Page 96 of Second Duke's the Charm
When she didn’t answer immediately, he took a step forward and tilted his chin at the necklace in her hand. The man she called Stockdale must have dropped it during their fight.
“Igave you jewels,” he panted. “Were they not to your liking?” He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cool night air. “I made love to you, too. Was that not good enough, either? What do youwant, woman?”
She shook her head, and he couldn’t tell if she was furious, disgusted, or simply disappointed.
“You’re mad,” she breathed, sounding as if she truly believed it. “You’re acting like a jealous fool. Which is impossible, because you’ve told me on numerous occasions that what’s between us is only business and physical pleasure.”
Her scathing tone made him flinch, and her eyes narrowed in a fury that matched his own.
“Which means,” she continued, “that you’re just guarding something you see as your possession. You don’t want any other man touching what you see as your own.”
That there was a grain of truth in her accusation made him even more irritated. And defensive.
“You didn’t interrupt a lovers’ meeting,” she said hotly. “You interrupted a private investigator—me—foiling a plot to blackmail the queen.” She reached into her cloak and drew out a sheaf of folded papers. “The man you just tried to beat to a pulp was a printmaker from Covent Garden who was threatening to publish Princess Charlotte’s love letters.” She brandished the bundle in front of his face. “These.”
Justin tried to conceal his surprise. Tess was some kind of female Bow Street Runner? Bloody Hell. If that was true, then he’d misjudged her—and the situation—quite horrifically.
“Sounds like he deserved a good beating, then,” he drawled.
She scowled at his flippant attempt at levity.
“This necklace,” she said, lifting it in her other hand, “was his payment. It’s not a lover’s gift, nor is it blood money for some imaginary assassination attempt.”
Justin winced at the hurt and anger in her tone. “Why didn’t you tell me you were working for the queen? That you’re some kind of—what? Secret spy?”
“I had no reason to trust you! I didn’t even know you a month ago. You were a stranger.” Her eyes glittered. “Youstill area stranger, in fact. And you don’t know me at all if you think I could have ordered someone to hurt you.”
She shook her head, and her voice sounded choked.“Do you honestly believe that I could do something so awful? That I’ve been trying tokillyou?”
Justin took a step toward her, but she moved back, keeping the distance between them and putting her hands up to ward him off.
“I admit, it does seem far-fetched,” he admitted. “But not impossible. Your past actions led me to believe that you would do anything to secure your position. Both socially and financially.”
She gasped in offense, but he forged on, determined to make her see that he’d had valid reasons for his mistrust.
“You can’t deny that becoming the Duchess of Wansford greatly improved your situation. Your father was in dire financial straits. You didn’t even bring a dowry to the marriage—I read the settlement your father agreed with the old duke.”
Her eyes widened, but she said nothing.
“And as luck would have it, you barely had to endure the old man’s company for long. One night only, in fact. As his widow you were well provided for, and since no subsequent heirs lived long enough to come and claim the title, you were left to enjoy your life without unwelcome interference for almost two years.”
He ran his fingers through his disordered hair. “You seemed to be enjoying your widowhood. You’d found a solution to satisfy your physical needs that didn’t risk losing your income from the duchy: cavorting with men likemeat Careby’s. We were intimate, without even knowing each other’s names.”
She pressed her lips together in a tight line, unable to refute that particular truth.
“And then I came along, the new duke, and you jumped at the chance to improve your lot yet again. The onlydownside was that you had to endure my company for a few months before we separated.”
Tess shook her head. “You think I married both you, and the first duke, for money and position?” Two red spots flamed on her cheeks. “If that were true, then why would I be trying to kill you? Financially, I’m better off with you alive.”
She sent him a scathing look, and he cursed the fact that he found her attractive, even now.
“Perhaps,” she continued, her tone practically dripping scorn, “I couldn’t stomach sleeping with you, even for a few weeks. Perhaps I missed my endless procession of lovers and my life as a merry widow?”
Her bosom swelled in outrage. Justin opened his mouth to make a counterargument, but she spoke before he could get a word out.
“Do you think I faked my attraction to you?” she demanded. “That I only pretended to enjoy your kisses, your lovemaking?” Her angry words echoed through the clearing. “The only thing I faked was my experience!”
Chapter Thirty-Eight