Page 111 of Seducing the Knave

Though the man’s face turned a bright shade of red, his features twisted with defiance. “She has nothing to do with—”

“Ye’re right.” Max interrupted him with a swift step forward that shut the other man up in a second. “She doesn’t, but the money ye’ve earned as her fancy man hasn’t all been bleeding away at gambling hells and bawdy houses, has it?”

The other man’s eyes widened as his body went tense.

“I know who ye’ve been talking to in the shadowy corners of town, mate. I know ye’ve been seeking someone with a talent fer stealing women from their beds.” He tilted his head and gave an incredulous look. “Are ye really that stupid?”

The prostitute in the bed gave an almost pitying sound while the lord started shaking his head in frantic denial. “Nothing came of it, I swear.”

“Of course not.” Max’s gaze narrowed dangerously. “I thought I’d made it clear that there’s nothing ye can do or say that I won’t know about. Nothing,” he repeated sharply enough to make the other man jump. “And that there’d be consequences.”

Jasper’s eyes darted about the room as if looking for an escape route that didn’t exist. Max watched him for a moment, lips curled in amusement, before he decided he didn’t have the patience to toy with the man. He’d much rather settle the matter so he could get home.

“Relax, mate. I’m not here to punish yer transgressions.” The menacing step he took belied his words. “In fact, I’ve come to advise ye of some good news.”

“What good news?” Jasper asked, his tone thin and wary.

“I’ve recently gained possession of all yer debts, including that sizeable tab ye ran up at Bentley’s just last night.”

“What? How?” Confusion warred with heavy distrust in the lord’s eyes.

“Ye should be more grateful,” Max admonished. “Ye no longer owe a fortune to half the town. Just to me.”

“But that’s impossible,” Jasper sputtered. “Bentley’s is notorious for retaining their markers.”

“True,” Max agreed with a nod. “But me brother insisted on handing ’em over. A gift fer me recent nuptials.”

The prostitute gave a sharp gasp at that, but Max kept his focus on Jasper, who clearly still wasn’t getting the full message. “Your brother?”

“I own ye,” Max noted bluntly. “But I’m willing to be generous and offer a negotiation. I’ll ignore yer recent scheming and I may be convinced to forget I hold yer vowels as long as ye follow a few simple conditions.”

“Anything,” Jasper vowed, his eyes bright with the prospect of escaping punishment and shedding his debt.

“Going forward, ye’re to live an exemplary life. Ye’ll treat everyone ye come in contact with”—he glanced to the woman in the bed—“with respect and honor. Everyone. And ye’ll forget me wife ever existed.”

The other man scowled in confusion. “Why in hell would I care about your bloody wife?”

Forcing himself not to react with the fury that roared through him at the other man’s blatant offense, Max just stared at him with the promise of violence in his gaze. When understanding finally dawned, Jasper’s face turned instantly red as his mouth dropped open. “You can’t be serious,” he gasped. “The idiot girl married you?”

With a snarl, Max lunged for the man, grasping him around the throat to lift him to the tips of his bare toes. “I’m only making this offer because she’d like to know her family legacy isn’t totally gone to shite.” He leaned in close to whisper darkly, “But I’ll be watching ye. Nothing ye do will escape me knowledge. Say ye understand and agree to me terms?”

Jasper gave a frantic nod. “I agree.”

“Good.”

With the negotiation finalized, Max released him and turned to leave but then paused in the doorway. Looking back, he couldn’t resist adding, “If ye renege on our agreement fer even a moment, me wife’ll gleefully rip yer balls off and toss them into the murky waters of the Thames.” He lowered his voice. “And I’ll come fer the rest of ye.”

Jasper’s look of shock and terror finally gave Max the satisfaction he was after and he left the room with a laugh and a light step as he put this last piece of business firmly behind him.

He had far more important and pleasurable things to look forward to.

Specifically, his gorgeous, prideful, stubborn, flawless wife, who’d have his balls if he wasn’t home in time to get ready for their dinner at Wright House.

#

ELLE STOOD IN FRONT of a full-length mirror set in the corner near the wardrobe. It was one of the numerous additions she’d brought into the cavernous room over the last weeks.

A subtle flowery scent drifted from a vase of blooms she’d purchased just that morning from Marie, a peddler who passed by the house every day with her cart, singing a song of posies and petals. On the table beside the vase was the small pewter clock Elle had found amongst the many treasures offered by Timothy, the metal hawker on the next block over.

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