Coventry stared at the man for a long uncomfortable moment until Mr. Gorrell averted his gaze and shifted with a hint of unease. The papers the duke held in his hand crumpled between his fingers, and he was suddenly standing on the opposite side of the desk, leaning over Mr. Gorrell’s cowering form. “I do not know what game you are playing at, Mr. Gorrell, but I would suggest you stop trying to cheat Lady Amelia out of her money before I decide to take offense to your tone. Meeting me at dawn wouldnotbe in your best interest, sir.”
Amelia stared. Had Coventry really just threatened to challenge Mr. Gorrell to a duel? It seemed absurd and yet somehow so very heroic. Still, she couldn’t allow him to shoot the man or worse, get shot while trying to do what she’d failed to do herself in protecting her best interest.
“Coventry,” she began, not knowing precisely how to continue.
He cut her a hard look that warned her to stay silent. “What I would like to know,” he said before she could manage to find her tongue, “is if another party actually exists or whether Mr. Gorrell here has simply chosen to steal from you.”
“Your Grace,” the solicitor muttered. “I’ll return the three thousand pounds to her ladyship if that will settle the dispute.”
“So you admit that I paid you,” Amelia said with disgust. “I don’t want the money back, however. What I want is the house you said you would sell to me.”
“Who else did you make a deal with?” Coventry asked in a low and terrifying tone.
Mr. Gorrell shook his head. “I cannot say. You have to believe me.”
“Unfortunately, I do not,” Coventry told him. He leaned back and straightened himself to his full height. “Which is why you will accept the final payment we are going to make today. If you do not, I will personally see to it that charges are brought against you, and in case you are wondering, I have an excellent barrister who will no doubt make certain you enjoy a lovely retreat in Newgate Prison.”
The solicitor was visibly trembling beneath Coventry’s gaze. “I t-tried to dissuade her from making the purchase. Had I succeeded, n-none of this would have happened.” Swallowing, he shifted his wary eyes between Coventry and Amelia. “I’m agoodsolicitor.”
“You’re a thief,” Coventry told him sharply. “Now see to it that the sale is finalized or God help me, I’ll—”
“Very well.” Mr. Gorrell hastily relented. With shaking fingers, he produced some papers that he proceeded to fill out and sign. A seal was added, and the document was handed over to Amelia for her signature, as well. She read the document carefully and then looked up at Coventry who gave her a nod of approval before she wrote down her name.
“And here is the rest of the money,” Coventry said, placing a bundle wrapped in brown paper and string upon the desk.
Mr. Gorrell quickly unwrapped it to reveal a thick stack of crisp bank notes. “Thank you, Your Grace.” His expression was not as pleased as Amelia would have expected it to be. After all, the man had just received more money than the house was worth and had also avoided a duel. He ought to look more elated.
Pulling a set of keys from his jacket pocket, he offered them to Amelia. “Here is the second set I promised you.”
She held out her hand, and he dropped the keys into her palm with a jangle.
“If that is all,” Coventry said, stepping toward the door, “her ladyship and I would like to wish you a good day.”
Nodding, Amelia curled her fingers around the precious metal she now held and rose to her feet. “You’re a very dishonest individual, Mr. Gorrell. I can only hope our paths never cross again.”
With that, she turned on her heel and exited the office with the full intention of putting the despicable man from her mind. She now had a house to renovate after all, and that thought alone was enough to banish the bitterness Mr. Gorrell had instilled in her earlier, replacing it with a thrilling sense of excitement instead.
“The laborers I spoke with when I was considering the cost of repairs said it would probably take four months to complete,” Amelia told Coventry as they stepped into the dilapidated ballroom. After leaving Mr. Gorrell, they’d gone to take a look at the house since Coventry had not had the chance to consider the promises it held when he’d last been inside it.
“I believe it may take longer than that,” Coventry said. He crouched and studied the floor. “We are facing extensive work, my lady. As it is, I am not even sure the house is safe for us to visit.” Standing, he faced her.
“I think the place looks very promising,” she said.
She would not allow disappointment to show. Not when he’d been so incredibly helpful. She shot a look at him and he shook his head with a boyish grin that immediately turned her insides to goo. Lord, the man had a way of affecting her most feminine side, of heating her blood and making her want things that... No. She wouldn’t think of that. Not when doing so would only lead to misery. Lowell would make a far better subject for her attention.
With that in mind, she strolled toward the dining room only to find herself pulled to a halt by a firm set of fingers curling around her arm. Her breath hitched and she instinctively spun around, almost staggering beneath the dark gaze that now beheld her.
The edge of Coventry’s mouth lifted. “Forgive me if I startled you. That was not my intention.” He stepped back a little, but his hand remained where it was, emitting waves of heat that rippled up her arm, spreading its way through her torso and making her clamor for more distinct contact.
Lord help her, she wanted his hands not only on her arm, but on her shoulders and back as well. She wanted him touching her waist, her legs and even her ankles. But most specifically, she longed to feel him in other places—places she dared not even think of. And yet, as he stood there staring down at her with darkness hovering at the back of his eyes, she felt a wanton heat begin to pool and a tightness start to form. It was both uncomfortable and pleasant and so unlike any sensation she’d ever had before. It made her want to press up against him and savor his strength in a way that was both illuminating and frightening at the same time.
Because until that moment, she’d loved him and then not loved him. Now she felt herself falling for him all over again. Except it was different this time, because whereas before she’d been struck with a girlish fancy for a dashing man who’d kindly helped her and her family, she’d since met a darker, more powerful side to his character, and as much as that side had made her wonder about her feelings for him, it was also this side that had pulled her back, though in a different way than she’d ever imagined. Because somehow, in an odd turn of events, it was the anger she’d seen and the dangerous glint in his eyes when Mr. Gorrell had threatened to take advantage again that had called to a far more basic need inside her. It had awakened an awareness of her own elemental desires—desires she’d never fully considered until this exact moment when all her awareness was centered on his masculinity and how she longed to explore it further.
“My lady?”
She blinked. “Yes?”
His eyes slid away from hers for a second to study another part of her face. Looking back up, his hand dropped, leaving a cold patch in its place. “Which classroom do you plan on having in here?”
