Page 93 of Beyond Scandal and Desire
No note but the message was clear. She was done with him. As though she hadn’t made that obvious last night. She’d been in a bit of temper, but he’d thought once she’d had time to truly consider it, to sleep on it, she’d come around and understand how very important the duke’s acknowledgment of him was, how it would open doors to him, tothem. Apparently, sleeping on it had made her only more determined to be rid of him.
Fine. He’d been tossed aside by a noblewoman before. With Hedley’s acknowledgment and influence, he would be invited into dukes’ ballrooms and earls’ dining rooms. He could court every lord’s daughter who caught his fancy. He didn’t need Aslyn. The whole world was about to open up for him, and he could do with it as he willed.
The quiet rap on his door snapped him back to the present. “Enter.”
His secretary opened the door, stepped inside and closed it behind him. “The Duke of Hedley and the Earl of Kipwick are here to see you.”
Rising, he tugged on his waistcoat, retrieved the golden watch from his waistcoat pocket and glanced at the time. They were prompt. He’d give them that. “Send them in.”
Looking concerned, or perhaps a bit discombobulated, Tittlefitz blinked, nodded, blinked again, all the while studying Mick as though striving to decipher a puzzle. “Yes, sir.”
He went out, held the door open and invited the two gents into the room. Then he quietly closed the door with a hushedsnick, leaving the gents and an awkward silence filling space.
It had been years since Mick had seen Hedley and never from such a short distance. The resemblance was uncanny. Little wonder Tittlefitz had seemed uncomfortable. The man wasn’t an idiot. He was no doubt figuring things out.
Mick took a great deal of satisfaction in the blood draining from Hedley’s face and the way Kipwick stared at him. Now that his beard was gone, he knew both men would see the truth regarding Mick’s parentage. Hedley recovered quickly enough, his expression showing no reaction when confronted by the reality that his bastard didn’t reside in Ettie Trewlove’s garden.
“Gentlemen.” Mick didn’t bother to soften the hard edge of his voice.
“I understand you have some deeds we wish to reclaim and some markers that are causing my son some annoyance. I’m here to pay them off.”
Not exactly the homecoming Mick had expected or wanted. “They’re not for sale.”
“Then our business here is done.” The duke turned—
“I am willing to trade.” Mick hated the desperation he heard in his voice, hoped the duke and his son were unaware of it.
Hedley faced him. “The terms?”
He’d considered them all morning, as he’d walked over land he’d purchased, wended his way among the buildings that were nearly complete, stood on the rooftop and looked toward the sky where he knew come nightfall fireworks would light it up with color. “Give me leave to call on Lady Aslyn, and I’ll hand them over.”
“No.” The single word echoed through the room like the retort of a rifle.
The rage slithered through him. “Because I’m your bastard, you think me not worthy of her?” He hated the doubts that plagued him, that whispered perhaps the man was correct.
The duke’s face remained a mask of no emotion as he shook his head. “You are not my bastard.”
Scoffing harshly, his anger intensifying, Mick came around his desk, advancing until he was mere inches away from the duke. He would deny him both Aslyn and the truth of his paternity? “We share the same hair, eyes and damned dimple in our chin. Do you need me to have a mirror brought in here so you can see us standing side by side? Looking at you is like looking at my own reflection. And I have this.” He pulled the frayed crest from his pocket. “It is all that remains of the blanket in which I was wrapped when you handed me over to a baby farmer.”
He did blanch then, averted his gaze for half a heartbeat before meeting Mick’s stare with hard-edged resolve. “To have you in our lives will see my wife destroyed.”
“To not grant me what I want will see your heir destroyed.”
“He can survive the loss of a few properties.”
“Loudon Green provides the most income of all your holdings. Without it your estates cannot be maintained.”
“You’ve done your research, I see.” He almost thought he heard a measure of respect in the duke’s voice. “But we will find a way to manage.”
The man’s calm resolve was fueling Mick’s anger and resentment. He understood only too well the merits of giving away nothing, often used the tactic himself. Apparently he’d inherited more from his sire than physical attributes. He possessed his cunning and calm resolve. “I shall see you and your son ruined. No one will lend you money. I have that much influence over bankers. What you have will dwindle away. Rumors regarding your solvency will be spread about. You will lose respect, influence, position. Your heir will be left with nothing of worth to inherit.”
“I’ve no doubt. You seem quite intent on your purpose.”
“Then give me leave to call on Aslyn, to at least give her a choice as to whether she will accept or rebuff me.”
“Mr. Trewlove,” the duke began quietly, “as long as my wife lives, I will not—Icannot—give you what you desire. You will never be welcomed into our home or into our lives. But consider this—if you are correct in your assessment regarding your paternity, the man you are seeking to destroy here is your brother.”
He began marching toward the door. It took Kipwick a second to realize the meeting was at an end. He rushed after his father.
