Page 78 of The Duke of Lies
No, to have a nightmare.
In it, he became the Duke of Lies, a man who kept things from his beloved wife. A man Kit couldn’t bring himself to be. He’d embarked upon this miraculous journey under the shadow of deception, but he’d pledged to be honest with Verity, and by damn, he would do that.
He waited until his pulse slowed and his body calmed. When he was able to draw a deep breath, he crept from the bed and found his banyan. Drawing it around his body, he turned back to the bed where Verity slept.
Rather, where she had been sleeping. She sat up and brushed her hair from her face, blinking at him. “You’re awake rather early,” she said in a sleep-roughened voice.
He’d realized many things in the night: He loved Verity and Beau; he’d do anything to protect them; he wanted her father to burst into flames. And he couldn’t sign the contract and lie to her again.
Moving to the bed, he perched on the edge near the end, angling his body toward her. “I didn’t tell you everything about my meeting with your father last night.”
“But you’ll tell me now.” There was a hint of question in her suddenly alert eyes.
“Yes. I promised you I would be honest, and I’m sorry I wasn’t last night. I’d thought to try to protect you from your father’s machinations, but you’re strong enough to know—and you should know. You’ve every right.”
She paled slightly. “You’re worrying me.”
How Kit hated her anguish—damn her father. And damn him for complicating her life. “He’s the other person who knows I’m not Rufus.”
“How?”
“He says Cuddy told him, so I must assume he realized my deception. However, the night I went to see Cuddy, he gave me the impression someone had told him. I have to suspect your father somehow knew without even meeting me. How is that possible?” Kit had an idea, particularly since Horatio said he couldproveKit wasn’t the Duke of Blackburn.
“It isn’t possible.” Her eyes widened. “Unless he knows what happened to Rufus.” Her jaw dropped for a moment. “How can that be?”
Kit shook his head, his mind swimming. “I don’t know, but I mean to find out.”
They were both quiet a moment. At last she broke the silence. “What does my father plan to do?”
“He wants me to continue the stipend Rufus agreed to when you wed.”
Her eyes widened. “Rufus gave him a stipend?”
“Apparently. Now I’m to sign a contract giving him a lifetime allowance. In exchange, he’ll testify that I am the Duke of Blackburn.”
Her eyes filled with disgust. “And if you don’t?”
“He’ll tell everyone who I really am—Augustus’s bastard—and that you were all too eager to welcome me as your husband’s replacement. He’s absolutely despicable.” Kit didn’t bother disguising the vitriol he felt.
“Truly,” she agreed darkly, her gaze casting about the room before settling on him once more. “I’m sorry, but I refuse to give him money.”
“Good.”
She blinked in surprise. “What about the dukedom? It should be yours. I want it to be yours.”
He shook his head sadly. “But it isn’t. And if I take it, I’ll be the Duke of Lies. I can’t do that to you or to Beau. We must tell him the truth, and I can’t ask him to hide it. Besides, the title is his. Once Rufus is officially declared dead, Beau will be—and should be—the Duke of Blackburn.”
Lines creased her face as defeat filled her eyes, and he knew she agreed. “What do you want to do?”
“Aside from declaring the truth that I’m Captain Christopher Powell, I’m not sure. It depends on what your father will do when we tell him we won’t consent to his extortion. He’s used to getting his way, I think.” While Kit didn’t have definitive proof of his embezzlement, he was certain of it. And now there was the matter of Rufus’s disappearance and whether Horatio had played a part.
“Can’t we just threaten to have him arrested for embezzlement?”
“Would you want to do that to your own father?”
Her eyes darkened. “He’s guilty of the crime—of stealing from me. He may also be guilty of worse,” she said softly. “What if he had something to do with Rufus’s disappearance?”
Kit moved forward and took her hand, hating the anguish in her gaze. “I’m so sorry about all this.”
