Page 92 of A Duke for Hire

Mary then shot to her feet, snatching at Seraphina’s wrist with a glare.

“I could have gotten rid of you the moment I discovered you were growing in my belly,” Mary hissed. “Life could have certainly turned out better for me if I had. But no, I gave you life, I gave you the opportunity to marry well, and youwillgive me something now, Seraphina!”

“You forget who you are talking to,Mother,”Seraphina warned, wrenching her wrist away. “I am theDuchessof Merrivale and anything I was before that is no longer of import. I outrank youin every way, and you will not speak to me that way ever again. In fact you willneverspeak to me in any way at all.”

“Seraphina, stop!” Mary called, panic rising in her voice. She let out a scream of pure frustration, and Seraphina heard the scraping of something heavy being lifted from the table. She turned, flung up a hand on instinct to catch the object in midair, and blinked at the vase her mother had thrown at her.

With controlled precision, Seraphina set the vase down on an end table and turned to leave. “You no longer control me, Mother,” she called over her shoulder, “And you never will again.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

“She’s not here,” Leah stated, her tone cold as she met Hugo in the foyer of Merrivale Hall.

Disappointment and loss funneled through Hugo as he still glanced around the vast hall. He had been told that she was no longer at the Briarwoods, and when he’d checked his house in London, she was not there either.

“And what are you doing here?” He replied coldly, turning his gaze back to his little sister.

Leah tilted her head to the side as she looked him over, only annoying him even more.

“Let me ask you something, brother,” she said, crossing her arms. “Why do you insist on saving women like Seraphina and me from cruelty if you are only going to inflict your own viciousness upon us? What is the point?”

Leah’s question took him aback.

“Well?” She insisted.

“Leah, not now,” he retorted. “Where is she?”

“Not a word until you answer me,” Leah replied, her tone stern. “All this time you have refused to tell me, to tell anyone the truth of why you act as you do. I have given you grace, I have given you my patience, but now I am out of both.

“I know why you pushed her away, brother. And I will not let you or anyone else near her until I have some answers.”

Hugo gave her a vicious look, but felt his insides begin to unravel. How, after so many years of keeping it all inside, was he supposed to just let it pour out?

“Come,” Leah urged, “Sit down with me. We will have some tea.”

Knowing he no longer had control, Hugo followed her numbly into the sitting room, where a tray was already waiting for them.

“Start from the beginning,” she prompted, pouring them both a cup.

Hugo’s hands began to shake as his nerves got the best of him. But he knew she was right. It was time.

“I never thought I would end up this way,” he began, looking down at his hands as he clenched and unclenched them. “After seeing what Father did to you. Afterfeelingwhat he had done to me. I would have sworn that I would not follow his menace.”

He paused, glancing over at Leah. She only looked at him with a quiet urge to continue.

“And then Charles happened. What he did to you was bad enough. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if he had come to the duel and handled it like a man. I wasn’t going to shoot to kill. You need to know that. I am… an excellent shot, and I was planning on only winging him. But when I discovered that he had tampered with my pistols, that hehadintended to kill me, all that rage that I had kept hidden deep down in order to take Father’s abuse- it all erupted. Violently and without control.

“It was bloodlust, Leah. I lost myself, and when I finally stopped, when I was able to come back to myself and see what I had done. In front of you of all people. It…it took something from me. Any power I had regained since Father’s death, it was all gone again.”

He stopped, and brought his hands up to his face, rubbing aggressively.

“Please, don’t make me say anymore. Not when I don’t know where Seraphina is. I’ve made a terrible mistake. I know that now. And Leah. Leah, I am so sorry that I have pushed you away all of these years, and I promise I will work to remedy that. But for now, just tell me where my wife is.”

Leah took a long moment to look him up and down, agitating him greatly.

“We will remedy our relationship together,” she said at last, her tone adamant. “Because I am moving back to Merrivale. Not just for you, but for Seraphina. I like my new sister and I want to spend more time with her.”

“You’re going to leave Aunt Rita alone?” was his only defense.

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