“What? No!” Her father rushed to the Duke, nearly tripping on his feet as he hurried. “Think of what that will do. To you. To the boy! Your reputation…”
“As if you care for my reputation.”
“Of course I care!” Her father slurred as he shouted.
“No…” The Duke scoffed. “Do not act as if you care for anyone but yourself. The only thing you care about is money, and once I reveal the truth, the money will be no more. That is why you panic.”
“I…” Her father’s mouth opened and closed like a fish on land. “She will be furious with me. With you! She won’t understand…”
“Perhaps,” the Duke sighed with regret. “But the point remains the same. I am not giving you another dime, Vicar. And once you leave here, I am going to go upstairs and tell your daughter everything.”
Yvette hovered just outside the doorway.
She considered turning and rushing back upstairs so that she could feign ignorance. She wanted to trust the Duke, because why would she not? Since she had started working here, he had been honest with her, kind even, and she never once got the sense that he meant her any harm. Only now…
There was something sinister about this conversation, secrets kept, promises made. And all concerning herself and Hugh.
Yvette could not fathom what any of it meant, just as she knew that she needed answers. Since the day that she had found out about Hugh, she had sensed that she was not being told everything. And now, it seemed, she was proven correct.
With that in mind, she firmed herself up and stepped into the room.
“I will save you the journey,” she spoke loudly.
The Duke started and spun about, his eyes widened when he saw her in the doorway. Her father gasped, stumbled back, and then looked away with shame.
“Miss Norleigh!” the Duke cried. “What are you… how much did you hear?”
“Enough.” She folded her arms and looked sternly at the Duke. “And I am not going anywhere until you tell me what is going on. And that means everything.”
The tension this statement left between her and the Duke was palpable. He leaned back and shame pouring from his body like bad cologne. But Yvette stood firm, arms folded, glaring daggers at him. Whatever he had to say, it was time he said it. She was done being lied to.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
“Yvette…” Her father began to blubber as he crept toward her. “I am so sorry. I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
Yvette continued to look at the Duke, her expression cold. “You’re drunk, Father.”
“I am.”
“How long has this been going on for?”
“It’s not my fault!” he wailed. “I… the Duke… I tried to resist. You must believe me. But it has been so hard without you…” He tripped as he continued toward her, nearly going to his knees. “I need you back home, Yvette. You have no idea how much I have struggled.”
“You need me?” She pulled her gaze from the Duke and looked at her father with pure venom. “Yet you are the one who sent me here. As I recall, I had no choice in the matter.”
“No!” Her father gasped and looked desperately at the Duke. “That is not… I had no choice. I promise, I had no choice! Tell her!”
Yvette stayed in the doorway as she looked between her father and the Duke. Her father, drunk out of his mind, blubbered and was red-faced, and she had never seen him look so ashamed.
The Duke too, shame was written across his handsome face, and he could hardly bring himself to look her in the eyes.
“I want to know what is going on,” she said. “No more lies.”
Her father winced. “Yvette… please… you must know, everything I did… I had to. You must believe me!”
“How can I possibly believe you?” she said coldly. “When you will not even tell me what is happening.”
“It is not his fault.” Finally, the Duke spoke. He straightened himself the best that he could, and he looked at Yvette with sadness and regret. “Your father only did as I asked him.”
