Page 6 of His By Sunrise (Disreputable Dukes of Club Damnation #3)

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E dwin could hardly contain his annoyance or his ire as he continued to watch Charlotte partner the damned viscount in the waltz.

That man, William Carter, had pretended not to know him when Edwin had needed his assistance the most. The same man who gladly allowed Edwin to wreck his own reputation and existence for, not that it mattered now.

Heat slowly took over the whole of his form.

He curled a hand into a fist as the waltz finally drew to a close.

It also didn’t matter that he and Charlotte were divorced.

She hadn’t let him see their child for five years.

That was outside of enough. Regardless of what Charlotte thought of him, he was still Olivia’s father, damn it, and he deserved to see her, deserved to be a father to the girl that she needed.

To hell with Charlotte! If she couldn’t accept him as the man he was now, that was her issue, not his.

He glared at Viscount Danville as he escorted Charlotte to the opposite side of the ballroom from where Edwin stood.

She fucking belongs to me. Now and always.

And he wanted revenge. The blackest revenge, for this man was living the life he should have had with Charlotte, until the sins of his past had caught up with him.

It wasn’t fair that Danville had literally gotten away with murder while Edwin had been left to do time in Newgate.

Then after being released, he’d had to struggle and scrape for years before he’d finally gotten his life sorted.

Since the set had ended, Eggleton returned to Edwin’s location. He glanced between Blackhawke and Edwin with a frown.

“What now?”

Blackhawke snorted. “It seems Nottingham’s former wife has made an appearance tonight, on the arm of the Viscount of Danville.”

“Oh, shit.” The older duke’s eyes widened. “Did Ravenhurst invite her?”

“I have no idea. He might have invited the viscount, not knowing what a bounder he is.” His jaw threatened to crack under the pressure of clenching it.

“Well, my friend, you must move on. She has clearly made her choice, and unfortunately, you are not it.” Eggleton rested a hand on Edwin’s shoulder. “I mean it. Tonight is not the time for scandal.”

“Bah.” He shook off the supportive touch. “Charlotte has not moved on. Her father made the choice and didn’t give me a chance to defend or even talk to her about why she was unhappy. I was too intimidated back then to fight back, but I refuse to accept it now.”

Blackhawke snorted with derision. “Five years later? Don’t be a nodcock.” He shook his head. “There is nothing you can do about it, and none of her movements are your concern. You’re not together, you’re not married, she doesn’t belong to you, and she is clearly with another man.”

“No.” Edwin shook his head. “I don’t accept that. We never had a chance to talk; I don’t know how she really feels about any of it.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Eggleton inserted with a frown. “You need to accept that this is the new way of things between you. She’s with Danville now, it seems.”

“Like hell she is.” So much bitterness and denial threaded through his voice that he even surprised himself. “Charlotte doesn’t belong with him; she’s mine. I can still feel that in my soul.” That had to mean something.

Blackhawke didn’t seem convinced. His scowl was even more menacing than it was before. “Is that connection still there, though? From what I understand, she hasn’t had any contact with you.” He rested his intense gaze on Edwin. “Is that connection only in your mind?”

Was that it, then? He was remembering the times when he’d had Charlotte in his life, making it rosier than perhaps it might have been? To be fair, he had been away from home during those years in an effort to make investments that would prove sound for supporting his family.

Edwin bit back a sharp reply. “I don’t know.” At least that was true.

“Then you have no grounds to go after her.”

“Ha.” That is a lie. “We have a child, and she must know that I have a right to see the girl.”

This time it was Eggleton that answered.

“While I agree with you in theory, Lady Charlotte’s father is an earl.

You have already been smacked through society because of him.

Do you really want to antagonize him further?

Have your name and reputation buried a second time? You might not come back from that.”

“Good point.” Blackhawke nodded. He crossed his arms at his chest. “Do you want society to dredge up all your old crimes and scandals? To have the beau monde speculate as to why your marriage failed? To put you and her through all that again?”

“God, what a coil.” Edwin shoved a hand through his hair, not caring that he’d upset his valet’s work.

“One of those scandals was something I didn’t do.

I merely took the blame to protect the man she’s probably fucking even now.

” Having that image in his brain had another hot wave of anger and jealousy smack into his chest until he wanted to rush across the ballroom and land the man a facer.

Eggleton narrowed his gaze. “You must calm down, Nottingham. Behavior like this won’t do you any favors, and will only alienate her more.”

In the small, rational portion of his brain, he knew that, but he quickly dismissed it. “I can’t, I won’t.” He shook head. “I would go through many trials to have my wife back.” Truth be told, he missed her, and he still reeled from never having the proper closure from their break.

The dukes exchanged speaking glances.

“Don’t be an arse, Nottingham.” Eggleton’s expression softened. “Her father—or the viscount—will see you in prison, and since you aren’t a true duke, there is nothing keeping you from that fate.”

A frisson of icy fear twisted down Edwin’s spine. “Nonsense. I can meet any challenge put before me, because I have the truth on my side.” When the other two men remained silent, he blew out a breath. “I’ll win her back. You’ll see.”

“Leave off, man. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

Perhaps, but he couldn’t stand idly by and let some other man be with Charlotte. “She’ll be mine by sunrise.”

Blackhawke laughed, which made his scars even more hideous looking in the shadows from the flickering candles. “Perhaps by a year of sunrises, rather. And even then, you’d need to kidnap her since she won’t give you the time of day now.”

An odd light of interest lit Eggleton’s eyes. “Care to make it interesting, Blackhawke?”

“What?” Worry knotted in Edwin’s gut. This didn’t feel right.

Eggleton shrugged. “If you’re hellbent on destroying your life and what’s left of your reputation by making a cake of yourself over a woman who has already tossed you aside, we ought to lay down odds on it.”

“Hmm.” He thought for a bit. It would be a way he could add to the funds already in his bank account.

Where he’d thought to set Charlotte up in style years ago, he couldn’t bear to spend the large majority of the money, so it sat there and accrued interest. Then he shrugged. “Why not? It’ll be easy coin.”

That had Blackhawke looking far too animated.

“I’ll wager five hundred pounds that you not only can’t win her back, but that your arse will be in Newgate on a variety of charges in five days’ time.

” His grin would have quelled the hearts of lesser men.

“The least of which will be your penchant for domestic discipline, which is probably one of the reasons for the divorce.”

“Fuck off, Blackhawke.” Yet there was always that worry in the back of his mind.

Had he been so wrong about the ways he and Charlotte had come together in the bedroom?

They had enjoyed six years together as man and wife.

A seventh, really, but they’d been separated for most of that year before the divorce came.

And damn had he missed her enthusiasm for sharing what most of society considered depraved behavior.

Did she share such with Danville? Another wave of heated annoyance rose in his chest. “Done. And I’ll wager the same with each of you that not only will I win her back by sunrise of the fifth day, but she’ll also crave being spanked and tied to various pieces of my furniture in the same period.

Lady Charlotte will beg me to restore the old life we’d shared. ”

“Done and done,” Eggleton said with a nod, and the three quickly shook hands to seal the deal. “I will make certain to record the wagers in the betting book at the club for the rest of our friends to see and possibly make wagers of their own.”

“Fine.” Edwin was beyond caring; he knew he wouldn’t fail.

But Blackhawke moved in front of him. “Don’t hurt her, Nottingham. I draw the line at that. If she says with absolute certainty that she is done with you, walk away like a gentleman.”

Fair enough. He nodded. “I promise I won’t hurt her.

” Hold her against her will, perhaps, until they settled into a new rhythm.

Then, buoyed by newfound confidence, he crossed the ballroom, weaving between guests until he was able to join Charlotte where she stood talking with Lord Danville. “Good evening, Charlotte.”

A mixture of fear and curiosity warred in her brandy-hued eyes. “Good evening, Mr. Coatesville. How lovely to see you again.”

God, such an awkward tension brewed between them that gooseflesh rippled over his skin. “If you don’t mind, I would like a few moments of your time.”

“Oh, um...” Her gaze flicked over his person. “There is nothing more to say. I thought you realized that over the years.” Yet there were shadows deep in the depths of her eyes that said otherwise.

Before he could reply, William inserted himself into the conversation. “I believe the lady said she doesn’t want you in her life any longer. It would behoove you to take the hint.”

He stared the other man down, and once more, he curled a hand into a fist. “This is none of your concern, Danville.”