Page 63 of A Duchess to Unravel
William flinched and shook his head.
“I will not do it again, Your Grace. I swear it!” William pleaded. “It was wrong, I know, but I was desperate!”
“You are right about one thing,” Alistair replied, leaning his backside against his desk. “You willnotdo it again. Especially in London. And you will certainly not come near me or mine again.”
William nodded, finally lifting his brown eyes to look anxiously up at Alistair.
“Never,” he swore.
He flinched when Alistair pulled out a knife and began to sob again, words of prayer sputtering from his lips.
“Calm down,” Alistair snapped, approaching him from behind. “Despite my reputation, I am not savage enough to murder.”
He slipped the knife between the ropes binding the man’s wrists, and with one upward thrust, he cut them away. William fell forward, his stiff shoulders barely able to move in time to catch himself. Alistair pulled the wad of bills and the letter he’d written from his inner jacket pocket and threw them at the man, sending them scattering over the floor.
William looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes, but Alistair only glared.
“I will be sending that letter to your family, informing them that you have left the country to pursue an opportunity in the Americas.”
As Alistair said so, he plucked a pen from the desk and flung it at William.
“Sign it,” he demanded.
With trembling fingers William picked up the letter and pen and scribbled his signature at the bottom, not even bothering to read it.
“I booked you passage on a ship scheduled to leave this evening,” Alistair went on, plucking the letter and pen from William’s hands. “I will personally be escorting you onto it to ensure your departure. How you choose to spend my money will then be upto you, but I suggest you do so wisely. My generosity does not extend to a second chance.”
William hurriedly reached for the scattered bills, gathering them up into a pile to stuff into his pockets.
“Yes, Your Grace,” he agreed willingly.
He moved to stand, and Alistair lunged toward him, grasping his collar and giving him a good shake.
“I have acquaintances in every corner of the globe, William,” Alistair warned, his tone deadly, “And if you try to blackmail anyone else, someonewillcome for you. Do ye understand?”
William’s red-rimmed eyes grew wide as more tears swam in them, but he nodded. Sniffled.
“Yes, Your Grace,” he replied. “I need to change. I understand that now. More than ever.”
Alistair stared at him coldly for a long moment, then released him with a shove.
“There’s a good lad,” he replied, watching William right himself, “Now come along, you’ve got a ship to board.”
As he walked by William’s side toward the docks, Alistair pondered again at how effortless it had been to get the man toleave. It was almost too easy. And yet the man had admitted to his wrongdoing and had not negated a word Alistair had said.
He chose to chalk the feelings of unease toward the events that had occurred at Everett’s ball just two days ago. Alistair was a giver, a man with a dominant nature. It was how he found his pleasure and how he ruled his life. Yet that night, hidden away in a room away from the party, Alistair had felt himself let go of such control, even in a brief moment, and give it to Theo. It bothered him as much as it had thrilled him and had left him on edge.
“It is so lovely to be all together again,” Theo said, her smile warm as she ushered her friends into the solarium of Alistair’s and her London home.
She had called on her fiends for a chat and an embroidery circle, but she’d also coordinated a luncheon of small sandwiches and treats to be delivered from a nearby teashop she used to frequent long ago. Her stomach grumbled, ready to devour the tasty looking treats that the servants had displayed beautifully on the trays atop the table. She plucked one up before they all even sat down and relished the taste of it.
Since her conversation with Alistair and their new breakfast ritual, her appetite had returned with gusto. She licked her fingers as she finished the sandwich, then sat down with a smile on her face.
“My, my, you seem much changed since I last saw you,” Ophelia noted, her brow raised in apparent amusement.
“Youarelooking much better,” Rose agreed. “I have yet to see you frown as you used to.”
A blush filled Theo’s cheeks, her smile growing wider.
