Page 8 of The Tempting Minx (Fate of the Worthingtons 1)

Ravencroft gritted his teeth. “Damn her. What does she want now?”

“She heard of Lady Margaret’s debut and wants to make the ball her mark.”

Ravencroft tightened his hands into fists. “Why must she continue to make our life difficult?”

“Because our mother revolted against her and she seeks her revenge against us to pay for our mother’s sins.”

“That does not explain why you are working for Graham Worthington and Barrett Ralston. Do you understand the risk you take if they ever discover your ties to Lady L?”

Dracott arched an eyebrow. “No more of a risk you take engaging yourself to Lady Noel.”

“Mine is more believable than yours. I actually hold a title and have an estate. It might need repairs and my coffers are empty, but once we speak our vows, I will gain a sizable dowry and my reputation as a dissolute earl will be remedied. Not to mention I will have the power of her brother, the earl, at my disposal to squash any rumors.”

“You are an earl in your own right,” Dracott argued.

“But a penniless one that holds no credit. Whereas you are impersonating a viscount who holds no reputable title.”

“My father was a gentleman.”

“But your mother was a whore,” Ravencroft snarled.

“Who was also your mother too,” Dracott reminded him.

“Yes, a stunning countess in her day who my father worshipped. But his devotion was never enough for her, and she always wanted more. She spread her thighs for whoever paid her attention until she caught herself pregnant with another man’s bastard.”

Dracott clutched at his heart. “Your brotherly love holds strong.”

Ravencroft fumed. “As a result, our mother wreaked havoc on both of our lives with her foolish acts of betrayal to anyone who crossed her path. Now, when we are so close to paying off her final debt, the future I carved out for myself hangs in jeopardy.”

“Was I even a part of your future?”

Ravencroft blew out a breath. “Yes. Only now we must revise our plan to accommodate the thorn in our side. I wish you would have stayed at the estate.”

Dracott winced. “Sorry. When you never sent word, I . . .”

Ravencroft nodded. “I understand. You thought I had abandoned you as everyone else in your life had and you lost your trust in me. Now tell me what your role is with Worth and Ralston.”

“I assist them with their cases.”

“Are they investigating the new rash of robberies?”

Dracott couldn’t meet his brother’s eyes without giving his role away. “We caught word about them, but they haven’t contacted us to assist with them.”

“We must find a way for the Runners to ask for your agency’s help.”

“It is too dangerous,” Dracott warned.

Ravencroft rubbed the back of his neck. “Let me mull this over to find us a solution. I will send word to meet in a few days.”

Dracott watched his brother blow out the candles and slip out the door without a sound. Ravencroft had once held the promise of a prominent role in society, only to fall victim to their mother’s manipulations. Once his father passed away, he had gone in search of the mother who had abandoned him only to find her deep in a thievery ring that she pulled him into, where Ravencroft met a brother he never knew he had.

Dracott had been fourteen when he first met Ravencroft. By then, he had spent a lifetime at the abuse of his mother and the other culprits involved in the thievery ring. They would use him as a pawn in their escapades, causing him to be their beating pole while they made away with stolen goods.

Dracott shuddered at the memories. Whenever someone advanced on him in violence, it would trigger those memories to resurface, leaving him trembling like a coward. His brother was correct. What had he gotten himself into? So far, the cases he had assisted on were mild indiscretions. His involvement to help capture Lady L could lead him to freeze on the spot instead of assisting.

However, it was too late to withdraw.

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