She sneered at him. “There is no us. There never was an us.”
“There almost was,” he said with a smirk. “Oh, you might hate to be reminded, but there was a time not so long ago when you were besotted by me. Remember?”
“I never was,” she said, her tone dripping with venom. “I did not love you. I hardly liked you. You were nothing more than a means to an end for me. And the day you left me was the happiest in my life.”
He touched his chest as if stung. “Cruel, Margot. I do not remember you being so petty.”
“Having one’s life ruined will do that.”
“Yes…” He clicked his tongue as if annoyed. “That was… regrettable, to say the least. I know it might not make a difference now, but it was never my intent to ruin you as I did. You have no reason to believe me, Margot, but…” He shuffled forward and rested his hands on her knees. She flinched backwards, trying to butt him off, but he ignored her. “I truly did care for you. As I know you did me.”
“I told you, I did not –”
“Lies,” he sighed over her. “Told to mask the pain. I know it, for I have told many myself. You would not believe the regret I have lived with these past years, what I did to you – what I was forced to do. How many sleepless nights I was made to suffer.”
“You!” she cried. “What of me? I am the one who has suffered. I am the one who you…” She sneered. “Who you abandoned and whose life you ruined!”
“Ah, how we like to twist the truth to suit our own needs.” He clicked his tongue playfully at her. “If you recall, you are the one who lied to me.” He raised a knowing eyebrow at her. “When we met, you had me believe that your family was one of great wealth, that if we were to marry, I would be taken care of. You lured me in with your…” He licked his lips, and his hands slid up her thighs. “…beauty. A seductress is what you were, and I your victim.”
“And you did not lie?” she scoffed. “You talk of twisting the truth, but you are its greatest manipulator.”
He sighed as if with regret. “I admit it. I was a most naughty boy. But you must know, I did it out of love – when I first met you, I knew I could never have you. Not if you knew my destitute state of affairs. My hope was that once we fell in love and you learned the truth, you would be too taken with me to care. Alas, it was not meant to be.”
He's insane!Margot played over her so-called romance with Lord Ashcombe in her head, remembering none of what he said. To her, it had always felt like a business transaction, a contract between two individuals who might have cared for one another but never once dreamed that love would bind them.
“I did not want to leave you as I did,” Lord Ashcombe continued. “Sadly, you left with me no choice. But I knew…” His eyesflashed. “I knew that fate would conspire to bring us together again, and so it has. And not a moment too soon.” His hand squeezed her thighs.
She shifted and leaned back, letting him see the outright disgust on her face. “That does not answer my question. What do you want?”
“I told you.” He looked at her blankly. “You, Margot. I want you.”
“No…” She shook her head. “You cannot have me. I am married! My husband –”
“Oh, do not speak of him as if he is anything more than a name on a piece of paper.” He laughed. “I know all about your marriage, my dear. I know the terms. I know the details. He does not love you as I do. Nor does he care for you.” He raised an eyebrow as if daring her to deny it. And where she wanted to, Margot found her confidence waning. “As I thought,” he chuckled.
“Regardless…” Her stomach twisted with shame.That I cannot even say for certain that my own husband wants me. That he would do anything for me. Is that the state of this marriage? Even worse than I thought.“Sebastian will not give me up. Even you must know that.”
He snatched his hands back, and his lip curled. “He is rather proud, isn’t he. But I accounted for that.” He laughed manically. “That is the reason for this little loan I took from him, althoughlittle is not the word I would use. You see, I plan on presenting your husband with a choice.”
Margot’s stomach dropped as the realization set in.
He laughed to see her face. “Tell me, what does your husband care for more? His wealth or yours? When the time comes, I will present him with an offer. If he wants his money back, he can have it, so long as he annuls your marriage. If so, wonderful, and you and I can live together as we were meant to. And if he denies me…” He sighed, and a look of forlornness took his face. “Hopefully it will not come to that.”
Margot thought she was going to be sick.
Sebastian would never give in to this lunatic’s demands. No matter the cost, he will deny him and save me. I know it…
She did not know it. She tried to convince herself of the fact. She tried to reason that this was not the end. Despite everything, she knew too that her marriage was not as strong as she might have liked, and that Sebastian, for all his words and promises, might not be the man she needed him to be.
And after all that had happened, was there a chance he would simply cut his losses and give her over?If only I could say otherwise….
Twenty-Five
Sebastian rode as if his life depended on it.No, not my life. Margot’s life. A thought which made him ride even harder.
As he rode from London and back to his estate, he could not believe how much of a fool he had been. So easily tricked. So easily taken advantage of. If anything was to happen because of how he had acted… he would never forgive himself.
Was it not for how besieged with fear Sebastian was as he rode, he might have found the will to focus on the single positive bone from this experience. That the idea of Margot in danger brought him such peril, that he knew he would do anything to protect her, was all the proof he needed to know how he felt.
