Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
T heo was barely aware of grabbing the Earl by his shoulders and hoisting him bodily into the air. He threw him to the side, and the man crashed down onto the coffee table, which splintered into smithereens under his weight.
Anger pulsed behind Theo’s eyes, blurring his vision and bleeding red all over the world before him. His heart hammered, and he knew that the vision of Lord Downton kneeling over Anna— his Anna—throttling the life out of her would stay with him forever.
The memory would likely survive longer than Lord Downton would.
The man in question was stunned, stirring and groaning amid the wreckage of the table. Theodore tore his gaze away, turning to glance at Anna.
She was already sitting up, one hand pressed to her throat. She looked pale, and there were livid finger-marks around her neck, but no lasting damage, he hoped.
“Anna,” he said, his voice quiet. “Are you hurt?”
She smiled weakly at him. “Not much, not beyond my pride. I can’t believe I let that fat fool get the best of me.”
“You were giving him a run for his money, that is for sure,” Theo responded, allowing himself a brief smile.
There was so much he wanted to say. Feelings bubbled up inside him like an overflowing kettle. He wanted to apologize, to beg her forgiveness, to demand an explanation, to fall to his knees and wrap his arms around her waist, to kiss her until she could barely breathe, to… oh, everything and anything at once.
Her, he thought suddenly, and quite simply. I want her, and that’s all there is to it.
Now was not the time, of course. There was business that had to be attended to, first of all.
He turned back to Lord Downton, who was rolling around on his back like a tortoise, trying to right himself. To prevent this, Theo casually placed a foot on the center of the man’s stomach, pressing down gently.
“Imagine my shock, Lord Downton,” he said slowly and thoughtfully, “entering this room—in my mother-in-law’s house, no less—to find you, of all people, laying hands on the Duchess of Langdon in such a way. I find myself at a loss for words, actually.”
Lord Downton spluttered. “This is none of your concern, Sirrah.”
Theo chuckled. “Let’s get past that pretense, shall we? Even if it were none of my business—and since she is the Duchess and I the Duke, you and I both know that would not be true—I would be able to make it my business. That’s a talent of mine, you see. Sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Lord Downton bared his teeth. “Better be careful nobody cuts it off.”
Theo laughed a little louder at that. He leaned down, bending his knee and putting weight on the foot resting on Lord Downton’s stomach. The man let out a satisfying grunt of pain.
“You mistake me, Sir. When I say I am good at sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong, I mean that I am good at finding out things about people. Or, more to the point, some of my close friends are good at finding out things. And I found out a great deal about you, Lord Downton.”
The man’s face paled, just a little.
Theo glanced briefly across the room, noting with relief that the color was returning to Anna’s face and that she was now perched on the edge of an armchair, watching the scene unfold. He returned his attention to Lord Downton.
“You see, Lord Downton, you are a gambler of the worst kind. Your—shall we call them vices?—are likely to repel even the most hardened pleasure-seekers. Society forgives men a great deal, but not everything. I am afraid that it will soon become common knowledge, how you seek your pleasures. Everybody will know that you have gambled away your fortune, and a great deal more besides.”
“You’ll see my children starve in the streets, will you?” blustered the man.
Theo smiled. “Oh, no, heavens. After all, your poor wife and children are victims. A friend of mine paid a visit to Lady Downton. The poor woman was quite at the end of her rope. With a little intervention from him and some money, Lady Downton is now traveling north to stay with her sister. The children, of course, are with her. You know, I doubt they shall miss you.”
Lord Downton paled. “You wouldn’t.”
“I have already done it, My Lord . And I’m afraid there is more. You see, I rather guessed at the hold you had over Lady St. Maur. My mother-in-law, you know, cannot possibly live under the thumb of a man like you. This was even before I knew about your…” Theo paused, swallowing back bile. “… intentions towards the Duchess.”
There was a tense pause after that. Real fear was flickering on Lord Downton’s face, and Theo drank it up.
“What have you done?” the Earl croaked.
“What haven’t I done, Lord Downton? I have bought your debts. All of them. And I have called them in. With a little investigation, it’s clear that your debts will eat up your entire estate and then some. You are homeless, I’m afraid, and I suspect it is debtor’s prison for you. In fact, the bailiffs are in your house at this very moment. I have it on good authority that Lady Downton was able to take her things away first. It’s only fair.”
He removed his foot from Lord Downton’s stomach.
The man only lay there, his eyes bulging. “You’re lying.”
“I am not,” Theo responded. “I’m many things, Lord Downton, but I am not a liar. You should know that. Go on, look into my face. Look into my eyes and tell me whether you think I am lying. I can assure you I am not.”
Lord Downton stared helplessly up at Theo, his wide eyes searching Theo’s face for a shred of mercy.
He wouldn’t find it.
“Now, if I were you, I would leave,” Theo continued, picking imaginary specks of dust off the sleeves of his coat. “And quietly, or else things will get a great deal worse for you.”
Lord Downton finally managed to heave himself to his feet, staggering like a drunkard, his arms flailing.
“Worse?” he bellowed. “How could it possibly get any worse ? I have lost everything, if you are to be believed, because of these… these harlots !”
He pointed a stiff, shaking finger in Anna’s direction, his face contorted with hate.
“Say that one more time,” Theo said, voice soft and low, “and you will regret it.”
Lord Downton sneered, too far gone in his panic and rage to make sensible decisions.
“That woman,” he said, slowly and carefully, “is a whore .”
Crack.
Theo’s fist flew out for the second time today. This time, he felt his knuckles split as they connected with Lord Downton’s jaw. But by God, it was worth it.
Lord Downton’s feet rose off the ground. He sailed across the room, crashing into a sideboard that promptly fell on top of him, showering him with broken glass. He was unconscious, Theo knew—he’d watched the light go out in the man’s eyes when his fist connected with the man’s jaw.
“I warned you,” Theo said, sighing.
He picked his way across the wreckage—he would pay for it to be cleaned up and everything to be replaced later. He was sure that Lady St. Maur would understand—and gently shoved the sideboard off Lord Downton’s head. The man was moaning, delirious, blood trickling from his nose and the side of his mouth. There was a rather deep imprint of Theo’s signet ring on his cheek.
He wasn’t too far gone, judging by the way his eyes widened in fear at the sight of Theo.
Theo bent down, fisting his hand in Lord Downton’s shirt, and hauled the man to his feet. “I will never see you in London again,” he said, voice low. “Let me assure you, there are worse things to lose than one’s house. I will be watching closely, Lord Downton. If you ever breathe the same air as my beloved wife, or my daughter, or me, they’ll be the last breaths you take. You’ve seen how far my influence extends, and just how far I am willing to go for those I love. I don’t often exercise my power, but today, I have. Would you like to see it again?”
A vigorous shake of the head was his answer. Lord Downton apparently did not feel equal to a verbal response. So much the better.
“Good,” Theo said, smiling thinly. “Now get out of this house.”
He released his grip, and Lord Downton almost tripped over his feet in his desperation to get to the door. He drew out a handkerchief with a shaking hand and pressed it to his face. The white lace quickly turned red.
The man paused in the doorway, glancing back with wide eyes. He met Anna’s eyes, and she returned his stare, unblinking. He dropped his gaze first and then scurried away. Theo stepped out into the hallway to watch him go. He had left some of his attendants at the end of the hall, to ‘encourage’ Lord Downton to leave the house properly.
Then, at long last, he could turn back to Anna.
She was on her feet now, her fists clenched at her sides, staring at him.
“Thank you,” she said at once, her voice stiff. “I’m glad you were here, Theo. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t come in just then.”
Theo paused before responding. He’d spent a while planning their reunion. He’d thought about what he would say, and what Anna might say in response, and what he might say to that . In short, he’d planned out whole conversations in his head—the imaginary conversations generally ended with him being suave and manly, and saying a great many clever things.
Instead, he opened his mouth, and unrehearsed words tumbled out. “I thought I’d lost you.”
Anna let out a choked sob, pressing her hands to her mouth. She crossed the space between them, and for one delicious moment, Theo was sure she was going to fling herself into his arms—which he’d hardly dared imagine even in his fantasies—but at the last minute, she stopped short.
“I’m sorry I left so abruptly,” Anna murmured, swallowing hard. “It’s just… oh, Theo. I can’t trust you. I never know whether you’re telling me the truth or not, and you have all of these secrets…”
“I know, I know. And… and I should have been honest with you. If not from the start, at least from when I began to… to get to know you.” Theo closed his eyes. “But you’ll understand why I was so keen on keeping this secret. The truth is that Kitty is not my child. She is illegitimate. Her mother—Isabella—did not love me and took lovers. I knew this, but I didn’t care. I was foolish, cold-hearted and hot-headed, and frankly, I never loved her. She died after childbirth, but not before confessing the truth about Kitty. I don’t know why she told me. Perhaps she felt guilty, or perhaps she wanted to protect Kitty from my finding out any other way. Perhaps she just wanted to torture me a little more—one could never tell with Isabella.”
Anna held his gaze. He waited for shock, disgust, or even surprise to cross her face, but it did not come.
“I guessed as much,” she said, at last. “And the man, the one who confronted us at the opera?”
“Her father, yes. I think he will leave Kitty and us alone. In my mind and heart, Kitty is my true daughter, but in reality and in the eyes of Society, she is not. This secret must be protected, or else her life will be ruined.”
Anna nodded. “I understand. Kitty doesn’t deserve to be ruined. No child does. I’ll take this to my grave, Theo.”
He let out a long, slow exhale.
That was it? That was all it took?
“So… can we be friends again?” he ventured.
She didn’t immediately respond, and his heart sank a little.
“I don’t know if I can return to you now, as things stand,” Anna said, choosing her words carefully. “The truth is—and I think perhaps I should share a secret with you too, Theo—I don’t want to abide by all your rules. I thought I could live with them, but it turns out I cannot. I’m sorry. I tried. I can’t stand those rules, because I want…”
Theo’s face was blank, as if he were steeling himself. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and he waited patiently for her to finish her sentence.
“I… I want love.” she finished.
Theo flinched as if she’d struck him. She eyed him worriedly.
He took a step forward, taking her hand. Emotions roiled in his chest, and baser feelings bubbled low in his gut. If it wasn’t for the broken glass, the smashed table, and the stink of Lord Downton in the air, he might have thrown her onto the ground and had his way with her that minute.
Perhaps not in her mother’s parlor, you absolute fool.
“Well, that should be easily resolved,” he said, his voice sounding a little scratchy to his own ears. “Because I am madly in love with you, Duchess.”
She blinked, understanding flashing across her face. Before Theo had the opportunity to say another word, Anna surged up on her tiptoes and kissed him full on the mouth.
Her lips tasted of salt and copper, warm and soft and entirely addictive. Her breasts pressed against him, her fingernails scraping across his scalp, and all of the blood in his body rushed downwards to his groin with such determination that he thought he might faint.
And then a door slammed downstairs, and Anna wrenched herself away, leaving him bending his head to try and chase her lips.
“Mama is back,” she gasped. “Oh, Lord, we’ve got a lot of explaining to do.”
“Indeed,” Theo managed, running a hand over his hair. “And… and once we have explained, will you return with me? Will you come home? Kitty misses you so much, and I think Mrs. Haunt might resign if you don’t come back.”
Anna raised an eyebrow. “And… does anyone else miss me?”
Theo was tempted to make a joke, to shrug off her question. He did not allow himself. Instead, he squared his shoulders and met her eyes.
“I miss you too, Anna. And I rather hoped that you missed me.”
She smiled, the color rising to her cheeks. “I did. Miss you, I mean.”
Lifting a hand to his cheek, her eyes took on a faraway look that made Theo want to kiss her even more.
But now was not the time, as Lady St. Maur’s footsteps were heading their way, her strident voice drifting to their ears.
Theo bent down, whispering in Anna’s ear, “I hope you will abide by one of my rules, though, at the very least.”
She smiled slowly, the color in her face deepening prettily, and he knew that she knew exactly what rule he meant.
“Perhaps I will,” she said, lifting her other hand to his chin and tapping it gently. “If you beg .”