Page 9 of Her Seven Nights with the Duke

“Well, they do say that violence in a man never falls far from his son,” Lady Mariam said once again, her eyes flicking over to the ladies in a look of conspiratorial solidarity.

Nora stared at her with a curious glance. She appeared to suddenly be the leader of the pack. She looked down at her hair, black much like the lady from the night before.

Is she doing this to keep the other women away from the Duke?

Nora’s eyes widened. By spreading these rumors, if she was his mistress, she could dissuade the other women from ever wishing to be with the Duke. That way, she could have him all to herself.

SheNora shook her head.

Come on, Nora. Don’t get so ahead of yourself like that.

There was no proof that Lady Mariam was the Duke’s mistress, and thinking that would only hurt the lady’s reputation if word ever got out. Not that Nora ever intended to utter a word of this to anyone. Not even to Thalia and Selina.

“We shouldn’t speak so loudly about it. It could only hurt us. I have heard the rumors also, and my mother seems to think there is some truth to it. She knew his father, after all, and has confirmed that he was a violent man,” a brunette who hadn’t said a word since the conversation started chimed in suddenly.

Everyone turned to her with loud gasps as their eyes widened.

“Did she really say that?” the ladies asked, their eyes fixed on her.

The Nora’s mouth fell open.

Not only is he a cad, keeping a mistress when they aren’t married, but he also happens to be a violent man? No wonder he was eager to put on a performance for her. He cared not for whoever the poor woman he had ravaged was..

Nora pitied whoever it was. She hoped it truly wasn’t Lady Mariam or any of the women present. They would feel terriblehaving to listen to any of this, especially knowing that she could end up in a violent situation.

She watched him again, and her face turned red. This time, not because she was embarrassed or shy but because she was angry. Her stomach roiled in disgust, her lips curling in distaste, all of which she was careful to hide behind her fan from the watchful eyes of the ladies, although they were more focused on him than on anyone else.

He was exactly like Timothy. Like the type of men who made a life of whispers and stares seem better than a life of marital security and family.

Will my plan work?

Nora had been thinking about this all through the night and into the morning, but she had decided against it. However, now it seemed like the only thing to do.

I am going to blackmail him. Maybe I can get enough money to run away.

Nora silently shut the door behind her, careful to not make a sound. She adjusted the shawl around her head and slipped into the cover of the night.

All through the day, Nora had been paying attention, trying to find where he was, and she had managed to catch a hint of where he was staying. She walked down the stairs, her steps light as she headed in the direction of his room.

What if he’s with his mistress?

She paused. There was a possibility that his mistress had snuck in to see him just as she had, and she could find her there as well. She turned to go back but steeled herself. This was her last chance before they headed home, and she did not know when next she would be able to do something like this again, or if she would have the confidence to do so.

She had planned out exactly what she was going to say after she made up her mind to go through with her plans to blackmail him—not that there was much to say. It was clear that he valued his reputation, and she intended to use that against him. The Duke would pay her the amount she needed to make sure that all of this went away, and he would never have to hear from her ever again.

Perhaps she should have felt guilty about what she was about to do, but the Duke deserved every bit of it. Men like her stepfather did not need to be pitied, instead they needed to be taught a lesson on how to act.

Nora walked with boldness in the direction of his room. If the mistress was there as well, she would simply blackmail them both. She was desperate as it was, and there was no way she would lose this opportunity.

Nora knocked quietly on the door, looking sideways to make sure that there was no one to catch her in the act and misinterpret what she was doing. She held her cloak tighter to herself, covering her face until the only part of her that was exposed were her eyes.

She raised a hand to knock once again when the door opened a tad bit. Nora took her chance and slipped in through the crack before he could figure out that she wasn’t his mistress and shut the door in her face.

She dropped her shawl, allowing it to fall on her neck. Her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, the only source of light being the small candle that he kept on the bedside table. She looked around the room that was slightly bigger than hers but held no noticeable difference.

“You are not who I thought you would be,” he said, his voice washing over her as he stood with his back to the door.

It was the first time she had heard him speak. His voice was exactly how she had expected it to be. Deep and soothing, capable of luring young ladies into his bed with honey-coated words and fake promises that he had no intention of honoring.

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