Page 66 of Dukes All Night Long

K ate lay in Duke’s arms in the soft dark near dawn.

Her body ached in delicious ways, but none of it compared to the pains within her heart.

She’d been ripped wide open by Walter’s betrayal and healed in Duke’s embrace, all within the span of a single night.

Her brother was ruined. Her reputation lay in shreds.

And the man who professed his unwavering love for her had once been the bleeding boy in the stables she’d comforted.

In the drowsy period following their lovemaking, Duke admitted to her how he’d worked toward his revenge for the past fifteen years.

He’d earned a small fortune with his own knack for numbers and cards, made the proper connections to secure funds to set up his gaming hell, spent every moment building his reputation and that of his club.

His past was littered with little victories of bankrupting an unscrupulous businessman, beggaring a lord who abused his employees, but all with the hope that Lufton would one day darken his doorstep.

Now that her brother was at the end of his rope, the trap would snap.

Kate tried to muster sympathy for her brother who, come morning, would be outcast by Society.

His lifestyle as he knew it would be over.

No longer would he have money to fall back on when his personality rankled others.

His only opportunity would be to make a decent marriage into money, but few men would be willing to marry off their daughters to a man with Walter’s atrocious treatment of his sister.

Duke planned to make full use of all his contacts to ensure Walter’s life would never be the same.

She traced lazy patterns in the dark hair of his forearm as she watched through the window while the first pale light crept between the rooftops of Covent Garden.

“You’ve won,” she whispered into the room.

Duke stirred lightly behind her, draping his leg over hers.

“He will be buried in debt by noon. All the biggest moneylenders in London will receive news of his status and no one will give him a cent—not when there is no way for him to enter repayment. He was already down another three thousand when I last checked with my assistant.” His voice was soft, but still held a hard edge.

“I only wish I’d been able to do more to prevent word of his offering you as collateral from spreading.

” Duke’s arm tightened around her, pulling her back flush to his front.

“You had no part in that,” Kate said adamantly. She would forever be grateful that she’d been offered to him and not another of her brother’s debtors. It chilled the marrow of her bones to consider what might have happened to her. “You accepted me and kept me safe.”

“It is despicable, but I will say that his actions only furthered my cause. Many in the club were quite shocked that a man would be so desperate for another hand of cards that he’d do such a thing. I’d not be surprised if he’s cut from a number of guest lists in the near future.”

Kate inhaled slowly and shakily. “And what about me?” Her eyes were determinedly fixed on the lightening sky beyond the window. What would happen to her now that dawn had arrived? What did her future hold?

“You were never part of the revenge, Kate. Not really. I only—” Duke’s voice broke slightly. “I wanted him to lose what he thought he owned.”

“Me, included?”

“It was never my intention to drag you into this, but I will admit that I did not dislike the idea once you were—purely because it meant seeing you again.”

Kate rolled within his arms to face him. “I remembered you, Preston. Even if it took me a while to see all of you, a part of me knew it. I remembered the way you carried yourself and your thoughtful eyes, your kindness to creatures less able to care for themselves. The way you made me feel seen.”

“I could not help but see you,” he rasped.

The bells of St. Paul’s Cathedral began to chime the hour in the distance—five. The storm had passed; the day was rising, along with Kate’s future. The first of the broadsheets would be circulating soon; the Earl of Lufton’s reputation would be ash by the time most of the ton broke their fast.

“I cannot go back. I cannot return to the life I once led.” She’d held only a sliver of a place in Society, but even that might now be stripped from her.

A few of her friends might be able to brave the scandal to continue their acquaintance, but she couldn’t demand it of all of them.

Duke might call her Kitten, but she was no cat—landing on her feet was not a foregone conclusion.

Then, she looked up into Duke’s eyes and knew they held her future.

He had carved out a place in this world for himself, and she trusted him to protect her and help her do the same.

If someone could not accept her or Duke, then she did not need them in her life.

If someone dared to hold her accountable for her brother’s sins, then they could go to the devil for all Kate cared.

She felt safe and secure for the first time in her life, and that was worth weathering any storm.

“I don’t know if I could let you even if you desired it,” he said with a slight tilt to his lips. “You see, I am quite smitten and I do not believe I’d fare well without you in my life.”

“It is quite gratifying to hear that, because I don’t know if you’ll be able to rid yourself of me now that I’ve found my way into your arms.”

“Then you will stay and marry me? Be my Duchess of Covent Garden?”

Kate laughed and the sound was unburdened and joyous. “Out of scandal, a duchess is born.”

The End