Page 76 of Seven Nights with the Wicked Duke
But Theo was no longer listening. His ears having caught on another conversation by a group of young lads just at the entrance of the alley.
"....you should not be so stingy. You are about to become quite rich soon, when you marry that chit. I heard tale that she hasquite an attractive dowry and she is quite lovely to look at. You lucky bastard, you ought to celebrate your good fortune with us," one of them said.
"I would not call it good fortune. Lady Cecilia might have a good dowry and she might be pretty if you prefer your ladies looking nosy and pretentious." His friends laughed at the jab.
"I do not fancy her in any way. I absolutely loathe snobs like her," the voice continued.
"Then why marry her?" Another man in the group asked, curiosity bleeding through each word.
"I have a reason for that. Marrying her is the easiest way to get what I want. Like all English girls, she is not immune to my charm. The deal will be done soon. I can discard her after. I have someone even lovelier in mind," the last sentence was said with so much fondness, the men hollered, teasing him with raucous laughter.
Even through swollen eyes, Theo was able to make out their features and as he spoke, he identified the cowardly traitor.
Of course it was Cecilia's viscount. The one that he had imagined sacrificing himself to have Cecilia marry. With every word out of his mouth, Theo felt his blood turn into lava, his body shaking with his anger. His anger made him stronger, fading the pain to the back of his mind.
One moment he was standing close to William and watching them, the next moment he was launching at the group's leader, clutching his collar and landing a punch on his nose, enjoying the crunching sound as his nose broke eliciting a howl of pain from his victim as he crumbled to the ground clutching his nose.
With the unprovoked punch, the other young men scattered unwilling to be involved in the fracas. Theo was not surprised, most young men of nobility were weak at best, they would be no match for a street fight.
His knuckles stung where it had busted open when it made contact with the coward's face, but he didn't care.
"Damn bastard," the sniveling viscount swore, shooting a murderous glare at him from his place on the floor. "Who the hell are you?"
Oh, the fool did not recognize him?
It was understandable, seeing that he looked very different from the duke he had met. He had simple clothes on now, and his face was probably swollen beyond recognition. Even now he could feel it throbbing, but it was a distant concern compared to the anger that still flowed through his veins.
"Why did you approach her?" he roared, uninterested in the fellow's confusion. "Why did you approach Lady Cecilia?"
The coward leveled a wary look at him. "What is it to you?"
He must have noted the murderous look in his eyes then, because in the next moment he asked another question.
"Are you the Duke of Emerton?" he asked timidly.
"It is no concern of yours. If you fail to answer me the next time, I will make sure to beat you within an inch of your life, before handling you over the authorities" he growled.
Hector looked around, concluding that no one was coming to save him, he finally acquiesced.
"I swear I did not approach her for her money. It was my father. He wanted to teach you a lesson, He knows about your attachment to the Blackmore girl. He thinks this is the best way to get back at you. You have made enemies, Emerton. This is all your fault. You are the one to blame for this mess."
"Is that all?" Theo asked in disbelief. The other man nodded.
"I find it inconceivable that a grown man like you would marry a lady simply for your father's revenge. Do you not care about the destruction you would wreak on the lady's life and reputation? You are worse than a coward."
"You would never understand," the other man sneered. "You have never had to beg for the titles and money and influence you possess. There are so many like me who have to work hard and still plead like a beggar, before we are granted even a fraction of what you possess. You do not understand what it means to be onthe receiving end of mockery all your life. To be called a bastard wherever you go, simply because your sire did not deem it fit to marry your mother. He promised to make me legitimate. He promised to give me the lands and the influence that is my due if I did this one thing. What did you expect me to do?. Spit in his face?"
"Yes, in fact," Theo replied gravely. "That is what a gentleman would do."
Hector laughed bitterly. "Good thing that I am not truly a gentleman."
While Theo was aware that Hector referred to his illegitimate claim to nobility, Theo believed he had no qualities of a true gentleman, but then most of the members of high society who held titles were not gentlemen either in the true sense of the word.
Spending time in the clubs for men of high society, he had heard them brag about elaborate deceptions that many of them used in trapping unsuspecting young women in marriage that made Hector's plan seem like a child's play.
The females were not excluded from these games, quite a few young ladies had set up their own ruination to trap unsuspecting gentlemen into marriage. Since time immemorial,tonmarriages had always been a game of deception and selfishness. Each party marrying for some superficial selfish interest. Most men married for dowry and continuation of their lineage, while many noblewomen aspired to marry a lofty title, give birth to an heirand spare, then be free to pursue other love affairs outside their dull and dour marriages. Love was the exception, not common place. It was perhaps the reason why they scorned couples who were in love. After all misery loves company.
By the standards oftonmarriages, what Hector had done was commonplace and if he had overheard this in a club, he might have minded his business, sparing only a thought of pity for the poor girl in question.
