Page 38 of Wedded to the Duke of Seduction (Dukes of Passion #3)

CHAPTER 38

“ I s this a trap, or am I walking into my own grave?” Leo muttered to himself as he approached the abandoned theater.

He drew his pistol from his coat and checked the priming. The building rose before him, its once-grand facade now crumbling. Light flickered from within—someone was there. Leo circled the structure until he found the side entrance he remembered. The door hung ajar, sending a chill through him.

He pushed it open, and the hinges protested with a creak. Darkness engulfed the backstage area except for a faint glow emanating from the main stage. Leo picked his way across the aged wooden floor, sidestepping debris and loose boards that might give him away.

Voices drifted toward him—two distinct tones in conversation. The words remained unclear, but one voice was unmistakably female, cultured and musical. Felicity. The other, soft yet steady, belonged to Marina. Leo inched closer, hugging the shadows, pistol in hand.

William’s hand pressed firmly against Marina’s mouth, his other arm wrapping around her waist to hold her still. The cold metal of a pistol dug into her back.

“Please don’t struggle,” he whispered near her ear, his voice surprisingly gentle despite his actions. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Marina remained rigid in his grasp, her eyes fixed on Felicity, who watched their interaction with obvious satisfaction.

“Much better,” Felicity purred, stepping closer. “I was growing tired of our little chat. So tedious explaining things to someone who doesn’t understand their place in the larger picture.”

Marina’s heart pounded against her ribs as William turned her to face Felicity fully, the pistol never wavering from her back.

“You see, Duchess,” Felicity continued, circling them like a predator, “Leo betrayed me first. He claimed to love me, promised me everything, then abandoned me at the first sign of his father’s disapproval.” Her beautiful face twisted with contempt. “So proper, so concerned with duty and family reputation.”

William’s grip tightened slightly. “She doesn’t need to hear this, Felicity.”

“Oh, but she does.” Felicity’s eyes glittered in the dim light. “Her husband isn’t the gallant protector she believes him to be. He’s a coward who sacrificed love for duty, who chose his title over happiness.”

Marina made a muffled sound of protest against William’s palm. Felicity laughed.

“Still defending him? How touching.” She leaned in, her face inches from Marina’s. “William was the only one brave enough to choose love over duty. When Leo cast me aside, his brother recognized my worth.”

William’s body tensed behind Marina. “We need to hurry,” he muttered. “Just take the money, and let’s go.”

Felicity ignored him, her focus entirely on Marina. “We lived well for a time,” she continued. “The money we took lasted longer than Leo probably imagined. But your husband is persistent. He chased us across Europe, forcing us to move whenever we settled anywhere for too long.”

Marina’s eyes widened as understanding dawned. The missing silverware, the strange sense of being watched, the displaced items in her study. It hadn’t been her imagination after all.

“Yes,” Felicity nodded, reading her expression. “William has been visiting your home, taking small items to sell. Family silver is so valuable after all.”

William’s chest expanded against Marina’s back as he took a deep breath. “I had to,” he mumbled, his voice tight with shame. “We needed money. It was only pieces no one would miss.”

“But it wasn’t enough,” Felicity sighed dramatically. “Which brings us to tonight’s arrangement. Your ransom, Duchess, will provide us with enough funds to leave England permanently and well beyond the reach of your husband’s obsessive pursuit.”

Marina twisted her head, breaking free of William’s grip just enough to speak. “Leo will never stop looking for you.”

Felicity’s smile turned cruel. “That’s exactly what I’m counting on. His pursuit of us will occupy him completely and leave you just as abandoned as I was.”

The realization hit Marina with brutal force. This wasn’t just about money. It was about punishing Leo by taking her from him, continuing a cycle of pain and loss that had begun a decade ago.

“You’ve miscalculated,” Marina said, her voice steadier than she felt. “Leo and I are already estranged. Taking me will accomplish nothing.”

“Do you truly believe that?” Felicity laughed. “You underestimate his possessiveness. He may have withdrawn from you emotionally, but he will never allow anyone to take what belongs to him.”

William shifted uncomfortably behind Marina. “Enough talking. Take her purse and let’s be done with this.”

“Always so impatient, William.” Felicity’s voice carried a note of disdain. “Very well. The money first then we’ll decide what to do with our new duchess.”

The pistol pressed harder against Marina’s spine. “Give her the purse,” William ordered, his voice strained.

Marina’s fingers fumbled with the clasp. As she extended the purse toward Felicity, her mind raced for a means of escape. The theater was vast and dark. If she could break free, perhaps she could lose them in the maze of corridors and passageways.

Felicity snatched the purse and opened it, her expression souring as she counted the contents. “This is barely enough for passage to the continent.” She looked up, eyes narrowing. “Where is the rest?”

“There is no more,” Marina replied honestly. “That’s my entire savings.”

“Lying doesn’t become you,” Felicity hissed. “You’re the Duchess of Blackmere now. Your husband is one of the wealthiest men in England.”

“A title doesn’t grant me access to his accounts.” Marina’s voice remained calm despite her racing heart. “Leo controls his own fortune.”

Felicity’s face hardened. “Then we’ll need to ensure he pays handsomely for your return.”

William tensed. “That wasn’t our plan. You said we’d take the money and leave.”

“Plans change, darling.” Felicity tucked the purse into her cloak. “Your pistol, please. I believe it’s time our duchess and I became better acquainted.”

Marina felt William hesitate, his grip loosening slightly. Taking advantage of his momentary uncertainty, she drove her elbow hard into his stomach. William doubled over with a grunt of pain, the pistol wavering from her back.

Before she could break free completely, Felicity lunged forward, seizing Marina’s arm in a grip that belied her delicate appearance.

“Stupid girl,” she snarled, wrenching Marina away from William. “Did you honestly think you could escape us?”

William straightened, his face pale. “Felicity, stop this. We have the money?—”

“It’s not enough!” Felicity’s voice rose sharply, echoing through the theater. “It will never be enough! Leo took everything from me, and now, he’ll pay the full price!”

The shift in her tone from calculated calm to frenzied rage sent chills down Marina’s spine. She twisted in Felicity’s grip, fighting to break free, but the woman’s fingers only dug deeper into her flesh.

“Give me the pistol, William,” Felicity demanded, her free hand extended.

William looked from Felicity to Marina, uncertainty plain on his features. “This isn’t what we agreed?—”

“The pistol!” Felicity shrieked. “Now!”

William’s face contorted with indecision, his grip on the weapon tightening even as his eyes betrayed his uncertainty. “This isn’t what we agreed?—”

Leo seized the moment, lunging across the stage toward his brother. William flinched as Felicity grabbed for the gun, but Leo reached them first, knocking the weapon from their hands. The pistol skittered across the wooden floor, coming to rest near the edge of the stage.

Marina scrambled away from the struggle, putting distance between herself and Felicity’s clawing hands. William stood frozen for a heartbeat, then, as if waking from a trance, he grabbed Felicity’s arms, restraining her as she thrashed against his hold.

“Let me go!” Felicity screamed, her carefully cultivated composure shattered completely. “William, you weak fool! Let me go!”

“It’s over, Felicity,” William said, his voice steady despite the strain evident on his face. “No more running. No more schemes.”

Leo retrieved a length of rope from where stage curtains had once been tied, returning to find his brother still struggling with the furious woman.

“Hold her still,” he instructed, moving to bind Felicity’s wrists.

Between them, they secured her hands then her ankles. William tore a strip from his own cravat, using it to gag Felicity when her screams turned to vicious threats.

“I never wanted it to come to this,” William said quietly when Felicity was finally subdued, her eyes burning with hatred above the makeshift gag. “I thought I was choosing love over duty, freedom over obligation. I was a fool.”

Leo straightened, studying his brother’s face—the face he’d searched for across a thousand miles, a face both achingly familiar and changed by the decade that separated them. “We were both fools in our own ways.”

William’s eyes filled with tears. “I stole from you. I betrayed you. I let her convince me you were the villain.” He glanced toward Felicity then back to his brother. “The things we did, the money we took… I have no right to ask your forgiveness.”

“Yet you have it all the same,” Leo replied, the words coming easier than he would have expected. Ten years of anger and pain seemed to dissolve in the face of his brother’s genuine remorse. “You’re my brother, William. Despite everything.”

William’s composure broke. He stepped forward, reaching hesitantly toward Leo as if uncertain of his welcome. “I want to make amends. Whatever it takes. I’ll repay everything, face whatever consequences?—”

Leo closed the distance between them, pulling his brother into a fierce embrace. William stiffened in surprise then clutched Leo’s coat, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

“Welcome home, little brother,” Leo murmured, his own throat tight with emotion.

When they finally separated, both men turned to Marina, who stood watching their reunion with quiet dignity.

“Your wife is remarkable,” William said, wiping his eyes. “I’m sorry for what we put her through.”

Leo crossed to Marina’s side, noticing the fine tremor in her hands despite her composed expression. “Are you all right?”

Marina nodded. “I will be.” Her gaze shifted to Felicity, who had ceased struggling and now watched them with cold, calculating eyes. “What happens now?”

“Now,” Leo said, “we go home.”

With William’s help, they carried Felicity to Leo’s waiting carriage. The streets were empty at this late hour, allowing them to depart unseen. Marina sat across from the bound woman, her face betraying nothing of her thoughts.

Leo watched his wife, seeing the strength that had carried her through this ordeal and so many others. The same strength she’d shown when he had rejected her love, choosing fear over vulnerability. The knowledge that he might have lost her tonight, not to Felicity and William but to his own cowardice, settled like a weight in his chest.

When they reached Berkeley Square, Henderson opened the door, his usually impassive face showing shock at the sight that greeted him. To his credit, he recovered quickly, helping them bring Felicity inside without waking the entire household.

“Prepare the small guest room at the back of the house,” Leo instructed. “Make sure the windows are secured. And send for Dr. Fielding. And Henderson, discretion is essential.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Henderson replied, already moving to carry out his orders.

In the library, Leo poured brandy for himself and William while Marina sank into a chair, exhaustion finally claiming her now that the immediate danger had passed.

“You should rest,” Leo told her gently. “It’s been a long night.”

Marina looked as if she might argue then nodded. “What will happen to her?” she asked, gesturing toward the door through which Felicity had been taken.

“She’ll be sent to France under supervision,” Leo replied. “I have connections who can ensure she remains there. If she ever returns to England, she’ll face imprisonment.”

“And William?”

Leo glanced at his brother, who stood by the fireplace looking lost. “William will stay here where he belongs.”

William shook his head. “I can’t impose?—”

“You’re not imposing,” Leo cut him off. “You’re family. This is your home too.”

Marina rose, swaying slightly with fatigue. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”

Leo wanted to follow her, to ensure she truly was unharmed, to say all the things that crowded his mind and heart, but he recognized her need for solitude after the night’s events. There would be time for words tomorrow.

“Goodnight, Marina,” he said softly.

She paused at the door, her eyes meeting his. “Goodnight, Leo.”

After she left, Leo turned back to his brother. William stared into his brandy, shame apparent in every line of his body.

“I’ve been a fool,” William said again. “I let my jealousy blind me. Father always favored you, and I resented it. When Felicity turned to me after you ended things with her, it felt like finally winning something that was yours.”

“Father was wrong to show such favoritism,” Leo acknowledged. “And I was wrong to let his opinions dictate my choices. If I’d stood up to him about Felicity, perhaps none of this would have happened.”

William shook his head. “She would have found another way to manipulate us. I see that now. She never loved either of us. We were just a means to an end.”

Leo couldn’t disagree with his brother’s assessment. He had recognized Felicity’s calculated nature too late, after she had already set her sights on William. His rejection had made his brother an easier target, ripe for manipulation through his insecurities.

“What matters now is moving forward,” Leo said, pouring more brandy for them both. “You’re home. The rest can be sorted out in time.”

They talked long into the night, filling in the gaps of the past decade. William described their flight across Europe, the gradual depletion of their stolen funds, and Felicity’s growing desperation as Leo’s agents came ever closer to finding them.

“She was obsessed with you,” William admitted. “Even after all these years. Every time your name appeared in a newspaper or we heard rumors of your whereabouts, she would fly into a rage. I think part of her never accepted that you had truly chosen duty over her.”

“And now, she’s trying to destroy my marriage,” Leo mused, the pieces falling into place. “The blackmail was never about money. It was about separating me from Marina.”

William nodded. “When we learned you had married, she became fixated on the idea that your wife must be punished as she had been. I tried to talk her out of it, but…” He spread his hands helplessly. “I’ve never been strong enough to deny her.”

“Until tonight,” Leo pointed out. “When it mattered most, you stood with me rather than her.”

“Your wife helped me see the truth,” William said quietly. “Even with a gun at her back, she defended you. That kind of loyalty… it made me question everything Felicity had told me about you.”

Dawn was breaking by the time their conversation wound down. A maid entered to stoke the fire and inform them that Dr. Fielding had seen to Felicity, pronouncing her physically well but recommending sedation for the journey to come.

“We should both get some rest,” Leo suggested, noting the dark circles beneath his brother’s eyes. “Henderson will show you to a room.”

William hesitated. “Leo, I truly am sorry. For everything.”

“I know,” Leo replied, clasping his brother’s shoulder. “So am I.”

As William departed with Henderson, Leo remained in the library, watching the sunrise through the windows. The night’s events had changed everything—not just the recovery of his brother but the undeniable truth that he had nearly lost Marina through his own fear.

He had spent a decade searching for William, never realizing that the real danger lay not in the past but in his refusal to embrace the future. Marina had offered him her heart, and he had rejected it out of fear that history would repeat itself.

Now, with the dawn of a new day, he knew what he had to do. It was time to stop running from his feelings. Time to be as brave as the remarkable woman who had faced down her captors without flinching. Time to fight for what truly mattered.

His mind made up, Leo left the library, determined to find Marina and offer her the one thing he had been too afraid to give—his heart, fully and without reservation.