Page 93 of The Duke of Seduction
Nausea swirled in Lavinia’s gut. The anguish in his voice forced the tears from her eyes, and they tracked down her cheeks. “Which is why you can’t kill him. He did wrong.Youmust not. If he admitted the crime, you can have him arrested. He’ll be tried and hanged.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps the judge will show him mercy, and he’ll only be transported or even less. He’s a peer, and I doubt he’ll hang. Lavinia, he deserves to die for what he did. Painfully.”
The darkness and hatred in his voice frightened her. “Listen to yourself,” she said softly. “You aren’t the Beck I know, the man I fell in love with.”
They rode in silence for several minutes, until he turned onto Park Street. “I am the same man. This is me, Lavinia. All of me. I…feel…deeply.”
Of course he did. How else could he write such beautiful poetry or play such wondrous music? He drew the phaeton to a stop in front of her house, and she turned fully to him.
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her glove. “I know you do, and I love you so much for that. I know how much you must hate him, but if you kill him, you’ll be wrecked.Becauseyou feel so deeply.”
“Lavinia, I can’t let him walk away from this. Ican’t.”
“And I can’t watch you do it. What if he kills you? What ifIam with child, and I have to raise him or her without a father?”
His eyes widened slightly, and she felt a dash of hope that she’d finally broken through to him. “He won’t. I’m going to kill Haywood tomorrow. It won’t happen any other way.” He climbed down and started around the phaeton, but she scrambled out by herself. She didn’t want his help, not when he was behaving like a complete jackass.
He frowned at her. “I was going to help you down.”
“I know. But I don’t want your help right now. I’m not even sure I want to marry you right now. What sort of marriage are we to have if you won’t listen to me?”
“Iwon’t listen toyou? It’s as if you didn’t even hear thathe killed my sister.” His eyes blazed as he stared down at her.
“Yes, I heard you,” she said sharply. “And the solution is to have him arrested, not risk your life. Or break the law. Dueling is illegal!”
“No one will fault me for this.”
“I can see there’s no talking sense into you. I can only imagine what the next fifty years will be like.”
“What are you saying?” His voice went dangerously low.
“I’m saying you’re a stubborn toad, and now I’m going inside. If you don’t cancel this duel, I—” She wasn’t sure what. She loved him. So much. But this cloud around him was far more troubling than she’d realized. If he wouldn’t listen to her, could she stand by and watch him drown in anger or despair?
“You’ll what?” he asked softly.
“I don’t know. And please don’t make me find out.” She turned and went inside, where, for the first time in her life, she went promptly and thoroughly to pieces.
