Page 26 of Caught with the Beastly Duke (Dangerous Dukes #3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

“ Y ou look ravishing tonight, Rosalie,” Lord Cain murmured. His voice was soft, but there was a cold, sharp note in it that told her he would not hesitate to stop her from trying to leave. That and the fact he was blocking her way entirely. She tried to shift to the left, but he moved with her, even holding out an arm to block her path.

“Where are you going?” he crooned. “I came to speak with you.”

She straightened up and glared at him. “Well, I do not wish to speak to you, Lord Cain. And I would also ask you to refer to me the proper way by my title. My surname is reserved only for my intimates, of which you are certainly not one!”

Lord Cain smiled indulgently. “You were always a spitfire, Rosalie. That’s what I love most about you.”

Rosalie rolled her eyes and tried to see around him to where her husband had gone, but Nathan was nowhere to be seen, and she felt her stomach curl with dread.

I don’t like to be here alone with Lord Cain.

Considering their history, she would not put it past him to try and kidnap her. Again. Her only comfort was that they were in a crowded ballroom surrounded by members of the ton.

Surely he will not attempt a kidnapping in front of so many eyewitnesses…

“Please refrain from using such language, My Lord,” she snapped. “It is not appropriate. I am a married woman.”

“Oh yes, I know,” he sneered. “And such a husband you have! An unrivaled gentleman! The Beast of Carramere: every young lady’s dream husband.” He laughed derisively, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. “But you don’t need to worry about your dear husband much longer, my dear. Very soon, he will be caught for his crimes, and then you will not have to pretend to love him any longer.”

“What are you talking about?” She was sure that Lord Cain was merely trying to scare her, but it irritated her all the same.

Lord Cain smiled. “I arranged everything so that you and I could finally be together, my love. It was one of my most ingenious ideas, I must say. Redfield and your husband played so perfectly off of one another. They are both so suspicious by nature, untrusting, and aloof—which, in the end, makes them easy to manipulate.”

Although moments ago she had been sure this was all nonsense, she now felt her heart begin to race and her mouth dry.

“ What are you talking about ?” she repeated, her voice deadly.

“I am trying to save you from the monster you were forced to marry!” Lord Cain said proudly. “You will thank me soon, my beauty.”

Rosalie felt the anger burst forth from her. She was so sick of this nonsense! So sick of everyone in her life trying to control her and manipulate her. And most of all, she was sick of people calling Nathan a monster when she knew he was anything but.

“How dare you?” she whispered. Her eyes had become slits, her lips were pressed so close together they formed a thin line, and her hands were in fists by her side. “How dare you speak about my husband like that? He is no monster. Yes, he may be prickly on the outside, but inside, he is one of the kindest, gentlest, and most generous men I have ever known. These rumors about him being a monster couldn’t be more false, and I won’t hear them any longer! My husband isn’t a beast: he is the Angel of Carramere!”

She was speaking too loudly, she knew, and undoubtedly heads were turning to stare at her, but she didn’t care. It was time that ton find out who the Duke of Carramere really was.

Lord Cain laughed. “Oh little love, you almost sound as if you care for the monster! How touching…”

“I do care for him,” she spat, drawing herself up and glaring at him straight in the eyes. “In fact, I love him!”

The moment she said it, she realized it was true, and an electric thrill seemed to go through her. She loved him! Of course, she did. It was so obvious to her now that she almost laughed. She had been falling in love with him for some time, and after how he had rescued her from the caved-in floor, it hadn’t been in doubt any longer.

A smile spread across her face, and she did allow herself a laugh. Even though she was furious at Lord Cain, she couldn’t help but feel dizzying happiness as the love she had been too stubborn to let herself feel washed over her.

Lord Cain, meanwhile, looked astonished.

“You love him?” he repeated, incredulity lacing his voice.

“Yes,” she said, and nothing had ever sounded so sweet to her ears. “I love him. And the moment I see him, I’m going to tell him because he deserves to hear it from me as soon as possible. And then hear it every day for the rest of our lives.”

Lord Cain blinked and swayed slightly, as if the thought of her loving the Duke was so shocking to him that it had rearranged his entire sense of reality. Which, for a narcissist like him, it probably had.

“But you cannot love him!” he spluttered. “There is not a romantic bone in that man’s body! He is cold and cruel. I love you, Rosalie, with every fiber of my being! I would shower you with love and affection every day for the rest of your life. I would worship the ground you walk on. I already do! There is no one whose love burns brighter or more passionately than mine.”

She scoffed, and it seemed to hit him like a slap across the face. “Your idea of love is entirely self-centered,” she said. “It is about how you see yourself, not at all about how you see me. And love? You do not love me. If you loved me, you would not have manipulated and hurt me like you did. You would not have tried to use me for my father’s wicked schemes. That is not love. My husband has never manipulated me, he has never lied to me or used me, and he has never hurt me. He might not be showy or effusive, but he shows me he loves me in his everyday ability to be the man I need him to be.”

“But his reputation—there is no way a man of that reputation can treat you well!”

“It is all lies. Everything about his reputation is lies.”

Lord Cain’s mouth had fallen open. For several seconds, he seemed to be trying to collect himself and think of something to say. At last, he settled on an expression of condescending amusement.

“Ahh, I see what you’re doing,” he simpered. “You’re still trying to convince everyone here that it is a love match so that Lord Redfield will believe your little scheme to invest in his opium business.”

What? How did he know about that? But she’d barely had time to ask herself this when he continued, “But you don’t have to pretend to me, little pet. You can be honest with me that the man is a cruel, merciless beast and that you long for the day when I will spirit you away.”

“Spirit me away?” Now it was her turn to laugh derisively. “There is nothing I want less. And you are very lucky my husband didn’t hear you say that because if he had, he would not hesitate to put an end to you. In fact, I am going to tell him about this conversation, and then he is going to make you regret speaking to me like this and once again ignoring my request that you leave me alone.”

Her voice was raised even higher now, and she no longer cared if anyone could hear her. This felt even better than speaking to her father had. While the conversation with her father had depressed her more than it had empowered her, this felt different: she felt truly powerful standing up to Lord Cain. Apart from her father, he was the man who had hurt her the most, and she was not going to let men like this walk all over her anymore.

“In that regard, my dear, you are entirely correct.”

The deep, resonant voice sounded from behind them, and Rosalie and Lord Cain both turned at the same time to take in the dark, furious figure of the Duke of Carramere.

As much as Rosalie rejected her husband’s nickname, she had to admit that in this moment, as his cloak swirled around him and anger and protectiveness emanated from him, Nathan did look a little bit like a beast. But a beast that had come to her rescue, so she couldn’t be disappointed.

“I am going to have to ask you to step away from my wife, Lord Cain,” Nathan said, taking a step closer to them. He had never appeared so tall or so fearsome, and Rosalie found her body drawing toward him as if he were a magnet. Her cheeks flushed, and she felt warm and safe at the thought that he had arrived just in time to make sure Lord Cain didn’t harm her.

“How are you here?” Lord Cain hissed although at the same time, he took a step backward. “You are supposed to be arrested by now and on your way to prison!”

“Your little scheme didn’t work,” Nathan said, and his eyes glowed with anger for a moment. “Lord Redfield and I were able to figure out what was going on and who the real culprit was. And now, we are going to make sure that you spend the rest of your life in prison for your crimes.”

Lord Redfield and Nathan are working together now?! How was that possible? Rosalie made a mental note to find out exactly what her husband was talking about as soon as this was over.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Lord Cain stammered, but Nathan’s lip curled, and he fell silent at once.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about, Cain, and now, I’m going to make sure you also know I am a man of my word: you are going to regret everything you have ever done to hurt my wife.”

Cain, however, seemed to have regained some of his confidence. “You can’t hurt me,” he sneered. “Not without proving the ton right about you.”

Nathan froze, and Rosalie knew that this had hit close to the mark. He didn’t want to be known as the Beast of Carramere anymore, and harming Lord Cain meant keeping that reputation intact.

It wasn’t worth it. Not to her, at least. It was more important that Nathan felt comfortable in Society and respected by his peers.

“Don’t,” she murmured, and she laid a hand on her husband’s arm. His eyes darted to hers, and she smiled softly. “He isn’t worth it. Don’t hurt your reputation for him. Not when you’re already going to make sure he goes to jail for—well, whatever it is you and Lord Redfield discovered.”

Very slowly, Nathan nodded. “You’re right,” he said at last. “I won’t hurt him, but I will make sure that he goes to jail. There are Bow Street Runners and Scotland Yard officers outside, Cain, and they’re going to?—”

Nathan looked up to address Lord Cain, and his expression once again froze. Rosalie whipped around to see what was wrong then she understood.

Lord Cain was gone.

“No!” She whirled around, looking in all directions, her eyes scanning the room, but there was no sign of Lord Cain anywhere, nor of people looking shocked or annoyed, as if a man had just sprinted through the crowd through them. “Where did he go? How could anyone disappear so quickly?”

“He probably knows a secret way out of here,” Nathan said. His voice had once more turned cold and stiff, and she knew he was disappointed. “He was close to your father, and I’m sure the old Viscount showed him secret ways out of here.”

She shivered. That makes me extra glad he didn’t get the chance to try and kidnap me

Nathan took her arm and drew her away from the middle of the ballroom to a small alcove where they couldn’t be obseerved. Once they were sure no one could hear them, she turned to face him.

“I’m very sorry he escaped,” she began. “I know you wanted very much to see him behind bars. But what exactly happened? You have to tell me everything! He said that he’d planned everything, that he was trying to get me back. Does that mean he was the one behind the opium trading after all? Is Lord Redfield innocent?”

But her husband was no longer smiling. Even his eyes had lost any of their warmth or humor. They had become dark and emotionless. His body had also become rigid, and he was staring beyond her, as if unable or unwilling to meet her eyes. It was as if he had been turned to stone. In fact, he reminded her of the man she had met in the library all those weeks ago. The thought made her shiver, and she drew closer to him.

“What is it?” she murmured, trying to take his hand. But he wouldn’t squeeze her hand back, so she gave up and let go. “What’s wrong? Is it Lord Cain? I promise you, we will find him! We’ll have all of Scotland Yard after him.”

But when Nathan finally met her eyes, the pain and anguish in them seemed far beyond what could have been caused by Lord Cain’s escape.

“I heard what you said to Lord Cain,” he said, his voice low and brittle, almost too quiet to hear. “And you are wrong.”

“What? What did I say to Lord Cain? Wrong about what?”

“Wrong about me. I am the Beast of Carramere, Rosalie. The rumors are true.” His eyes flamed. “I killed my father.”