Page 17 of My Blind Duke
The marquess seemed taken aback by his abrupt response but continued, nonetheless. “What I am trying to say, Your Grace, is that the late duke was murdered. You seem like an intelligent man, so I shall not beat around the bush. The duke was found dead in his wife’s bed before the marriage was even consummated – or so I have been told by sources close to the duchess. Everyone calls her theBlack Widow.”
To say that the news shocked William would be grossly understated. The duchess did not strike him as the type to want a man dead in her bed. He had heard that the circumstances around the late duke’s passing had been strange, but he did not expect it to be so odd.
“Furthermore, I have been keeping a close eye on her since the funeral. Rumors of wild parties and even orgies have been circulating,” the marquess announced determinedly as if his words had placed the final nail in the coffin.
Wild parties? Orgies?
William could scarcely believe his ears. The woman whose bedroom he had walked into bore no resemblance to a woman familiar with promiscuity. She had been ready to scream the roof off the estate when she believed he had gotten a good look at her bare state.
But then, that situation did seem rather odd. She had been naked when he found her and claimed that she was about to take a bath. At such a late hour? After a party, no less. Had she entertained a lover before that?
He did not know her, and now he was hearing that she possibly lived a much more untrustworthy life than he had thought.
“Are you certain? I do not know if you have met the woman, Lord Montclair, but I am finding it hard to believe you have the right suspect. You say you have heard of these rumors, who is to say that they are not just that?” William felt the need to ask, as he could not reconcile the thought of the Prudence he had met with the caricature the man before him was trying to paint.
Shifting forward in his seat, the marquess came closer to the desk. “I understand your concern and mistrust, Your Grace. You have only just met me, and if I were in your shoes, I would proceed with caution as well. But I know that my friend was poisoned. And he died in her arms.”
William folded his arms, not fond of the way the man before him was so sure of what he was saying. “What is it that you hope to gain by telling me this information?”
A moment of loaded silence filled the air before the marquess spoke again, his voice filled with passion and anger. “In an attempt to merely be friendly, I wish to give an innocent man time to get rid of a problem before it is too late.”
“And personally?” William raised his eyebrows now as he waited for the man to speak.
“Justice. I want justice for my friend. Whether it comes in with the removal of that woman from this house without a penny to her name or the rest of her life spent locked away in a cold cell… I have no preference for either. All I need is for her to pay for her crime,” Hugo stated, his voice dripping with bitterness.
It became obvious then that Hugo Rath was not a man seeking to ruin a woman he disliked or even one that had thrown him over. He was simply seeking justice for his friend.
“I know I may come off as harsh, Your Grace, but Anthony was a good man. He did not deserve to die in the way that he did. I would hate to see another man succumb to the temptations of that harlot,” he spat the words bitterly as if he could taste the poison they implied.
William reached back to rub at his stiff neck, his muscles sore from sitting all day as he pondered the possibility of what Hugo had said being a reality.
Could it be that she murdered her own husband?
It certainly called for a closer look at what was going on under his roof, especially now that the duchess had somehow gotten Melanie to spend time with her. William had never liked to gamble with fate.
But his mind was still plagued with doubts that the truth was as clear cut as the marquess believed. Nothing he had seen in the duchess’ behavior fit the description of the harlot that the marquess was working hard to sell.
He could not deny that such rumors had made their way to his ears, but he was not in the habit of trusting rumors circulating the ton. The situation was streaked with conflicting and confusing opinions and assumptions.
“What do you need from me, then?” William finally asked Lord Montclair.
“I only need you to find out the truth. I have done my best to gain credible evidence of her plots but I am not a member of the household. However, if someone on the inside were to raise questions, I know we would find the answers we seek soon. If you find it hard to believe, I would suggest that you ask the servants. The duchess never loved Anthony. I was hoping that she would at least learn to love him, but I could see that her affections never grew beyond the realm of fondness for his riches.”
The servants’ disdain for their mistress suddenly seemed to make sense to him as he recalled the state of the house upon his arrival. Perhaps the rumors of wild parties and orgies were true after all. Yet he still could not imagine Prudence participating in something so grotesque.
“Thank you, Lord Montclair, for your honesty. It takes a brave and honest man to come and be so open with a stranger. I willtake your words under advisement.” William nodded as he rose to his feet.
Taking the cue, the marquess stood and offered his hand, making sure that it was firmly in William’s grip this time. “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace. I hope you do take my words seriously, but if nothing else, I am glad that Pemberly Hall is in such capable hands.”
Shaking his hand firmly, William nodded once more.
The marquess did not seem like a madman to him or even one with an ulterior motive, but it was rather difficult to put any weight on his words.
Especially when he recalled the way Prudence had reacted to his touch. Her shivering… and she was quick to put distance between them as quickly as she could. Would a seductress that had everyone chattering about her skills be so… malleable?
Subconsciously, William’s thoughts strayed from how her body had shaken in his grasp to the smooth and soft feel of her skin. Perhaps it was because it had been so long since he had been in such a… position, but it seemed as though that unexpected interaction had set his veins and loins aflame. And that was a needless, not to mention dangerous distraction he could not afford to have lingering around him.
In any case… Even if the rumors regarding Prudence were not true, he needed to have her out from under his feet. Shepresented him with a temptation that was almost too delectable to resist.
