Page 42 of Vicious Games

Richard’s jaw clenched. “Who then?”

“An enterprising footman from that secluded Victorian estate of yours. Apparently, he overheard you and Harris discussing your plans and thought he could make some money out of it.”

Richard stayed silent. As much as I enjoyed baiting him, I let him off the hook. “Don’t worry. As a gesture of goodwill, I took the liberty of taking care of it for you.”

Richard nodded. That was all I was going to get. A thank you was far beyond the noble Duke of Winterbourne’s capabilities. Neither was it expected.

Richard steepled his fingers. “And how much is this gesture going to cost me?”

I leaned back and took a sip of brandy. “Not much. An invitation to your wedding and use of a certain facility on your estate.”

“What facility?”

“The asylum building.”

Richard cleared his throat. “Well, you are very well-informed, I’ll give you that.”

“I try.”

“Will you have need of the staff as well?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“I think a week should do it.”

Richard smirked. “A whole week. I only needed one night.”

“To be fair, that isn’t entirely true. You did, after all, keep Elizabeth on your estate for months afterward.”

Richard rose and crossed to the sideboard. He tossed over his shoulder as he went, “Touché.”

I waited as he poured himself a drink and returned to his seat. “So, what is your plan?”

“I think it’s best if we kept the details to ourselves, don’t you?”

Richard nodded. “Probably for the best. And how does Nicole play into this?”

“I assume you are going to need someone to blame for what happens, to avoid a nationwide manhunt for the shooter.”

“True.”

“The victim’s brother could make for a powerful witness in that regard. I also happen to have a certain homicide detective on the payroll who, let’s just say, has no moral qualms about framing a woman for murder.”

Richard’s lips twitched just as he was lifting the glass to his mouth. “Half-brother.” He took a long sip before leaning back. “It could work. It would certainly solve both of our problems.”

There it was again. A dropped hint he knew Aurora had refused my proposal. “Both?” I asked evasively.

Richard laughed. “You didn’t think I was going to let your kind gift of Nicole go unanswered, did you? I may have convinced her to consider… redirecting… her attentions back to you.”

I laughed. “Nice try. I’m afraid you would not have been successful. Nicole is dead set on being your duchess. I doubt she will settle for an orphaned bastard.”

“A billionaire several times over bastard.”

I stared down into the amber liquid remaining in my glass. “A bastard nonetheless,” I muttered under my breath.

Richard rose and held out his glass. “So we have an understanding?”

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