Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82982 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 415(@200wpm)___ 332(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
“How I raised her is none—”
I cut him off. “Everything about her is my concern. She is my wife. My marchioness. I hold due any past transgressions to this day. Any slurs you say against her, you say against me. I will drag you through the mud so deeply, you will never recover. Not one word, Barnett. You will leave, you will never return, you will never so much as speak her name, or I will ruin you so thoroughly that not even the lowest of moneylenders will allow you in their door. Even those who wish to profit from you will stay clear.”
He remained silent.
“And you will cease in this tirade of proclaiming I stole her. You gave her away, and I will not hesitate to prove it. I have the funds and the witnesses.” I crossed my arms. “You seem to think you hold something over me, and you do not. I am not a child you can beat into silence. I will use my position and whatever other means to destroy what is left of your life.”
I eyed him with dislike.
“Any funds Maddie possesses, any gifts I choose to lavish on her, belong to her. Not to you. You will never benefit from the love I bestow upon her. And she has ceased to care about your indifference. She now knows what love is, and she has blossomed. You, in your uncalled-for rage—your heedless vendetta against a dead woman—have turned someone who would have loved you throughout your entire lifetime into a stranger who doesn’t wish to know you.”
I shook my head. “You will never truly understand that loss since I believe your heart no longer exists.”
I curled my hands into fists to stop myself from hitting him. Giving him a taste of his own medicine.
“You hated my father over an insignificant argument, so you punished me by refusing to sell me a piece of land you knew I coveted. You hated Maddie’s mother, so you punished her daughter by stripping her of her life. Your hate and bitterness overtook you. And you lost. Now you are alone, penniless, and without a friend. I wish you gone from my sight and that you spend any time you have left in misery. It is all you deserve. You are a despicable man.”
He stared at me, then spoke, his voice almost pleading. “I need help.”
“So did Maddie when her mother died. So I will give to you what you gave to her. Nothing.”
And I walked out.
The sun came out, brightening the sky and sending its rays over the fields. I breathed in lungfuls of clean air. The cart creaked under the weight of our purchases. Sugar, tea, sweets for Maddie. Coffee, brandy, and cheroots for me. A fine joint and sundries for the kitchen. Seed and tools for my farmers. I tore through the small shops like a madman, picking up anything that caught my eye.
In my pocket were two pairs of gloves. Lacy, delicate, soft. Fingerless. Maddie loved the style, and I knew she was most comfortable still when her palms were covered. These would please her. I had also purchased a small pair of pearl earrings I decided I wanted to see her wear. A lovely dressing gown from the dressmaker, long soft silk in a creamy violet trimmed in lace and pretty. Like my wife.
None of it needed, but it somehow took the edge off my anger. I didn’t leave the village until Edward quietly informed me Barnett was gone.
“Snuck away like the rotter he is. He and that slimy solicitor. His butler barely made it into his seat when they were moving. Whatever you said to him sent him away quickly.”
“I spoke only the truth.”
Wheaton came into view, the rolling hills and neat fences making me smile. Tenants worked in the fields, smoke rising from the chimney stacks in the tidy little cottages where they dwelled.
“I wish to walk in the fields later. Speak with the tenants.” I sighed deeply. “But first, I wish to lay my eyes on my lovely wife and hold her in my embrace.”
“Of course, Alexander. I understand.”
“If I am able to purchase Milton Manor, I wish to present it to you.”
He pulled the cart to a stop. “My lord?” he asked, sounding incredulous.
“For your future.”
He shook his head. “I cannot accept that, nor would I possibly need so much land or so grand a house.”
“It is not a large parcel, but perhaps part of it, then. Build your own house. Have land to tend.”
“You said you told him you no longer wished to buy it.”
“I did, but only to anger him. I will have Higgins make the proper inquiries under a different name.” I clapped him on the shoulder. “Perhaps yours.”
“Alexander, what has come over you?”
“I could have died,” I replied simply. “You have been loyal and constant. A true friend and never once have you ever asked me for anything.”