Page 79 of Seven Nights with the Wicked Duke
"Unfortunately I had underestimated just how like our father my brother was. Apparently, he had instructed his solicitor to look for you behind my back. I was so surprised to see you that afternoon walking into the castle like you never left."
"You must have been so disappointed,” Theo said bitterly.
"Disappointed," Cuthbert agreed, "and a tad bit impressed. You had far too many scars and looked haggard but you were mostly intact and alive. That was impressive for an untrained young English gentleman who was forced into war."
"You looked annoyed as if you loathed the fact that you were forced to come back to take the title. So I held on to the hope that you were different from your father. You hated the man, after all. I was wrong. After exchanging greetings with me, you swiftly announced that you will be taking over the affairs ofthe dukedom. I would have been content to at least manage the accounts at least, but you relegated me to the background, electing to pay me an allowance like an elderly maid."
"I thought I was helping you," Theo snapped in frustration. "I was grateful for how beautifully you had managed the affairs of the estate. I did not want to bother you anymore."
"That was an excuse," Cuthbert roared. "If you truly loved my meticulousness, you would have suggested that I continue. You are just as selfish as your father, afraid of anyone coming close in fear that they might steal your dukedom."
"I never suspected you. Perhaps the reason you think I was protecting my title was because you had plans to steal it," Theo shot back.
"Oh no, I might have wanted that at the beginning, but when you cast me out of the castle, I was already too tired and old to start formulating another plan to take over the dukedom. I had a better plan," he replied with a smug smile.
"Please enlighten us," Theo said dryly.
"I figured that if I could not get the title, I could destroy it and all its charms. If I could not be duke, I wanted to do my best to destroy the properties entailed in the title but every time it survived until I was almost going crazy with frustration. Then you sought to introduce me to your friends. I finally had my fingers deep in the family affairs again, I thought of the best way to embarrass you the best way I knew. To make you feel even atiny fraction of the pain I felt. The answer came to me eventually. I realized how attached you were to Blackmore's sister. I came to the answer.
"I would take away the love of your life, knowing that you would not be able to speak of it, because of the forbidden nature of your relationship. I sent for Hector, my son. He seemed to be of sound mind and he reminded me of my younger self. So hungry for parental approval. That was why he was a little too easy to manipulate. The plan was simple. He would approach Cecilia and charm her into marrying him and get a hold of her fortune so that you had no access to them. To make sure you had nothing to fall back on when I eventually wrecked your finances. It was a fool proof plan. Or at least I thought it was," Cuthbert finished, slanting a murderous look towards his son where he knelt on the floor.
"I trusted you, Uncle Cuthbert," Theo said quietly, his voice thick with hurt.
"That is why you resemble your mother so much," Cuthbert said, turning to him with a cruel smile. "After all, her blind trust was the reason she ended up married to the monster that was your father."
"I would make sure to never repeat such a mistake," Theo replied hatefully. "You are a monster."
"Are not we all?" Cuthbert replied with a dark chuckle. "You are definitely not as innocent as you pretend to be. I am sure your friend has no idea that his innocent looking sister had beensneaking off to your estate this past month. I am willing to bet they whatever you two got up to at night, it was definitely not innocent."
Theo felt the blood drain from his face, he could not bear to face Magnus and the anger that he was sure to be there.
There was a long pause.
Theo could swear that he could hear the gears turning in Magnus' head. He found himself counting the seconds until hell broke loose.
When chaos came, it was dangerously quiet.
"Cecilia," Magnus called quietly, his disappointment bleeding through his voice "It is not true, is it? You did not sneak away to Emerton's house, did you?"
Cecilia was silent. He could see her clasping her hands tightly, her eyes cast down in shame.
That posture annoyed him to no end. She had no reason to be ashamed, he was the one who had seduced her, if anyone was to feel ashamed it was him, and his manipulative uncle who wanted to use this as a way to divert attention from his own faults.
"I do not think it is any of your business what happens between me and Lady Cecilia," he said firmly, meeting his uncle's eyes, enjoying the speed at which the smile disappeared from his face,when he realized that his attempt at distraction had not quite worked.
"We have yet to decide what to do about your numerous crimes. The constables should be on their way now. I sent William ahead to bring them. You will pay for your crimes. I will make sure that you stand trial and pay for everything you have done," Theo finished, enjoying the bloom of fear in his uncle's eyes that replaced his smug smile from earlier.
Unfortunately, he should had never underestimated his uncle, because in next moment, Cuthbert was dragging Cecilia into his body, so that she shielded him, his eating knife at her throat.
Theo's heart thudded painfully in fear.
"I will kill her, if you come close to me," he growled, his eyes darting widely now on search of an escape route.
His uncle was a desperate man now, and desperate men were very dangerous. He could not afford to gamble with Cecilia's safety.
"I will kill you, bastard," Magnus growled in anger. "Unhand her."
That threat did not go down well with Cuthbert. He pressed the knife down, breaking the skin of Cecilia's neck. The spill of red blood that poured from that tiny cut, scared Theo, he swore that his heart will beat him to death.
