She blinked in shock, the satisfied smirk on Colin’s face enough proof to show that was exactly what he had planned.
Please, say you don’t believe this. You should know me better than this. We’ve shared so much of ourselves with each other, even if not as man and woman, we were close enough to be friends. Say you believe me.
She willed him over and over again to say the words that would bring her relief but her lips were sewed shut as she awaited his reaction with bated breath.
Colin pushed away from her, sighing irritably. He stared between her and Benedict, running a hand down his face.
“All right, you caught us.” He made a show of raising his hands in surrender. “I’m sure you must be confused as to why we’re together considering we’re always at each other’s throats. Lady Augusta and I are lovers. Our constant fights are just things we do to ignite the passion between us before we sneak away to relieve ourselves of all that built-in tension and passion.”
He walked towards Benedict, stopping a few feet away. “She’s always wanted to be the only lover I keep which is why she continues to fight to keep me from other women. I must admit, it adds some excitement to our nightly rendezvous which is why I constantly allow her to thwart my efforts.”
Augusta gasped. She’d always believed Colin to be a terrible person but she didn’t realize the extent he would go to get what he’d always wanted. Her eyes remained fixed on Benedict, however. She needed to know what he thought and what was going through his head.
“I’m sure you can understand what this means. She only let you court her because she knew it would make me jealous,” he chuckled, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe the length she would go to get what she wanted.
Benedict turned to her finally. His eyes had been fixed on Colin, his expression blank, no matter how much she willed him to look at her.
She shook her head at him, desperate.Please, tell me you believe none of this
“It’s not true. None of this is true,” she said finally, her voice small.
Colin’s booming laughter sounded next to her as he put a hand around her shoulder. She shrugged it off angrily but he paid her no mind.
“You’re a gentleman, Your Grace. I’m sure you can keep this a secret?” he grinned at Benedict, his brows wiggling.
Benedict pounced on him without a word. He leveled a punch to the side of his head, stunning him. Colin raised his hand at the last minute, the force causing him to stumble backwards.
“What’s the meaning of this, Your Grace? Surely if the lady doesn’t want you, you should accept it with--”
Benedict lunged at him again, his face pinched with anger. He levelled punch after punch at Colin who managed to block some of them, the rest hitting him in different points. He kicked him hard, sending Colin flying to the floor.
“I was trying to remain gentlemanly and not resort to violence but you clearly don’t know when to stop. So maybe you need a beating,” he growled at him. “You’ll stay away from my wife or live to regret it the next time I see you near her.”
Augusta’s head snapped to him.Wife?She’d thought he wanted nothing to do with her and yet here he was calling her his wife.
“I will make sure you’re no longer a part of high society and see to it that you’re thoroughly destroyed if you ever cross me again.”
Augusta watched the scene play out happily. She’d wished there was a way she could get rid of Colin permanently as that was the only way to stop him from doing what he did, and Benedict had just solved that problem for her without her having to say a word.
Colin got up from the floor, glaring at them as he ran away, and Benedict waited until he was gone before he turned back to her.
“What do you think you’re doing calling me your wife?” she asked, willing her heavily beating heart to be still. She couldn’t keep up the strict facade for much longer.
The sound of footsteps stopped her in her tracks as she stared at him with a panicked expression. The last thing she wanted was for him to be trapped in a situation he didn’t want to be in, whether he’d called her his wife or not. She was certain he’d only said that to get Colin to leave.
“People are coming, Your Grace. Let’s have this conversation elsewhere before we create a scandal,” she said, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Let them come,” Benedict said, taking her hand in his.
CHAPTER27
Benedict had never been as angry as he was when he saw Colin’s filthy hands on Augusta, and his body pressed against hers as he pinned her to the ground, no doubt waiting for someone to happen upon them so he would ruin her.
He had never seen a man who was more out of touch with reality as Colin was. He was going to make sure that he paid for ever laying a finger on her. Not only would he be paying for his crimes, but Juliet who was clearly a part of all this would too. He’d had enough of her meddling and inability to understand that the world didn’t revolve around her and she couldn’t get him back just because she was bored of whoever she ran off with.
He uttered a silent thanks, happy that Juliet was delusional enough to believe that all she needed to do was make sure Augusta was embarrassed and he would be hers. If it hadn’t been for her desire to have him back, not that he could ever understand why she would ever think he would give her a second chance back into his life after she broke his trust, he wouldn’t have been able to find her on time before someone else did.
Seeing Augusta standing still as she pleased with her eyes for him to believe her while Colin spoke all sort of terrible lies had angered him more than anything else the man had done.
