“—but my uncle is an honest, hardworking man, and my cousin is the most loving soul I have ever met,” Ellie said.
Finished with his meal, Dorian sat back, and cocking his boot on his other knee, he replied, “Your uncle may be hardworking, but he is far from honest. Nevertheless, he is not the issue I have with the pair, it is your aunt who galls me.”
Confusion shone on her visage, even in the flickering light. “Whatever do you mean?”
Dropping his knee, he leaned forward and braced his forearms on the table. “Your aunt came from money, Evelina. Her father, yourgrandfather,was a rich merchant and gave her everything she ever desired. However, when your father took over the helm, he tightened the purse strings.
“New season gowns, denied. A new set of jewels, denied, even a new carriage, also rejected,” Dorian told her. “She resented being told no, so she found a suitable husband and married him, thinking he would give her everything she wanted and elevate her to peer status. Alas, we both know that is not how that story turned out.”
Evelina turned her head to the window; the soft light played over her face. “And then my father lost his wealth.”
“Your aunt was furious as she’d imagined a healthy purse to gain, but then when she realized the truth, she took you in with the aim of using you to gain that status, which is preciselyhow Carrington came into your life,” Dorian finished. “Now you understand why I saidrepugnant.”
Her face fell, and she pushed her plate away. Beneath her controlled façade, he felt that she was roiling with emotion. No one wanted to know their relatives, their blood, had planned to use them for their own means. He knew that all too well, what with his hunt for his traitorous uncle still underway.
“I am sorry to rip the veil from your eyes,” he murmured.
Evelina slowly shook her head. After a long pause, she said, “I find it very concerning that you were able to deliver such news with little emotion behind it.”
“For good reason,” he said.
“This uncle business of yours,” she added.
“Yes.”
Covering her plate, Evelina asked, “There are so many gaps between you ending up on the streets, running with a gang, and your uncle and Carrington. Would you care to align those events for me?”
“I was thirteen when my father took ill,” Dorian began. “Too ill to read, let alone manage the estate. My uncle stepped in—said he’d help, just until I came of age. I believed him. We both did.
“He brought documents—said they were for business matters, nothing to trouble myself over. I trusted him. So I signed. So did my father, though he barely knew what he was putting his name to.”
Dorian’s jaw tightened. “With the help of our solicitor, who was likely in on it, my uncle shifted control of the businesses to himself. Usurped most, bled the rest dry. By the time we realized, everything was gone. The lands, the accounts... all of it.. We were cast off like driftwood, and I had to find a way to cobble our lives back together.”
“So that is where Carrington came in.”
“Him and his gang, yes,” Dorian nodded. “As I grew, I began to break away from him and did the exact opposite of what he expected from me. I am a self-made man, Evelina, in every respect.” His tone was devoid of emotion.
“I have been making my own way in the world since I can recall. In my twenties, I started my own club, The Labyrinth, that bloomed into more success than his, and deep down, he still resents me for it. I have since grown from that business, and over the years, I have managed to regain much of what my uncle stole. But I still have a few sticking points.” He paused. “Do you have any questions?”
“Only about three score and ten,” Ellie replied. “But I suppose those can wait for another night. Though I do have one pressing question…”
He waited. “And what is that?”
“We are to attend balls and soirees, of your choice—” she added, “—but I feel as if we are still strangers to each other.”
“We are.”
She puffed out a breath. “Do you not think others will see that and challenge our union?”
Rising, Dorian left the dining table for a loveseat near a set of wide windows. The night was balmy, so he did not feel the need to go to the small hearth across the room and light a fire.
“What do you suggest?” he asked.
“What if…” She chewed on her lip. “Oh, fiddlesticks…”
Catching a hint of what he thought she was about to say—what hewantedher to say, Dorian leaned forward. “What is it, Evelina?”
“It is either terribly, terribly complicated, or terribly, terribly simple,” she began. “Thetondoes not take lightly to shows of emotion, but I think we should employ a strategy that middles both ends when we are around our peers.”
