Chris shook his head, and Alex stepped next to Charlotte. “You only forced the proposal of Ainscough on her because you wanted a titled person to gain her land.”
Charlotte’s eyes shot between the two men. “That is what this is about? My land?”
Chris laughed. “Of course. How could it be about anything else? But you don’t even know what you are saying.” He waved a hand at her, as though she were no more than an unwanted stray cat.
“I most assuredly do,” she said, her body taut, her clenched fists shaking. “I know that I own land, Christopher, right there.” She pointed toward the trees. “And you have been the most conniving, most despicable of brothers to try to keep me ignorant of what is rightly mine. I now know that’s why you’ve been so controlling, why you’ve tried to dictate my every move, and I won’t stand for it any longer.”
Alex wanted to cheer at Charlotte’s strength. He loved this woman with his whole heart, and watching her come into her own made his own courage mount.
But Chris’s eyes went wide, and his jaw set into a tight line. He stepped toward Charlotte, anger oozing from all of him. Then he suddenly checked himself and exhaled, a sickening triumph in his eyes. “So you know that your land is the only reason Alex wishes to marry you? He’s wanted our property all these months. Just ask him how many times he’s appealed to me to buy it. He’s using you to get it—”
“That’s not true!” Alex burst out and landed a fist into Christopher’s jaw, the contact smacking through the dark night air as Christopher’s head whipped to the side.
Full of rage, Chris rubbed his jaw, then loomed over Alex. A sick laugh emanated from him. “You’ll need to do better than that to stop me. You just admitted you knew she owned the land. If you had run away together, we could have withheld her dowry. But the land is hers no matter what. You understood this, didn’t you?” His voice was as hot as embers in a fire. “Can you deny it?”
That day months ago, when Alex had asked to see her forest, flashed into his mind. She’d been wary of him then. Angry, even.
Charlotte turned and stared at him.
Alex swallowed. “No.”
“Did you wish to use said property for your gain?”
How could he answer honestly that it had crossed his mind without sounding divisive? Of course any land would help their plight, but he loved her more than that. After an excruciating silence, Alex sighed. “It’s not like that, Chris.”
“But you have thought of it,” Christopher goaded, pushing Alex again, but Alex didn’t move an inch. “There’s no other reason you would coerce her into falling in love with you.”
Alex’s voice rose. “That is not why I love her!”
“Enough!” Christopher yelled. He shook his head, brushed his hands together, and came closer to Joseph. “Come. Let’s get this over with. I’ll escort Charlotte inside and be back with my dueling pistols shortly.”
“Christopher.” Alex attempted to cut off his path to the house as Christopher took Charlotte’s arm and dragged her with him. “I know you harbor ill will against my family. That was years ago. But before that, we were friends. These grounds, these woods, this castle—do you not recall our years here? I am not my father. Can’t we put our past behind us?”
“You are the one who decided to throw a fist. I chose a more gentlemanly way to resolve this, for unlike you, I truly am a gentleman.”
“Chris—”
“It’s Mr. Roylance to you!”
“Why can you not let this go?” Alex blocked the man’s path once more.
“It is against my principles.” Chris glanced toward Charlotte, and the black hollowness of his eyes made Alex cringe.
“You say you do this for your sister’s sake.” Alex shot a glance toward her and then back to Chris. “Is thatreallywhat you mean? Or is it to satisfy your own twisted pride? To prove to the world, or to your father when he returns, that you were firm enough? Is it not obvious this entire ordeal has torn your sister apart? Can’t you see that? We can end this now, without a duel.”
Chris appraised him and then let out a low chuckle. “You’re afraid. Too cowardly to accept, aren’t you? You admit to being in the wrong.”
“I don’t regret a single moment with your sister, Chris.”
“I promised to make you pay if I ever saw you again, and I will not renege on my word. You should be honored that I am finally deigning to treat you as a gentleman by dueling with you. That is what you always wanted, wasn’t it? To be an equal with us?” He laughed. “We’ll see how long it lasts.”
Alex glanced again at Charlotte, Chris’s hand firmly around her upper arm, as tears streamed down her face. Why did she have to witness this?
“Now, before I take her in, do you have someone to accompany you as a second? Or should I find one?” Chris picked at a speck of lint on his lapel, as though that speck ranked higher in importance than Alex or his own sister.
“Moxham. In the servants’ quarters,” Alex said, resigned.
“So you have a spy among us?”
