Page 83 of A Duke to Steal Her
“He thinks he can stand there and speak her name? Mock her memory in front of half of London?” Ambrose spun to face her, his green eyes blazing with a fury that made her step back. “He destroyed her, Emily. He took everything good and pure about Lavinia and twisted it until she couldn’t bear to live with the shame.”
“I know,” Emily said quietly. “But what you did tonight?—”
“What I did tonight was what I should have done twelve years ago!” He began pacing. “I should have hunted him down the moment he left her at that altar. I should have made him pay for every tear she shed, every sleepless night she endured because of his cruelty.”
Emily watched her husband as he allowed rage to consume him. “And what would that have accomplished? Would it have brought Lavinia back? Would it have healed her pain?”
“It would have been justice!”
“No,” Emily said firmly. “It would have been revenge. And there’s a difference.”
Ambrose’s laugh was bitter, ugly. “Spoken like someone who’s never lost everything. You don’t understand what he took from me.”
“Then help me understand. Talk to me instead of shutting me out.”
“There’s nothing to discuss.” His voice was flat, final. “My sister died because of him. I must destroy him. It’s that simple.”
Emily felt something crack inside her chest. “And what about us? What about the life we’re building together?”
“This has nothing to do with us.”
“It has everything to do with us!” Emily’s composure finally shattered. “You’re so consumed with punishing him that you’re destroying yourself in the process. Would your sister want that? Would she want you to sacrifice your happiness, your marriage, your future for the sake of her memory?”
Ambrose’s face went rigid. “Don’t you dare presume to speak for her. She was my family. You could never understand. I won’t stop until he’s been punished,” he said quietly. “I can’t.”
Emily felt the last of her hope crumble to dust. “And if that means losing everything else? Losing me?”
The silence stretched between them like a chasm. When Ambrose finally spoke, his voice was barely a whisper.
“I’m sorry, Emily. But I have to finish this.”
Emily felt something inside her break cleanly in two.
“I see,” she said, surprised by how steady her voice sounded. “Then I suppose there’s nothing more to discuss.”
She turned and walked toward the door, her spine straight and her head high.
“Emily!” Ambrose called her name.
She didn’t stop. She couldn’t. If she looked back now, if she saw regret or longing in his face, she might forgive him. And she couldn’t afford to forgive him, not when he’d made it clear that she would always come second to his thirst for vengeance.
“The morning papers are… unfortunate,” Vincent said carefully, spreading three scandal sheets across the breakfast table like tarot cards of doom.
Emily had sought refuge in Juliana’s townhouse, and her sister had welcomed her with open arms.
Emily forced herself to read them, though each word felt like a needle under her skin. The headlines screamed of violence and scandal: “DUKE’S DEADLY RAGE!” and “NIGHTFELL’S ASSAULT ON INNOCENT LORD!”
But as she read further, Emily noticed something odd. While the papers certainly covered Ambrose’s attack on Peirce, they also contained detailed accounts of Lord Peirce’s past behavior: his abandonment of Lavinia at the altar, the whispered rumors of his cruelty toward vulnerable women, his mounting debts, and questionable associates.
“This is…” she began, then looked up at Vincent. “Did you arrange for these articles about Peirce’s past?”
Vincent’s expression was carefully neutral. “I may have made some inquiries, but these particular revelations came from another source entirely.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone else has been working very hard to ensure that Peirce’s reputation suffers as much as possible from last night’s events.” Vincent’s mouth curved in something that might have been admiration. “Whoever it was has contacts throughout the newspaper business. He clearly planned this response well in advance.”
Emily’s heart clenched as understanding dawned. Even now, even after their terrible fight, Ambrose was protecting her. Hewas ensuring that the scandal would damage Peirce more than it would hurt her.
