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“I know you need a wife,” Lydia replied with an exasperated look after putting some space between them. “I know more than you think.”

“Doubtful,” Ezra retorted, though he already suspected otherwise.

“Let me guess, oh Duke of Chaos,” Lydia replied, her voice dripping with a healthy dose of sarcasm, “You have exhausted most of your business ventures because your reputation has grown a bittoofrightening? Made your threats of evil spirits under your bidding a little too believable?”

Now Ezra was thankful that his deadpan expression was identical to his bored one because he was not expecting Lydia to call him out so bluntly. Yes, he had anticipated she’d drop a polite hint or two about his situation but had not been prepared for her unbridled deliverance of truth.

Still, he would not let her know it.

“Oh, I do love a good theory,” he replied mockingly, taking a seat. “Go on.”

Ezra sank into a relaxed position in his chair, letting his legs splay wide as he leaned into its cushioned back. He rested an elbow on his pectoral and touched a finger to his lips, then flicked his brow as if to say,well?

Lydia studied him closely a moment longer, as though trying to determine his next move. After determining he was being genuine, she gave a single nod, took a seat across from him, and sat at its edge with a straight back.

“Two of your best friends have gotten married in the last two years and their businesses have increased exponentially,” Lydia observed, “Duncan’s, especially, and he was most similar to you in reputation before his marriage to my sister, was he not? When his marriage to her softened that image, it opened him up to wider markets, correct?”

Ezra was forced to nod, which earned him a smug look from Lydia before she continued.

“I believe the Duke of Darkness has pushed himself as far as he can go on his own. Do you believe that if you have someone as sweet as Alice on your arm, it will provide you with the same opportunities Duncan was afforded because you will appear more trustworthy, reliable…perhaps even a little softened?”

“Do not use that word again,” Ezra warned, having heard enough.

Lydia’s brow perked up again as she innocently asked, “What? Soft?”

“That is enough,” Ezra stated, the word grating on his ears like sand. “So, you know what I am doing. I am impressed, no doubt, my lady, but how does you being aware of what I’ve planned deter me from taking Juliet as my bride? You are right, I cannot have Alice, nor do I want her. That is my brother’s wife, and I will only ever regard her as such. But Juliet is like her in many ways, and she seeks a husband as I seek a wife.”

Lydia began to speak but this time Ezra did not permit her the opportunity.

“Iamsoulless, as they say, Lydia,” Ezra stated, leaning forward to brace his elbows on his knees, “but I am not dimwitted. If I ever hurt Juliet, Duncan, or Morgan, Ambrose would beat me until my bones were ground into pebbles. Nor would I want to. Many people at many times deserve the infliction of pain, but that path is not for her. She would be kept as safe and content as possible in the ample time she would have to herself, but yes, she would be required to attend events with me, boost my reputation, and be a buffer of purity against my well-established black heart.”

“She cannot marry you, she is in love with someone else,” Lydia burst out in a determined bark, though he noticed her eyes had slid down to his chest as if she could see the actual darkness there.

At this, Ezra felt a brush of pure light upon his blackened, ironclad boundaries. It startled him for a second, catching him off guard, but vanished as quickly as it came, and he quickly collected himself.

“That is unfortunate,” he admitted, “But that is not my concern. Whomsoever the young gentleman is, had his opportunity before I came along. If he did not pursue her correctly that is no fault of mine.”

Lydia balked as if she was unsure how to argue that particular point, so he continued.

“Young love dwindles all the time, especially with distance. In time your sister will adjust to her new life. You, and Alice of course, are always welcome to visit with her, and I believe I would be roasted alive if I attempted to keep Barbara or Helena away. I assure you, I will not hurt her.”

“Youarehurting her by taking away her preference,” Lydia replied calmly, regaining her composure. “She is in love with someone else. Let her have her chance and marry someone else.”

“I do not want someone else,” Ezra mused.

It was true. After he had concluded that little Thomas, despite his youth, was quite right about the potential ventures that could open up for him, he had done thorough research and found Juliet to be the best candidate. Or, at least, he had until he’d tried to converse with her today. Admittedly, he found her fearof him to be pitiful instead of amusing, but it wasshewho could lighten his reputation the most.

“You truly think there is someone better suited than your sister to help me with my goal?” Ezra asked pragmatically. “Let us speak on this seriously, shall we? What other young lady do you know that has absolutely no stain on her civil reputation and has her grace and beauty? What mother do you know that has not raised her daughter to hunt for a husband as a woodsman hunts for his meal?”

“Is that not what you are doing?” Lydia retorted, folding her arms as if daring him to deny it.

He huffed a laugh, yet again amused by her boldness. “But Iama hunter, my lady,” he said darkly, letting his gaze wander to her lips again. “And I have set my sights on my prey.”

Like the hunter he truly was, Ezra noted the subtle shift in Lydia’s body language the moment his words met her ears. The slight dilation of her pupils, the softer, hitched breath that was not quite a gasp as a tremble passed through her. Her back arched and her neck tilted slightly to the left, as if heat had suddenly risen from below. It was subtle but he’d caught wind of it, and it pleased him greatly.

“And…what if a better specimen was to walk into your line of sight?” She asked. Though it was clear she was still a bit intimidated, Lydia took a smooth step toward him. “Would you still pursue your original quarry?”

Ezra felt flames of desire heat his blood as he imagined pursuing Lydia in the forest. Naked and vulnerable.