Page 100 of How to Seduce a Duke this Autumn
“You are in my house,” Adam ground out. “You’ve lived off the title long enough, and I won’t have you disgrace it further. Have your scandal if you wish it, David. But you will not poisonmy name and title. Charlene will join our family as she deserves, with honor and dignity.”
My heart.
For the second time that day, and the first time facing David since that nightmarish incident, despite her growing unease, Charlene found her voice steady, her touch light as her hand grazed Adam’s arm. “Adam,” she whispered, meeting his gaze. “It’s enough. You’ve already given me everything I could ask for.”
He shook his head, lowering his voice for her ears alone. “Not everything. Not yet.” His eyes burned with quiet promise. “But I will.”
And just like that, the weight of all her doubts began to lift.
And then Miss Martin shifted and cleared her throat. “There’s something you ought to know.”
*
The air inthe room felt thick, suffocating even, as Adam faced the woman who had inserted herself into his family with sly smiles and toxic laughter. Miss Martin tilted her head, a curl slipping from its pins as she dragged the moment out, lips forming words meant to cut deeper than daggers.
“Oh, the morning papers will have quite the tale to tell,” she said, her voice a syrupy imitation of the society columnists. “‘Shocking Scandal! Lady Charlene Fielding Caught in the Duke of Rotheworth’s Chambers at the Duchy Hotel!’ Just imagine the outrage, my dear duke. The whispers alone would slice through what’s left of your reputation.”
Adam’s fists clenched at his sides, knuckles white beneath the tension. “It was you, wasn’t it?”
Miss Martin feigned surprise, her eyes wide, though the smirk lurking just under the surface betrayed her. “Whateverdo you mean?” she asked, her tone sickly sweet, before flashing teeth that gleamed like a serpent ready to strike. Only the truly vicious were proud of their blackmail.
“You have been leaking information to the scandal sheets,” Adam thundered, taking a step closer. “That’s why you’ve been fostering such familiarity with my mother!”
At that, his mother, seated and trembling, looked sharply at Miss Martin. “Lorena,” she breathed, her voice brittle, “is this true?”
Miss Martin smoothed her skirts, calm as if she were the mistress of the house. Although, to Adam she looked more like a harpy on his brother’s lap.
“Perhaps,” she said with a dismissive shrug. “But how else was I to discern which brother could weather the storm?” A delicate hand reached up to adjust her hair, pinching her cheeks with practiced precision until they bloomed a rosy hue. She shot David a knowing glance, and to Adam’s disgust, his twin grinned back like a devil relishing her work.
Charlene’s steady voice, edged with disbelief, broke through the tension. “You mean which brother would end up with the fortune, don’t you? That’s what you were after all along.”
Miss Martin turned to Charlene then, her gaze sharp as a blade. “And how would you know anything of it?” she sneered. “You’re just a little pawn who stumbled into the Cross brothers’ games and came out empty-handed.”
“No,” Charlene said, her voice quivering with emotion but strong in its certainty. “I never sought anything from David, and there was nothing between us that I mourn to have lost. But you, Miss Martin. You’ve been at his side all along, haven’t you?”
Adam’s brow furrowed as he turned his attention to Charlene, confusion flickering in his eyes. Her fingers twisted nervously at her side as she explained, her gaze trained on Miss Martin. “I didn’t put it together before when your motherintroduced us, but I recognize her from the masquerade. She was there. But more clearly, I remember her from that night. She brought David a handkerchief when his lip bled. I didn’t realize it then, but now… it was a scheme, wasn’t it?”
Miss Martin arched a brow, but it was David who replied, leaning lazily into his chair as though the room wasn’t seconds from combustion. “A test, darling,” he drawled. “No more, no less.”
His mother’s lips parted in confusion. “A test?” she echoed, her face reddening.
Adam wanted to throttle his brother. A test that tore a family apart.
Oh, Charlene finally realized it wasn’t her fault.
“Loyalty,” David said. “You see, not every woman in England has the stomach to siphon off funds from the dukedom and funnel them to France. And poor Charlene here? She failed.” He grinned, smugness oozing from every word. “Didn’t you, sweet little Char?”
Charlene’s chin tilted upward, her eyes burning with indignation. “Don’t call me that.”
Adam stepped forward, his voice sharp. “You helped him steal from the solicitor,” he said, accusing Miss Martin now. “That was when you came to visit my mother. You conniving, shameless—”
“Ah ah,” Miss Martin interrupted, smirking as she held up a hand for a pause. “Not so fast, Your Grace. You mustn’t be so quick to cut me down before hearing my terms.”
“Terms?” Adam spat the word like venom.
“Of course.” Miss Martin’s tone dropped, her false humor giving way to raw ambition. “What use is the annual income I’ve already acquired? I want it all.”
Adam’s posture straightened, every inch of him radiating fury. “Why would I give you anything?”
