My One and Only Earl (Forever Yours #12) - Stacy Reid Page 0,54

is not your goddamn business,” James snapped. “It is not the conduct of a gentleman to approach a lady to speak with her of business she has no knowledge of.”

“And is it the conduct of a gentleman to break his oaths?”

“Yes,” James said quietly. “Especially if the bonds of that oath will see me hurting your daughter who is an innocent. And if it will see me hurting the woman I have fallen in love with.”

At the mention of causing his daughter pain, Winters stiffened.

“I love Miss Ashford, and there is nothing under this sun that can change that. Should I continue on this path and marry your daughter, I would give her my respect and fidelity but not much else. She is deserving of better. You want her to be a countess, to have connections within society. I can help her. My family can help her when she is ready. That I can swear to and fulfill.”

Winters fisted his hands at his side. “I will sue you.”

James stared at him, a hollow pit opening inside. He had known the risk of this when he ventured here, and he was willing to assume it. “If you must. I will meet you in court and let them be the judge of our situation. I was not bound to complete the promise Henry made. I did so because I still had your money. I am now offering to repay that money…with interest and still be a connection for your daughter when she is ready. That is a fair and honorable bargain.”

“How brave and unflinching you are,” Winters sneered.

“I must be when it comes to Miss Ashford.”

Winters chuckled mirthlessly. “To be young and in love. You see, I promised Vinette’s mother I would see her rise in society and become a toast of the haute monde. I will not break that promise, and by God neither will you.”

“I must,” James rasped hoarsely, pain slicing him deep. “Allow me to use my influence to benefit your family. Allow me to return the money you gave my brother.”

“I know of your circumstances! You do not have the money to repay me! And I will not release you from this agreement. I will sue and cause a great scandal. I promise it will follow you like a great stench for years!”

“No, you will not,” James said with ruthless precision, walking over. “Do you think me a fool? Do you believe you are the only one capable of cunning and calculation?”

Winters’s face smoothed into a mask.

James stared at him. “You will do nothing to ruin your daughter’s chances. Whatever scandal you throw on me…you will have thrown on yourself and also on her. No one knows of our betrothal…or of this business arrangement you made with my brother. I suspect you kept it that way as a contingency should it fail, your daughter’s reputation would not be affected, and no one could say she was jilted. I have not even told my mother about this arrangement…I did not even reveal it to Poppy whom I love, and trust.”

James waved a hand. “You are trying to bend me to your will, but I am my own man. Allow me to cancel this contract Henry made and take me up on my offer to support your daughter’s come out with the full force and connections of my name and title.”

A heavy silence lingered in the man’s study.

“Then he said. I will give you thirty days to repay the money. Not a day more.”

James jolted. “Thirty days is impossible.”

“Those are my terms. Should you fail to meet them, I will sue for breach of promise and damn all our reputations to hell. My daughter loves Paris. She will happily stay there for the rest of her life, and that way, the disgrace will only stick to you and Miss Ashford. Repay me in thirty days or marry my daughter.”

James stared at his resolution and then turned and walked away. Once outside, he lifted his face to the sun. What a damn mess. He had to see Poppy right away. James had to explain to her. He hurried to call his carriage and supplied his coachman with her address. They rumbled away, and James saw no way in which he could drum up that money in a year, much less a month.

A flash of blue and a swaying hip caught his eyes. It was Poppy. James rapped on the roof of his carriage and bounded from the equipage without waiting for