Page 92 of His Accidental Duchess

They reached a second-floor landing, angry voices drifting out from beneath a door. The landlady led him to a door right in the corner and hammered on it with a meaty knuckle.

“Open up! Gentleman here to see you.”

Theo was spared the humiliation of having the landlady unlock the door for him. The door jerked open, revealing a tall, thin,pale gentleman in a dirty housecoat and slippers, his hair uncombed, his beard sticking out awkwardly from his chin.

Recognition flashed across his face at once. He leaned on the doorframe, giving Theo a long, slow look. “Oh,” he said shortly. “It’s you.”

The landlady was practically vibrating with excitement. “Who’s this gent to you?”

Kenneth Jenkins did not look at her. “None of your beeswax, Mrs. G. Come on in, then,Your Grace.”

Theo had a brief view of the landlady’s horrified face upon hearing Kenneth address him by his title, before he stepped inside and the door was closed behind them.

The apartment was more or less what he’d expected. Decently sized but not large by any means, untidy and dirty. The floor was thick with dust, save for a few trodden paths. A single fireplace was clogged with ashes spreading out over the carpet in front of it, and a threadbare armchair was angled towards the dark grate.

Clothes, books, bottles, and empty glasses were strewn everywhere, on the furniture, on the floor, lined on the mantelpiece and so on. A half-open door revealed a bedroom, even more untidy than the main room.

Kenneth threw himself into the armchair, gesturing for Theo to take a hard-backed seat. “Sit.”

“No, thank you,” Theo responded. He hadn’t been offered tea, but he wouldn’t have accepted anyway. “Tell me, is this where my wife came when you and she were lovers?”

Kenneth flinched. “What, are you here to dig up all that old nonsense?”

“I shall take that as a yes.”

Theo wandered over to the window, peering out through cobwebby window-panes at the street below. His carriage was still there, the coachman glaring down at a pack of youths who were gathering nearby. They exchanged glances, thought better of it, and scuttled away down the street.

“I’m afraid,” Theo said, turning to face Kenneth again, “that I am here precisely to dig up all that old nonsense. You and I have to have a proper talk. I was not pleased to see you at the opera.”

Kenneth scoffed. “Can’t a man visit the opera?”

“You deliberately sought me out. Me and my new wife. Why did you do that?”

“You needn’t worry.” Kenneth scowled. “She isn’t as pretty as your first one.”

Theo crossed the room in a flash, fisting his hand in the other man’s robe, hauling him out of his chair. “How dare you speak about her this way,” he breathed.

“Stop, stop, it was just a joke!” Kenneth bleated. “She’s very pretty. Very pretty!”

Theo shoved him back. “You have no idea why I’m angry, do you? I would have been amused if I were not so angry. I thought we had a deal, you and I. My money, your silence. We agreed, too, that I would not see you again. That…” He paused, drawing in a breath. “That Katherine would not see you again.”

There was a long pause. The blank look on Kenneth’s face filled Theo with such rage that his vision blurred just for a moment.

“Your. Daughter,” he ground out, his teeth clenched.

Kenneth shifted his weight. “Oh,” he sighed. “Can’t blame me for forgetting. Are wesureshe isn’t yours, after all?”

Theo rubbed a hand over his face. “It would be impossible for her to be my child. But let me be clear. She ismydaughter. Mine. I have raised her, worked to keep her safe, loved her. I will not have you trying to worm your way into her life, destroying her reputation in the process.”

Kenneth pouted. “And I told you that I would stay away. Why should I care about the chit?”

Theo stared down at him, realizing in a rush that his trip here had been for naught. “You only want more money, don’t you?”

Kenneth shifted. “A little more wouldn’t hurt. The money you gave me before is all gone.”

Theo drew in a deep breath, closing his eyes. “I will give you a sum of money. There will be no more after that, and if you try to ask for more, I’ll have you locked up for extortion. You know I can do that.”

Kenneth brightened at the prospect of money. “Yes, yes, I’ll stay away.”

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