Two Lady Scoundrels and a Duke - Tessa Candle Page 0,17

finally as silent as even Katherine might wish.

She could have kissed Foxleigh—not for any romantic reason, but simply for wiping the phony smirk off of Marie’s lying mouth.

Chapter 12 Two Curdled Loves

Foxleigh kicked a chunk of ice across the path and glared at Marie. He had not been detained in the village that long. How on earth had she found her way to Katherine’s home? “How did you find out where I was? I do not really care, except that I should like to know which one of my contacts in London is so little to be trusted.”

Marie rallied and assumed her usual simper. “But darling, of course I would find you! I was so worried, I could not rest until—”

He raised his hand to cut off her dissembling, and hissed, “No more lies, woman!” But then he stopped as he reflected on her words. Worried? “And why should you be worried, I wonder?”

Marie was not quick enough to apprehend her mistake. “Why the robbery my darling! Such a dreadful thing!”

If she knew about the robbery, it had to be one of his London servants who was supplying her information, for his man of business was entirely trustworthy and he had otherwise only sent word to his friend the Duke of Bartholmer. He would find out the culprit later. He gritted his teeth. “If you call me darling one more time, I will not be held responsible for my actions.”

She sighed dramatically and pretended to swallow down a sob. “Of course. Anything to please you, Foxleigh.”

It would not have bothered him if almost anyone else took the liberty of addressing him so informally. In fact, he had not quite grown accustomed to all the your-gracing that was his lot as a duke, for it made him feel that he was always surrounded by toad-eaters. But Marie calling him Foxleigh with that pretense of familiar affection was even worse than the darling appellation. It made him want to have her flogged. “You will never address me informally again, Mrs. Dubois. You are nothing to me—less than nothing, a thorn in my side and a constant reminder of a time when I was foolish enough to think you were worth caring for. You are a loathsome, scheming creature. The very sight of you disgusts me. Is that clear enough?”

Marie looked shocked and bit her lip. “I crave your forgiveness, your grace. But if someone,” she gave a sideways glance at Katherine, “has been poisoning your grace’s mind against me, I assure y—”

He cut her off with a gesture. How dare she cast daggers at Katherine? “Do not blame others for my discovery of your worthlessness. It is likely that Katherine understood what you were the instant she met you. She is cleverer than I.” He looked away to give Katherine a reassuring smile. He thought he saw an upward curl of her lips, and it gave him hope. Then he turned back to the vile woman who had been Katherine’s tormentor. “But you have no one but yourself to blame for my inexcusably late realization that you are a fiend from hell. The fact that she ever had to meet you at all is damning enough of your character. What right had you to foist your presence upon her, only to spin your lies to hurt her? And then you repeat the offense of such intrusion by pursuing her here!”

“I was pursuing your grace! My heart demanded it. I do not know what she has told you, but she lied to me and would not admit that you were here, your grace. I do not like to speak ill of any of my sex,” she straightened her spine and held her head up high, as though she thought this might suggest it supported a halo, “but I believe she may have designs upon your grace.” The slightly astonished tone in which she uttered this shocking possibility almost made her sound like she believed her own deceptions. But Foxleigh was far too familiar with her mendacity to be fooled.

A snort issued forth from Katherine’s quarter, which wounded his pride, but she otherwise remained stoically silent throughout this attack on her character.

He walked past Katherine to stand between the two women, as though he might act as a barrier to Marie’s insults. “You are not worthy to speak of Katherine, much less cast a shadow on her morality. Any possible belief I may have had in some tiny speck of good within you has