A Noble Groom (Michigan Brides #2)(68)

He’d always accepted his nobility, had even taken pride in it. But now . . . after seeing how Ward treated Annalisa and her family, he wasn’t so sure he could be proud of his family or his past.

How could he fault Annalisa and her family for hating his father? And how could he fault them for hating him too? He’d been just as calloused and uncaring, until he’d come to America, to Michigan and lived among them and realized how arrogant he was.

The truth was, he needed to leave Annalisa and Forestville before everyone discovered his true identity.

But he also knew he had to stay until Dirk arrived. He couldn’t leave Annalisa with the heavy work of the farm, not with a newborn, not when the fields needed weeding, not when the spring wheat would soon be ready for harvesting.

He patted his pocket, and the paper there crinkled. He’d finally written another letter to Fritz, telling him of his delay. He knew the university would want to fill the open positions by summer’s end before the start of the fall semester. But there was the chance he might not make it in time. And he had to be honest with Fritz about it.

He would stay until he knew Annalisa was taken care of and safe. Which was why he needed to attempt to end Ward’s bullying once and for all.

He shook his head and opened the door. The musty interior of the dark office greeted him. He clomped across the hardwood floor to a big desk behind which sat a frail, thin clerk.

“I need you to go get your boss. Now.” Carl stared down at the man, hoping he hadn’t lost his ability to intimidate those in a lesser position than himself. “And tell him his worst enemy is here to see him.”



The man shrank in his oversized desk chair. “I’m sorry, but Mr. Ward is unavailable.” He glanced sideways at a back door as if looking for a way to escape.

“Well then.” Carl examined the clock on the wall. “You have exactly one minute to find Ward and make him available to me.”

The man’s face paled. He took a handkerchief out of his pocket and mopped it across his brow.

Carl peered at the clock. “Fifty seconds.”

“I’d help you if I could,” the clerk said quickly. “But Ward left Forestville three days ago.”

Carl gave the man his hardest look. “I’ll be able to find out if you’re lying to me. And I’ll make sure you regret it.”

“He’s gone. Really. To his office in Detroit.”

Carl stifled his disappointment. He’d dreamed of nothing else over the past week except coming into town and beating Ward senseless. Every time he’d looked at the heap of charred boards and the scattered ashes—all that remained of the barn—he’d known he couldn’t rest until he confronted Ward and put an end to his designs on Annalisa’s land.

They’d saved the cabin, but fires started by the sparks had claimed sections of Annalisa’s garden. He was grateful there hadn’t been a wind. He shuddered to think of the damage if the fire had been able to spread beyond the clearing.

“I want you to pen a letter to Ward today. And I want you to tell him that when he returns to Forestville, I’ll be waiting to have a meeting with him.”

The clerk shoved aside a stack of papers and pulled out a clean sheet.

“Let him know the meeting won’t be to his favor.”

The man dipped his pen in a bottle of ink and began to scribble the note.

“Inform him that I have influential connections, and if he wishes to remain whole and in one piece, he should stay in Detroit indefinitely.”

Carl didn’t know if he’d still be living in the area when Ward returned. He didn’t know if Ward had discovered anything about his running away from the duke. But he knew he had to do all he could to ensure Annalisa’s safety from the man before he left, even if that meant threatening Ward with his father’s power and influence.

“You can also instruct him that if he or any of his workers step foot on Frau Werner’s land again, I’ll make sure his property experiences the same fate that he inflicted on hers.”

He waited while the man composed the letter, and he breathed in the smoke that was still strong in the fibers of his clothes, in spite of the recent washing Annalisa had given them.

But the smokiness only stirred his anger once again—particularly at the thought that Ward’s greed had caused Annalisa to rush into the burning barn and drag him out. He couldn’t bear to think of what it had been like for her and the risk she’d taken in her weakened condition. He didn’t want her sacrificing her health and life for him. She was far too important for that.

The more he pondered his feelings, the more he realized he’d let the time they’d spent together during his illness and her birthing draw them together. He’d let down his defenses and had encouraged her affection too much.

He’d seen the trust in her eyes. And now he loathed the day he’d have to break her trust.

The clerk finished, lifted the paper and blew on the freshly inked words.

“I expect you’ll send the letter out today.” Carl turned on his heels. “And I will be spreading the word far and wide that Ward is a criminal. If he returns to this community, he will receive his just dues for what he’s done.”



He didn’t wait to see the effect of his words on the clerk. Instead he held his head high, imitating the manner of his father, and exited the building.