Who Wants to Marry a Duke - Sabrina Jeffries Page 0,45
no idea.” She stared hard at him. “Wait, I know I’ve read tales of you and your conquests of opera singers and merry widows, of wives you seduced and brothels you frequented. Just yesterday, you mentioned having a mistress, for goodness’ sake. Not only that, but you wanted us to . . . indulge in such activities without fear of the consequences. So your reputation wasn’t all created out of whole cloth by my stepmother.”
“I never said it was. But once she invented the role for me, I didn’t see any reason not to step into the character. I figured if I had to endure her spurious gossip, I might as well enjoy myself while doing it. That way I could choose my own adventures.” His tone flattened. “But I would have preferred being myself instead and not the character in someone else’s play.”
What an odd way to put it. Then again, he did enjoy the theater. And she could see how it would feel like that to him, poor man.
Her skeptical side reasserted itself. Poor man, ha! He might have told himself he hadn’t enjoyed his reputation as a rakehell, but obviously he’d had his fun all the same. Mama hadn’t needed to push so very hard to get him playing that role. “I didn’t know Mama’s gossip had such an effect on you. All I ever saw of that night was her anger at me for refusing you and your hurt pride over it. Which, quite honestly, didn’t make sense to me. And still doesn’t. I was only doing what you and I both wanted.”
“Being refused wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted not to be forced into offering for you in the first place. I wanted your stepmother and I to smooth things over, so that no one’s reputation was . . . harmed. Unfortunately, she could only see one way out. So she forced my hand.”
“But how? You still haven’t told me that.”
He narrowed his gaze on her. “You really didn’t know your stepmother was blackmailing me with a secret about my family?”
Blackmail! A chill skittered down her spine. “Of course I didn’t. How could you even think it? Besides, what could Mama have possibly known about you that you felt was worth hiding?”
“Not about me. About my mother.”
Her heart dropped into her stomach. “Y-Your mother? The lovely woman I met at your sister’s ball?”
“Yes. That lovely woman had her debut at the same time as your stepmother, remember? And according to your ‘Mama,’ they were good friends back then. It’s why she knew what to blackmail me with.”
Her knees wobbled at that. She lowered herself to the sofa. “I felt sure there was something more to your offer. I heard you mention a bargain there at the end, but—”
“You were listening at doors, were you?”
“Not on purpose. I just happened to drop into a chair near the door.” She steadied her shoulders. “I had too much to absorb all at once and had to . . . to sit down.”
His voice softened. “Exactly as you’re doing now.” He took a seat next to her on the sofa. “Here. Have another sip of this.”
When he tried to press the glass into her hand, she shook her head no. “Tell me about the blackmail.”
“Well, if you’re not going to drink it . . .” He sipped the brandy, his eyes dark in the candlelight. “If I tell you, you must swear not to say a word to anyone about it. I haven’t even told my siblings. Mother would be terribly hurt if she ever got wind of it, and I don’t want that.”
“Nor do I.” Without thinking, she covered his hand with hers. “You must believe me.”
“I do.” When she started to withdraw her hand, he caught it in his. “You may not be aware of this, but just before Gwyn and I were born our father died in a carriage accident on his way to London from Rosethorn, our family seat. That was all we’d ever known about it until your stepmother claimed he’d been on his way to meet his mistress. She didn’t say how she knew, but she threatened to tell the world about it if I didn’t offer for you.”
The enormity of that sank in, and she stiffened. “You must have misunderstood. She wouldn’t . . . she couldn’t possibly have . . .”
“She did. Ask her.”
“I did! Well, I asked her what you meant when you said she’d threatened you. And she .