giving him a moment to explain, nor did she seem to want to hear the truth. He understood her anger, but the insinuation that he had deceived her was more than he could bear.
“I know my brother,” Alexander began, his voice firm, “but I cannot claim to know his every intention or plan.”
“Just as I am certain you cannot claim to know your cousin’s mind,” he added, his gaze briefly flickering to Lady Anna before returning to the fury in Elizabeth’s eyes.
“My cousin has the purest of intentions,” she retorted, her chin lifting in defiance.
“I have no doubts of that,” Alexander agreed, though his patience was thinning. “But sadly, I cannot say the same for my brother. Percy made me believe last night that he had resolved to do the honorable thing. And this morning, when I went to fetch him from his lodgings, I was greeted by a missive—his regrets."
“Regrets?” Elizabeth echoed, disbelief dripping from her words. “So that is it? He compromises my future, my family’s standing, and simply leaves, as though it means nothing?”
Her anger was palpable, the weight of it pressing down on him, making him feel as though it washisfault, as if he had personally wronged her.
“Clearly, your brother has no honor, Your Grace,” she said, holding his gaze with such fierce intensity that Alexander felt as though she were accusinghimof lacking integrity. The bitterness in her tone dug at him. He could feel the blame settling on his shoulders, and the truth of it stung. Perhaps, if he had kept a closer eye on Percy, if he had intervened sooner, this mess could have been avoided.
But Percy had been through so much—too much. He had deserved some freedom, some respite from the burdens of life. Alexander had allowed him that, and now, here was the consequence.
“My brother is a man of honor,” Alexander said, though his voice lacked its usual strength. “He wouldn’t have acted without reason.”
“A good reason for ruining people’s lives?” Elizabeth scoffed, her words heavy with disdain. “I cannot believe this.”
Alexander felt his irritation rising once again. Wasn’t she equally responsible for this situation? Surely whatever had transpired in that powder room had not been one-sided. And yet, she stood here, taking responsibility where Percy had fled. That thought alone cooled his rising temper. At leastshewas here, standing before him, facing the consequences of the scandal—where his brother had run away like a coward.
“Elizabeth, dear, calm down,” the Earl of Dowshire interjected, his voice gentle but firm. “Let us sort through this without raising our voices.”
Alexander nodded gratefully in the Earl’s direction, the tension in the room easing slightly, though Elizabeth’s fiery gaze remained fixed on him.
“Why are you here, Your Grace?” she demanded, her voice still sharp, despite her uncle’s attempt to diffuse the situation. “Since your brother has run away, what use is your visit to us?"
Her words struck him, and he swallowed, steeling himself for what he was about to say. It was the only path left, and though it was far from what he had ever envisioned, it was necessary.
“I have come to take responsibility for my brother’s actions,” Alexander declared, his voice steady, though a gasp echoed through the room.
Lady Petunia and Lady Anna exchanged shocked glances, while Elizabeth stared at him, her eyes wide with disbelief.
