Page 77 of Trapped with her Cruel Duke

“It seems that your marriage is a success,” he noted coldly.

Louise resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his pompousness.

“As successful asfive dayswill allow, yes,” she answered irritably.

“I am pleased to hear it. The Duke was likely displeased that his deal had been for nothing.”

Louise clasped her hands tightly behind her back, keeping her eyes fixed on her father. “I believe it was a deal you made first, Papa. Over a hand of cards, no less.” She kept her expression blank, but her voice rang with emotion.

The Earl’s eyes narrowed as he pursed his lips. He cleared his throat a little awkwardly, but he did not deny it. Louise bit her tongue, attempting to keep her temper in check.

“Do not pretend you have any affection for the man, Louise. Your marriage was a business transaction. Many women have suffered the same fate and live happily until their dotage. You should bethankingme.”

She glanced behind her at Christian, who was speaking with her mother but keeping an eye on the terrace. She moved out of sight, a feeling of trepidation creeping up on her as she considered what her father might want.

“Was there something specific you wished to speak to me about?” she asked. “Because it is rather cold.”

The Earl took a step forward, looking down at her with a haughtiness she knew all too well. “I assume you are aware why I made the deal in the first place?” he asked archly.

Louise frowned, trying to think back to what Christian had told her. He had merely said that the Earl had made her the prize.

“What are you speaking of?” she asked carefully, unwilling to give anything away if she could help it.

“The Duke is in possession of something of mine,” the Earl said briskly. “I want it back. The man is refusing to speak to me on the matter and he is treating me abominably, as you have seen with your own eyes.”

Louise held back the sharp retort on the tip of her tongue. “What is he in possession of? I am sure you are mistaken, Papa. If you ask him, he will return it to you.”

The Earl scoffed derisively. “I am certain he will not. He holds power over me, and men like him will do everything to retain it. He holds the deed to the townhouse in which your mother and I now reside. You will get it back from him.”

Louise recoiled, staring up at him in astonishment. “Iwill get it back for you?” she asked. “What on earth do you mean?”

“You are a Dawson, Louise, no matter how pretty a picture the Duke paints of your marriage. He married you because it suited his interests, and he wished to torment me, nothing more.”

“Papa, you have not?—”

“I suppose you know about the animosity between us,” the Earl continued lazily. “It goes back years. Christian and his brother once had the audacity to ask me for an invitation to The Devils. Low-born, worthless, little creatures expecting me to welcome them with open arms because their father decided to acknowledge them.”

Louise was so startled by the venom in his voice that she struggled to speak.

“Their mother was a servant in the late Duke’s household. His wife could not give him children, so he got them elsewhere, and when his wife died, he had the audacity to marry Christian’s mother. Amaid!It is unconscionable.”

Louise moved further down the terrace, terrified that Christian or Marcus might hear the vitriol spewing from her father’s lips.

“Whatever your opinions on the subject, Papa, he is the Duke of Egerton, whether you recognize it or not.”

“I do not, and neither should you,” the Earl said impatiently. “This is not a negotiation. You should have already agreed without question. You will get the deed for me. It must be in this house somewhere. He will keep it close—I know his sort all too well.”

“I will do no such thing.”

“Do not be obstinate, Louise. It is unbecoming. Would you see your parents on the street? As you said yourself, you have been married less than a week. And what happens when the tide turns? When the Duke decides he does not need to protect your family? What then?”

“All right, answer this question then,” Louise snapped. “Why does Christian have the deed toourhome in the first place?”

The Earl faltered briefly before he snorted and shook his head. “You are your mother’s daughter, I see. All accusations and assumptions without a shred of evidence. I had a run of bad luck and lost it at the gaming tables.”

Louise threw her hands up in despair.

“And that is myright!” the Earl thundered. “I am the lord and master of my estate, and I choose what to do with it. You would not have a roof over your head if it were not for me. Remember that, my girl.”

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