Page 8 of Seven Nights with the Wicked Duke (Regency Beasts #3)

O ne problem with masks was that they became tiresome and increasingly difficult to drop with constant use.

Theo had spent the better part of a decade pretending to be happy.

Pretending to be the perfect rake who had overcome the horrors of war.

In reality, he wasn't quite free from the effect of those dark war-torn years of his life.

The truth could be found in how difficult it was for his body to find sleep, and how often he woke up screaming in terror.

That was the reason why he never slept over with any of his lovers or spent the night in a friend's house.

Many women had fallen for his easy charm, unsuspecting the darkness that bloomed underneath. It was the darkness that insisted he engaged in dark, bloody duels with barbaric men of the London underground, every evening, if he had any hope of granting his mind rest for the night.

It was either that or he seduced some prostitute and paid her extra to indulge in dark carnal acts with him.

He was not proud of what he had become, but it was what the darkness demanded.

It was the only reason he had any claim to sanity.

The best he could do was protect his friends from finding out just how depraved he was.

But there were times when it became even more difficult to keep the mask in place. It was one of those moments that had given William, his friend, a glimpse into the suffocating darkness that was his life.

Now at this moment, he felt the mask slipping as the dukes in the salon he had visited urged him to join in their duel.

He could never duel for a multitude of reasons, the chief ones being that there was a high likelihood that he could injure them severely and he didn't want his facade of civility to be destroyed.

English dukes with their lean figures and barely trained muscles could never hold their own against him in a boxing ring, even if he were to yield to them.

The only person who could probably take him on was Magnus, and his safety could not be guaranteed when the darkness eventually took over and he brutalized him.

He wouldn't forgive himself if he injured him or killed him and the nobility would not forgive him either.

"Emerton," Magnus called from his place beside the ring, sweat dripping down his face, as he adjusted his boxing gloves. His opponent was nursing a broken nose and the bruise around his eyes, told Theo that it would soon be swollen shut.

"Come duel with me, these gentlemen offer little resistance," Magnus cajoled.

"No thank you, Blackmore," Theo replied, forcing an easy smile. "I wish to protect my face, it is my best asset. I wouldn't want it mangled like that of your last opponent."

"The idiot did not know to protect his face in a boxing duel. You wouldn't make that mistake," Magnus muttered.

"I wouldn't be so sure, my friend. Besides, I think you have boxed enough today. A cup of water is in order," Theo replied going to offer him one.

"Thank you," Magnus said, eyeing Theo warily.

Theo knew that Magnus did not truly buy his excuse, but he prayed that he let it go and did not decide to pry.

Magnus must have decided to let it go, because he took a swig out of the cup of water he offered. He lowered himself to sit on the bench close by and Theo immediately took the chair beside him.

"I think it is time to find a husband for my sister," Magnus said quietly.

"Cecilia?" Theo asked.

"Of course," Magnus said dryly. "Do you know of any other sister of mine?"

"I just wanted to be clear. Why do you need to find a husband for her? She seems capable enough to find her husband herself."

"You expect me to leave her at the mercy of the wolves that populate the marital mart?" he asked Theo sharply, A strange light shone in his eyes.

Like everyone amongst their friends, they each had scars that resulted in many unhealthy habits. It was the only way they felt they had some control in a world that had tried so hard to make them believe they did not.

Magnus's trauma had found expression in his overprotective tendencies where his sister, his only remaining family member was concerned.

Having seen women and children killed in their beds as a casualty of a war they did not understand, Magnus had become obsessed with protecting his sister with the fierceness of someone who expected violence and bloodshed at every corner, even though he now lived in the heart of London, thousands of miles away from the war he once fought.

But Theo knew well enough that the demons that haunted them had no respect for the distance, they followed them everywhere, leaving them unable to run away and be completely free of its torment.

"You can always allow her to choose her own husband," Theo said gently.

"And leave her vulnerable to their deceit?" Magnus shot back. "Never! I will find a perfect fit for her, someone quiet and scholarly that would fit her well."

Even to Theo that sounded... boring. Magnus was making the mistake that he made for most of the time he had known Cecilia - believing that she was a subdued bluestocking.

But Cecilia was very far from that. She was vivacious and intelligent.

She possessed an inner passion that when fanned into flames might singe him, but Magnus wanted to cage her in a marriage with some dull gentleman, in some misguided attempt at protection.

It sounded wrong to his ears and it was.

He understood better now why Cecilia was hell bent on completing her list, before allowing herself to be tied down in the miserable marriage her brother was planning for her.

Cecilia was one of the people in his life that he would do almost anything to protect from himself.

The dark beastly part of him responded to her.

It wanted her, just like it seemed to possess all beautiful things and Cecilia was the most beautiful of them all.

In light of his friend's revelation, he decided to do his best to help her achieve some degree of happiness, even if he could not extricate her from the miserable match awaiting her, he would do his absolute best to make her last days as an unmarried lady the best yet.

"You are awfully quiet, Emerton. Do you perhaps think that I'm being too hard on my sister?"

"I am hardly qualified to offer you advice on how to deal well with a sister, since I do not have one.

" Theo said, standing up and coming to stand in front of Magnus.

"I will leave you with this thought. You might seek to protect your sister, but her safety will be out of your hands once you marry her off.

You might be able to protect her physically but I do not think you are able to offer the same security for her emotions.

Do not become so occupied with ensuring her safety that you forget to be her brother. "

There was a long pause during which Magnus stated at him and Theo braced himself for an explosion of anger but when Magnus's voice again.

It was calm and controlled. "I thank you for your advice Emerton," he said, standing up to his full height.

" I will treasure it. You could still duel me though. "

And give him the opportunity to trounce him suddenly in his present mood? No, thank you.

"Forgive me Blackmore, I am no match for you when it comes to boxing and like I said, I prefer to keep my face as pretty as it is," he said with his signature mischievous smile. "My aim is to keep the ladies happy and entertained."

Usually by now, Magnus would be shaking his head at his vanity and dismissing him with a wave of his hand in exasperation. Instead now he stared at him steadily, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Emerton," he said, "Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that you are not telling me the whole truth? You do know that I know you well enough to know to know that your claims of fragility in the boxing ring are in no way true."

Magnus was crossing the boundaries, slowly crawling towards the truth that he kept well hidden. He could not let it happen. So he did the next best thing.

"Do not tell me that you do not have secrets of your own," he said to Magnus, keeping his tone frivolous.

"You wouldn't be my friend if you didn't enjoy the sense of mystery that there is to me.

You are not much of an open book either, Blackmore.

Careful, you might get stained by hypocrisy.

You do not see me try to glean your secrets do you? "

"Fair point," Magnus muttered.

Theo felt his whole being take a sigh of relief as he took a step back from his defensive mode.

They might all be friends with varying degrees of secrets they kept hidden in the wake of their dark days as soldiers, but none could be as dark as his were.

He preferred it that way. They might shrink in dismay when they discovered who he really was.

He had to know his absolute best, to ensure that his lifelong mask remained intact on his person with no chance to slip.

"I'm sorry to leave you, Blackmore, but I must go. I have a meeting soon."

"All right," Magnus said, raising his cup of water in salute. Theo returned the gesture with a hand to his temple. He stepped outside, happy to breath freely away from Magnus's too perceptive eyes.

He waited for his coach to be brought around, then gave the driver his destination with a simple order of, "Black Angel". The driver nodded and waited for him to settle before driving off, depositing him near the club's location.

To many others, Black Angel was a gentleman's club known for catering to gamblers and for its offer of hedonism dressed in golden glitter. It was a house where pleasure was obtained easily and in comfort for its registered members.