“That is not true.”
“Oh, but it is. Any member of thetoncould tell you. It is an open secret that she flirts with anyone she sees, married or not, and should that develop, then she is all the more satisfied with that.”
Spencer could not help but imagine Anna flirting with another man, and worse, and it made him shift uncomfortably in hisseat. He hated the thought of it, and that was only partly because it simply was not who she was.
“You are lying,” he said firmly. “My staff would have told me if that were the case, and they have not.”
“Would they have? I am telling you the truth, and you are unwilling to hear it. I am your cousin, and you are refusing to listen to me. Why would a chambermaid’s opinion be any different?”
Because a chambermaid does not stand to inherit everything I have, he thought, but he did not say it.
“My wife will not be something I will discuss with you. She has been a loyal and dutiful wife in my absence—which I shall remind you is none of your concern—and I will not allow a word to be said against her.”
“But your absence is my concern. As one of your trustees, it is important to me that everything is being run properly. Should it not be, then other arrangements must be made, and a year-long absence with no indication that you planned to return would suggest just that.”
Spencer had to force himself not to lose his temper. He hated that this man was talking to him like he was a child, but what he loathed more than anything was that he was right. It was his own fault that his position was in question, and his fault that he had dragged his wife through it too.
But that did not mean that he had no intention of fighting for it.
“Unfortunately,” Spencer said calmly, “your argument has a fatal flaw. I have spoken with the trustees, and they are in agreement that your position is being used for wrongdoing. You will have your position revoked soon, and that shall leave you with no say in my standing.”
“A nice attempt, but you cannot do that. Your father appointed me, and he made the condition himself. You cannot have me thrown out when it was not your decision in the first place.”
“Yes, my father selected you, but my father is dead, and he has been for a while now.”
“And you have been away for a while. As good as dead, and you can even ask your wife about that.”
His grip on the arm of his chair tightened. He hated that Walter would not stop talking about his wife when he did not even deserve to breathe the same air as her. He had frightened Anna, threatened her, and had Spencer not returned, he could have done any number of things to get what he wanted. It made him angry with himself, but furious with the man who had taken advantage of that.
“I am here now,” he said in a low voice. “I am in charge of what happens, and I have the final say. You might think you are entitled to the same thing, but you are not. The truth, Walter, is that you are not half as powerful as you think that you are, and that shall be your downfall.”
“And what of your downfall?” he asked. “Tell me, is it a boy or a girl?”
“I do not know what you are referring to.”
“Oh, but you do. We both know about the child, and we both know that is where you have been all this time. What I do not know, and what I have great interest in, is whether or not it will be a problem for me?”
“I do not see why any child would be,” he bluffed.
He hoped that his cousin was only guessing about the child, speculating about his absence like everyone else had, but there was a glimmer in the man’s eye. He was certain, and though Spencer could not stomach admitting it to him, he was right.
“You and I both know that you do. You do not have a legitimate heir, so what happens if it is a boy? What happens when the child realizes its connections and seeks you out? A pauper woman’s child would do anything to help their family, and you must owe an awful lot to them. What happens, I wonder, when they come to London?”
“There is no child, and nothing of the sort will happen.”
“I am only speaking in concern for my family,” Walter said with mock empathy. “You may not be pleased with me, but I only want the best for you. Word will get out about this eventually,and that is a scandal that nobody can recover from, not even a duke.”
“You may keep your concern. You and I both know that you want my title, and that you cannot stand me any more than I can you. You were never the right choice for your position, which is precisely why the others were in agreement about stripping it from you.”
“No, they want to be rid of me because they are threatened by me. I am right for the role, and that is precisely why your father chose me. If he knew what you were doing, he would be disgusted with you.”
“And yet, he is not here. I am the one in charge, and this is what I want to do. It may not be what you want, but it has nothing to do with you. None of this, the condition, the titles, the estate, is of your concern. The sooner you accept that, the happier you will be.”
He stood to leave. He had hoped for an apology for Anna, but of course, he was not going to offer one. Walter was convinced that he had been wronged, even if Spencer was unwilling to accept that. It did not matter, though, for whether he apologized or not, he had received his punishment. He had hurt Anna and, in turn, had lost his position.
As he reached the door, however, he heard Walter chuckle under his breath.
“If you are content with a wanton, then I will not stop you.”
