Addicted to the Duke (Imperfect Lords #1)(9)

Then reality hit: Kos. Of course her father would have to be on one of only a few Ottoman-controlled islands, one near the Turkish coast and the fortress city of Bodrum.

Nerves drew taut and his hand almost crushed the glass in his hand. At last he’d have a chance to get his revenge against Murad.

“Do you know it?” Hestia asked.

“Yes.” He knew that area very well. He sat back in his chair and took a large gulp of his brandy.

A frown crossed Hestia’s pretty features. “You will help us?” She looked stricken. “I know it’s such an imposition, but Father thinks of you as a son.”

He heard Lady Eliza clear her throat. “I’m sure His Grace knows exactly what your father thinks of him. He will do what he knows is right.” She raised an imperious eyebrow.

“Of course I will help.” They didn’t need to know that the idea of avenging his captivity was the main reason he would agree to go. He’d never have another chance, what with his duty to his title. He’d also wanted to wait until his younger brother Harris turned one and twenty. Alex would be about six months short of this target, and he could live with that. Harris was almost one and twenty and old enough to handle becoming the Duke of Bedford should Alex die in his attempt for vengeance.

The look her ladyship sent his way had the effect she wanted. Guilt rose swiftly to eat at him. He did owe his life to his lordship.

The main reason adrenaline surged was Murad. Alex longed for revenge. He thought about what traveling into Murad’s territory would mean. He would finally get the chance to kill the man who’d cost him so much. But surely one of Murad’s rivals would have killed him and taken over by now.

His mind folded in on him and black visions seared his mind. He almost hoped Murad was still alive. Perhaps if he could take his revenge and kill him, he could put his past behind him instead of letting it continually torture him. Certainly he suspected his opiate use would have been conquered.

“I’ll have to have a good reason for leaving London that does not raise eyebrows. If Fredrick learns I’ve left England, he’ll likely know you suspect him. It will be difficult to hide the fact that my ship, the Angelica, has left port.”

“It does sail without you occasionally?”

He could not deny Hestia’s words. The Angelica sailed to France on occasion for trade. His estate’s wool would be traded for French silks and brandy to resell in England. “However, if I leave London as well…don’t underestimate Fredrick. He is clever and devious.”

“Then we shall have to be more devious.” She smiled. “For instance, the ship could leave while you are still in London. Then you could leave London to go back to your estate, but head south to Portsmouth and embark from there.”

“It might work. What reason did you give for coming to London when you are in mourning?” If Fredrick knew they had come to see him…

Lady Eliza said, “I told him I had to see the family lawyer about Hestia’s and my settlements and to employ a man to look for a property for us to buy.” She shrugged. “I also told him I wished to put a notice in the paper regarding my brother’s death and his burial at our Pembrokeshire estate in Wales.”

Hestia’s face looked as if she’d like to kill someone. “He had the cheek to say we could take our time finding another residence in which to live.” Alex watched a shudder run through her. “Fredrick even suggested that I should marry him so I would not lose my home.”

“So he could keep your dowry, more like. I think Fredrick was shocked to learn he gets the estate but not the money. The money came from Hestia’s mother’s dowry on the condition that if Lord Pembroke died before Hestia marries she inherits whatever money is left.”

Alex sat up straight in his chair. “You get all the money?”

Hestia frowned. “Yes, well, there is not much except for my dowry. My father’s love of exploring takes a large amount, but he does make some money back by selling the treasures he finds. However, he keeps so many of his statues as he hates being parted from them.” Her mouth grew taut. “I loved seeing Fredrick squirm when he learned the details of the entail and the financial aspects of the estate.”

A cold fear rippled in Alex’s gut. “Did Fredrick propose before or after he learned this little tidbit?”

“After,” Lady Eliza breathed out in a rush.

All of Alex’s senses roared to life. “What happens to the money if you die before you marry?”

“It goes to the estate—oh no.” Lady Eliza turned scared eyes his way. “You have to take her with you.”





Chapter 2


It took a minute for Hestia to catch up with the conversation. She saw the fear on her aunt’s face and went cold inside. “If I die before I marry he gets everything.”

“Or he marries you. Either way he’d get hold of your fortune. Marriage would raise fewer questions than father and daughter dying suddenly and close together.”

Alex’s quietly spoken facts unnerved her. “I don’t know what would be the worse fate. Yes I do, marriage to him would be a slow death. I’d never marry him.”

“He’s the type of man that would not give you a choice. He’d coerce you under pain of death, or worse simply hold you captive, marry you, and after a suitable period of time kill you.”