Page 42 of The Duke’s Untouched Bride (Regency Second Chances #3)
“They’re already following him. Have been since this morning, when certain inconsistencies in his documentation about Adele Martel as well as some of your business activities came to light.
” Owen was bluffing, but Jasper’s reaction suggested the gambit was working.
“How long before they trace his activities back to you?”
Jasper’s composure cracked entirely. The confident mask fell away, revealing something ugly and desperate beneath.
“You always were too clever for your own good. Just like Nicholas.” His voice turned bitter and vicious. “Always so sure of yourselves, so convinced you deserved everything handed to you.”
“So, you killed him.”
“I freed the family from the embarrassment that was his life. Nicholas was a disgrace, rutting around Europe like a common libertine. His bastard would have been the final scandal.”
“She’s an innocent baby.”
“She’s a liability. But not for much longer.” Jasper checked his pocket watch with casual malice. “My associate should be collecting her about now. Such a tragedy when children simply vanish. These things happen in London.”
The imminent threat to Evie’s life shattered Owen’s fraying control. He lunged across the desk. His fist connected with Jasper’s jaw with satisfying force. The younger man flew backward. His chair toppled over as they both crashed to the floor.
“Owen!”
He spun around to find the Dowager Duchess standing in the doorway. Her face was pale with shock. How long had she been there? How much had she heard?
“Grandmother.” Jasper struggled to his feet while dabbing at his split lip. “This maniac attacked me without provocation.”
“Without provocation?” The Dowager Duchess’s voice carried a tremor Owen had never heard before. “I heard what you said about Nicholas. About the child.” Her eyes filled with tears. “What have you done, Jasper? What have you done to my grandson and his child?”
“I saved this family from scandal. Nicholas was weak, Grandmother. A romantic fool who would have destroyed our reputation with his foreign whore and her bastard.”
The Dowager Duchess’s hand flew to her throat as if she couldn’t breathe. “You killed him. Your own brother.”
“I protected what matters. The title, the reputation, the legacy that should have been mine from the beginning,” Jasper hissed. “Nicholas never deserved to be Duke. He was too soft, too sentimental. I’m what this family needs.”
“You’re nothing like what this family needs.” The Dowager Duchess’s words came out broken, devastated. “You’re a monster.”
“I’m a realist. And after tonight, there will be no more threats to our good name.”
Owen moved toward Jasper again. His rage built like a storm in his chest. But before he could reach him, familiar hands caught his shoulders.
“Easy, Cousin. Let me handle this.”
Felix appeared beside him, breathing hard as if he’d run the entire way.
“Felix?” Owen stared at him in confusion. “How did you…”
“Followed you. Again. Really, your habit of charging off alone is becoming tiresome.” Felix moved past him to where Jasper crouched against the overturned desk. “Although in this case, I’m grateful for the dramatic timing.”
“You can’t prove anything,” Jasper snarled.
“Can’t I? I’ve been listening from the hallway for several minutes. Heard some fascinating confessions about murdered brothers and threatened children.” Felix’s smile was all teeth. “The constables will find it all very interesting.”
“You have no authority here.”
“No, but I have friends who do. And after tonight’s revelations, I suspect they’ll be very interested in reopening the investigation into Nicholas’s death.”
Jasper’s face went ashen as the implications sank in.
Owen watched the man’s bravado crumble. It was quickly replaced by the desperate fear of someone who had overreached.
“Where is Holt?” he demanded. “Where is my daughter?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Felix hauled Jasper to his feet with surprising strength. “Let’s discuss this with the authorities, shall we? I’m sure they have ways of refreshing your memory.”
As Felix dragged the protesting Jasper toward the door, Owen turned to the Dowager Duchess. She stood frozen in the center of the room. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at the destruction of everything she’d believed about her family.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry you had to learn the truth this way.”
“The child.” Her voice was barely a whisper. “Nicholas’s child. She’s yours now?”
“She’s ours. Mine and Iris’s.” The words came out with absolute certainty. “And I’ll die before I let anyone take her away.”
The Dowager Duchess nodded, her composure slowly returning despite her grief. “Then go. Save your family. I’ll handle things here.”
Owen paused in the doorway. “What will you do?”
“What I should have done years ago—ensure that justice is served.” Her voice hardened with resolve. “Nicholas deserves that much. You all do.”
As Owen ran through London’s darkening streets, his heart hammered with panic and determination. Somewhere in the city, a man was trying to steal his daughter. But he would find him, would tear London apart stone by stone if necessary.
Because he finally understood what the Dowager Duchess had been trying to tell him. Love wasn’t a weakness. It was the strongest force in the world.
And Owen Sencler, the Duke of Carridan, was done running from its power.