Raph leaned back in his chair, his expression impassive as he nodded at Wendy to leave. She obeyed him immediately.
“I have no sorrows to drown, Lord Montague. Just business to settle.” He reached into his coat, producing a slim envelope, and slid it across the table. “My solicitor worked quickly. The club owner—your old friend, I presume?—had an interesting tale about marked cards in that game you lured Lord Lempster into. Care to explain?”
Lord Montague’s face paled, his fingers twitching as he eyed the envelope. “What are you implying, Your Grace? That I cheated? That’s slander!”
“Slander?” Raph chuckled, taking a sip of his brandy. “It’s a testimony, Lord Montague. Sworn and signed. This envelope holds a portion of what you demanded from Lord Lempster. Take it, and consider our business concluded. Or we can let a judge decide.”
Lord Montague’s eyes darted to the envelope. “You think you can meddle in my affairs and walk away unscathed? You’re overstepping, Your Grace.”
He thinks he can intimidate me? After all his schemes?
Raph chuckled. “Take the money, and consider it a small gift for teaching you how to lose.”
Lord Montague’s face reddened, his hands balled into fists. “You think this buys you the Lempsters’ loyalty? They’re a sinking ship, and you’re tying yourself to it.”
Raph struggled to control the anger simmering in his veins. He got up slowly from his chair and towered over the elderly man.
“They’re my family now,” he said through gritted teeth. “And I protect what’s mine. Unlike you, I don’t prey on the desperate.”
Lord Montague sneered, reaching behind Raph cautiously and snatching the envelope from the table. “You are being reckless with that girl you’ve claimed. She’s no Duchess.”
Raph seized Lord Montague by the collar of his fine linen shirt, thwarting the man’s attempt to slip away.
Lord Montague writhed, his face contorting with indignation, but Raph’s grip remained unyielding despite the pain in his shoulder. The parlor fell silent as patrons paused to watch, their eyes fixed on the scene unfolding before them.
Let them stare.
“Your reckoning is long overdue, Montague,” he hissed.
“Unhand me at once!” Lord Montague yelled. The envelope fell from his hand and landed at his struggling feet.
“If you ever speak ill of my bride or her family again, I will see to it that you will be ruined, so much so that the whole of London will know your thieving name.” Raph let go of him suddenly, and Lord Montague crashed to the ground. He kicked the envelope towards him and growled, “Now, get out of my sight.”
Lord Montague hesitated, his eyes blazing with humiliation, but he tucked the envelope into his coat, struggled to his feet, and stormed out. The door slammed shut behind him, and Raph drained his glass, the burn of the brandy doing little to quell the fire in his chest.
He’s beaten for now, but men like Montague don’t stay down. I’ll need to watch him.
Wendy, who had witnessed the exchange with a mix of curiosity and resentment, approached Raph with less confidence, her voice softer but no less pointed.
“You’re really doing this, aren’t you? Marrying her. What’s so special about this lady? Why her, when you could have anyone?”
Raph drowned the last of his brandy and slammed the glass on the table, his eyes met hers with an unwavering coldness. “She’s not just anyone, Wendy. She’s… unexpected.”
“Unexpected?” Wendy laughed, though it lacked warmth. “That’s a weak excuse. You used to come to me for freedom. What does she offer that I can’t?”
“Purpose,” he said simply, brushing past her. “This conversation is over. You’ll receive your settlement by the week’s end.”
Wendy’s lips parted, but she didn’t press further.
“Don’t come crawling back when she bores you, Your Grace,” she called as he moved towards the door.
“I won’t,” he said without looking back, stepping into the smoky corridor of the club.
As he exited the club, the cool air hit him, sharpening his thoughts.
Montague’s dealt with, for now, but Camelia’s the real challenge.
His mind drifted to their last encounter in the library, her trembling body against his, the way her breathing grew heavy when he leaned close.
