Page 88 of The Dark Side of the Earl (Lords of Pleasure 1)

“I know what can hurt you.” Eric reached into his coat and pulled out a knife. The blade was long and curved. “And you won’t be able to walk away from it.”

Vanity shrank back, trying not to whimper. She could scream, call for the servants, but they wouldn’t get here in time. Wait, was that blood on the blade? Vanity couldn’t take her eyes off the smears of blood on the knife.

Eric sniggered. “I’ve had a bit of practice with this one. Cuts very nicely through skin. Worked wonders on the man who kidnapped your would-be daughter-in-law. I almost regret trying to block him into his house with fire, otherwise I wouldn’t have known.” He leaned towards her, the knife moving towards her throat. “Now I know how to make you quiet. You’ve outlived your usefulness, Vanity.”

“How do you think you’ll be able to walk out of here after killing me?” Vanity didn’t know where she got her courage from, but it was there. Just a flicker. “People will know you were in here with me.”

Eric smirked.

“No, they won’t. They’ll think you and your son had an argument and he snapped. Soldiers do have delicate minds and they think they’re on the battlefield when they’re trying to be normal people. I know he carries a blade like this one.” Eric flicked the knife around his fingers, the tip of the blade narrowly missing Vanity’s cheek. “They’ll see me walk out of here and believe it was Captain Reynolds who snapped and murdered his mother. I leave this where the authorities can find it, and I’ll have him fitted up for another murder as well.”

“No one will believe it.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Actually, don’t.” Eric leaned towards her, grabbing her head by the hair with the knife inching closer to her neck. “That will be the last time you’ll say that.”

Vanity screamed. Then the door burst open and Nathan ran in.

* * *

Nathan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His mother was pinned on the couch, a man leaning over her with a knife at her throat.

A man who looked exactly like him.

How was this even possible?

Nathan snarled, reaching for his own knife hidden inside his jacket.

“Get your hands off her now!”

The other man sniggered. He rose up off Vanity and squared up to Nathan.

“Make me, Nathan. I don’t think you can.”

He charged, the knife swinging at Nathan’s head. Nathan ducked and jammed the end of the handle of his knife right into the man’s gut, right under the chest. His attacker froze and gasped for air as Nathan danced away. Vanity began to sob.

“Eric, no! Stop this!”

“When I have an opportunity like this?” Eric straightened up, spinning the knife around his fingers. “Not a chance. Come at me, Captain.”

Nathan heard a whimper behind him. He didn’t need to look to know Eleanor had entered the room as well. But he focused on Eric. It was surreal looking into a face exactly like his.

“We can talk about this reasonably.” He spread his hands. “Just...put the knife down, and we can talk.”

Eric snorted.

“After everything I’ve done for this point and you want to talk? Not going to happen. I’m getting what I want.”

“Which is?”

“You, dead.” Eric gestured at Vanity, who flinched away. “Her, dead. And the pest of a woman you’re about to marry? I’ll have a think about that.”

Nathan went cold. He would have talked this out without violence. But the mere mention of violence on Eleanor, and all bets were off. He growled.

“You touch her, and I will kill you.”

Eric sniggered.

“Not if I’ve sliced your throat open.”

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