“It will not be enjoyable for you,” he said.
“I know that.”
“And I will not change anything about how I have come to live.”
“I do not expect it.”
“And if I say yes, you are to do as I say when I say it. No arguments. No retorts. You live under my roof, and it will stay that way.” He looked at her with a snarl so she would know he meant every word.
“Is that…” A smile broke her solemn expression. “Is that a yes?”
Was he a fool for this? Was he opening himself up to more heartache and misery? He looked Lady Tremayne over, focusing now on her soft skin, her kind eyes, and her full lips, which held that smile of hope as if she truly believed he was a savior. That had his stomach feeling rotten so that he might be sick. That she would think such a thing of him…
She was pure and beautiful. Too much for this world and what he offered her. But in that, he would feel shame and guilt for agreeing to allow this, and that was what he needed as a reminder of who he truly was.
“Fine,” he said. “I will marry you.”
“You will?”
“I will,” he said. “But it will be just as I – oh!”
“Thank you!” Lady Tremayne threw herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck and pulling him into a hug. This had the effect of jolting him from his stupor, her sweet scent filling his nostrils, the feel of her bare arms on the back of his neck making his skin erupt in prickles and his heart race as it had not done in longer than he could remember.
His hands found her waist as if on instinct. He held her for a fraction of a second. His pulse quickened, and for an instant, he ached to dip his head and touch his lips to hers. He growled and pushed her away, not daring to let such temptation seize him.
“I am sorry,” she said quickly. “I did not mean –”
“Go.” He turned from her as if in shame, his heart still racing with desire which he tried to smother. “I will send for you once the arrangements have been made.”
“And how long will that be?”
He dared to look at her again, wincing at her beauty as her sweet smell still filled his lungs. “Two weeks at most. But nobody is to know of this until it is finalized. Is that understood?”
“Thank you,” she said again, her smile honest and pure. She looked at him in a way that Alaric did not understand at first, for it had been so long since he had seen it. “Truly, you have no idea how you have saved me.”
It was then that Alaric knew he had made a huge mistake. One which he was certain he would be paying for long before this year was through. He was no savior. He did not deserve redemption. And he certainly did not wish to be seen as a hero.
And as to that dim patter of hope which echoed softly deep within? Alaric strangled it the best he could. Hope could kill like any knife. A truth he knew better than most.
Four
It was one week later when Alaric found himself wandering into a darkened den of a drinking hole where a man of his status and worth would never ordinarily be seen. But that was also the point.
He had made sure to visit the week prior and speak with the establishment’s owner, paying a large sum of money to ensure that today the tavern would be empty. And further to that point, to ensure that this visit of his was not spoken about to anyone. It was not the first time he had done such a thing, and he knew the owner to be a man who would keep his mouth shut. Not because of the coin he was paid, however, but the fear which Alaric instilled in him.
As expected, Alaric was not the only one to grace the tavern’s morbid depths. Where Alaric had booked the space for privacy’s concerns, those whom he was here to meet were just as aware of the imperative it was that this little meeting of theirs be kept a secret.
“Ravencourt, so nice of you to join us.” The Duke of Eastmoor rose when he saw Alaric coming.
“Eastmoor,” Alaric greeted him stiffly.
“Ravencourt,” Ronan, the Duke of (Ward) said next, not bothering to rise from his seat at the table.
“Ronan,” Alaric said with a single nod. “And Cassian,” he then greeted the third member of their little group. He was the Duke of (Blackmoor),a man who was as charming and duplicitous as he was devilishly handsome.
“Delighted,” Cassian said with a dazzling smile as he indicated to the seat across from him. “We were beginning to wonder if you would make it.”
“Worried for me?” Alaric took the seat.
