The Perfect Duke Read online

  Chapter Sixteen

  Two days later, Nick received a missive from Evermont. Evermont wrote that he was ready to discuss the terms of paying off his father’s debt, but instead of telling Nick which townhouse to go to, he told Nick to walk to a private place outside of London. Evermont had included a map, directing him to the exact location he wanted to meet him at. Then, at the bottom, Evermont warned him not to tell anyone about this, saying it was necessary Evermont keep his identity a secret.

  Nick debated whether or not he should tell Tara, but then he recalled Lord Steinbeck’s warning that he should do whatever Evermont told him to do. And since Lord Steinbeck was the only person who knew anything about Evermont, Nick decided to take Lord Steinbeck’s advice.

  So the next morning after breakfast, he told Tara, his mother, and his sisters that he was going to see Lord Edon. Then he left the drawing room.

  “Nick,” Tara called out as she ran after him.

  He stopped in the hallway and turned back. Did Tara suspect he was lying? Would she insist he tell her the truth? But how could he when Evermont had insisted he keep quiet about this? If Evermont found out he’d told someone, what would he do?

  “I didn’t realize you were friends with Lord Edon,” Tara said, keeping her voice quiet so others wouldn’t overhear.

  It took him a moment to realize she wasn’t calling him out for lying to her and his family. He felt the tension leave his muscles. “I’m not friends with him. I know him, and I’ve talked to him on a few occasions. If anything, I’d say he’s an acquaintance.”

  “But you like him?”

  He nodded. “He’s helped me out when I needed it.”

  “Do you also know Mr. Robinson and Lord Toplyn?”

  “I know Lord Edon better than I do Mr. Robinson, but I haven’t met Lord Toplyn. I’ve only heard of him. I have talked to your friend’s husband, Lord Whitney. That was only once.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed, and he could tell she wasn’t sure what to do with this new information.

  “Are you disappointed that I talk to Lord Edon?” he asked.

  “No, I’m not disappointed. It’s just…” She closed her eyes then sighed. Opening them, she said, “Lady Blakemoor has forbidden us from inviting Lord Edon, Mr. Robinson, and Lord Toplyn to the ball Ladies of Grace is having. Apparently, Lady Cadwalader doesn’t like them, and since Sir Tristan Blakemoor is her nephew, Lady Blakemoor insisted it would be best if we don’t invite them.” She winced. “Are you upset?”

  Surprised she should worry about upsetting him, he hurried to assure her, “No, I’m not upset.”

  Though she looked relieved, she added, “Once Ladies of Grace has regained most of its influence, I’m sure we can get them invited to a future ball. I just couldn’t make it work this time. Lady Blakemoor’s argument was too strong.”

  With a smile, he drew her into his arms and kissed her. “Tara, I understand. You don’t have to explain anything else to me. Whatever you need to do to get Ladies of Grace in good standing is fine with me. I’ll support you in any way I can.”

  “Thank you, Nick.”

  He kissed her. “I better go before I’m late. I promised Lord Edon I’d meet him in an hour.”

  “Do you know how long you’ll be gone?”

  Evermont hadn’t said anything about how long he wished to talk to him. Considering the fact that Evermont was having him take an hour’s walk to meet him, Nick suspected it was going to be a while. “I’m not sure,” Nick said, “but I hope to be back before dinner.”

  “Then I guess it’s time for me to miss you for a change.” She gave him a wink and then kissed him. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

  Glad she wasn’t going to press him for more information so he wouldn’t have to come up with more lies, he told her goodbye. It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her he loved her. The urge wasn’t something he had expected, but it was there.

  She smiled and returned to the drawing room before he could decide whether or not he should say the words. Clearing his throat, he headed out of the townhouse.

  ***

  Nick checked the map again. He had followed the directions exactly as Evermont had instructed. The only thing was that Evermont didn’t tell him he was taking him to a cemetery.

  And that was troubling. Why would Evermont pick this place—of all places—for them to meet? Was it because he wanted to send Nick a message? Was this a way to intimidate him? Evermont had intimidated Nick the moment he realized Evermont was buying up the total debt he had to pay back. He didn’t need to be led to a cemetery to get the point that Evermont was someone no one wanted to upset.

  Nick glanced around. No one was there. If he guessed right, Evermont planned to be late. It would be another tactic to let Nick know he was the one in control.

  Nick folded the map and the missive then tucked both into his pocket. He didn’t bother to check his pocket watch. He was on time. That was all he needed to know. He didn’t want to be aware of how much time was passing by as Evermont had him wait.

  Nick found a bench by a set of tombstones and sat down. This wasn’t the cemetery he’d buried his father in. That one was on the other side of London. Perhaps it was wrong, but he couldn’t bring himself to visit his father’s grave and pay his respects. It was hard to pay respects to someone who hid his debt while he went out and kept spending money as if he had more than enough to provide for his family for at least another generation.

  Nick and his mother had both been in shock when they found out the truth about the estate’s poor financial condition. Once they were able to wrap their minds around the situation, they quietly sold everything that had any value. Nick had used the money to keep the creditors from throwing them all in debtor’s prison. He’d been able to get his mother and sisters out of harm’s way. Then it was just him who was in danger of going to prison if he didn’t find a way to pay off the rest of the debt as soon as he could.

  Nick didn’t know if he would ever get over the feeling of betrayal he’d experienced when he found out his father had gotten the estate into so much trouble. If the Ton knew what had happened, it would’ve been the end of his family’s reputation. Nick wanted his sisters to find good, honorable husbands. He wanted them to also find love matches. He might have been willing to settle for any lady who’d marry him, but he didn’t want his sisters to do the same. He’d just gotten fortunate that he’d married a lady he could fall in love with.

  After what was probably a half hour, he finally heard the sound of horses approaching. He turned to see a carriage heading in his direction. He rose from the bench and waited. It wasn’t until the carriage was in front of him that he saw Tara’s family crest on it.

  His gut tightened in dread. He probably should have been surprised to find out Evermont was Tara’s brother. But he wasn’t.

  The footman got down from the carriage and opened the door. “If you’ll go in, Your Grace,” the footman said, waving him in.

  Nick released his breath. Well, there was nothing he could do about this latest development. Perhaps Lord Maten had refused to let Tara marry him because of the debt his father had owed him. When he’d spoken with Lord Maten, he’d gotten the impression that Lord Maten didn’t know anything about him, but he could have been acting that way.

  Feeling like a fox being forced out of its hole, Nick went into the carriage and sat across from Lord Maten, who was holding a group of neatly folded papers in his hand.

  Lord Maten smiled as if he was very pleased with himself. “Are you surprised to find out it’s me?”

  “No,” Nick replied.

  Lord Maten waited until the footman shut the door before he said, “Well, I was surprised to find out you ran off with my little sister. Except, I suppose she wasn’t that little after all.” He chuckled, though he didn’t seem amused. “It was to my disadvantage that I forgot something as simple as her birthday.”

  Nick didn’t know how to respond to that, so he kept quiet. Besides, the l
ess he said, the better. He glanced out the carriage window, wondering if the coachman was going to lead the horses forward or if Lord Maten intended for them to stay here.

  “When I realized what you two did to me, I was upset,” Lord Maten said. “Actually, upset is too mild of a word. I was livid. I don’t like being deceived. It puts me in a very bad mood.”

  “Considering Tara was twenty-one, I don’t think you had a say in the matter,” Nick replied when it was obvious Lord Maten expected an answer.

  “Yes, that’s true. I didn’t have a say in things. Not then. But I do have a say in them now.”

  As much as Nick tried not to, he had to break eye contact with him. He didn’t want to be intimidated by Tara’s brother, but it seemed like it couldn’t be helped.

  “Your father owed his creditors, myself included, a lot of money,” Lord Maten said. “From all of the other creditors I talked to, I learned the total amount came to exactly four hundred and twenty-seven pounds.”

  While that was true, Nick knew that Lord Maten hadn’t paid each creditor the full amount due to each one. He had paid them far less, so he stood to gain a sizable profit from receiving everything Nick’s father owed. But it was pointless to mention it.

  “You needn’t worry about those creditors,” Lord Maten said as he unfolded the papers. “I paid each one off. Each parchment is a contract agreeing to settle on the debt you were due to pay them.” He held the papers out to Nick.

  Though Nick didn’t want to, he took them. Lord Maten gestured for him to go through the papers. Knowing he had no choice, he did. Sure enough, each and every creditor had signed a contract with Lord Maten, agreeing to settle for about half of what they were really owed.

  “Do you know what this means?” Lord Maten asked in a tone that one would reserve for a young child instead of a grown gentleman.

  Nick gritted his teeth. Lord Maten was intentionally playing games with him, and, unfortunately, Nick wasn’t any good at mind games.

  “Well, do you?” Lord Maten pressed.

  Nick forced himself to meet Lord Maten’s gaze. “It means I have to pay you four hundred and twenty-seven pounds.”

  “You will have to pay me that plus interest.”

  “Interest? You’re already getting much more than what you paid the other creditors.”

  “Which makes me a smart businessman. Now that I own the complete debt, I get to make the terms. I am in control. And,” he took the contracts back, “there’s nothing you can do about it.”

  By now, some of Nick’s fear had given way to irritation. “So what do you want?”

  “I’ll give you two options. One, you can do some tasks around my townhouse to pay off the interest. Or, two, you can pay me eight hundred and fifty-three pounds.”

  “Eight hundred and fifty-three pounds?” he blurted out, unable to believe he’d heard right. Yes, he understood Lord Maten was an unsavory person, but he didn’t think he would ask for double the amount Nick’s father owed.

  “My sister had exactly eight hundred and fifty-three pounds in her account when she married you.”

  “You’re not being fair. This is her money.”

  “Since you married her, it became your money, and you’re the one who is due to go to debtor’s prison if you don’t pay me. I spoke with the gentleman in charge of the prison yesterday, and I assured him I would give you one more chance to make good on the debt before I let him take you away. I’m due to speak with him tomorrow.” He leaned toward Nick in interest. “What shall I tell him when I see him?”

  Nick resisted the urge to lash out at him. Of all the despicable things anyone had ever done, he couldn’t think of anything as underhanded as this.

  “You only have yourself to blame for the predicament you’re in,” Lord Maten said. “You should have told me you only wanted to marry my sister to get to her money.”

  “Even if I’d told you that, you would have denied my request.”

  “Yes, I would have. You don’t deserve her. I don’t know what you did to get her to agree to marry you, but somehow, you convinced her it was a good idea. I had thought she was smarter than that.” He shrugged. “I suppose it was your good looks and sweet words that did her in. Or, it could have been that silly little group she’s a part of.” He leaned back and crossed his arms, the corners of his lips curling up into a smirk. “She’d do anything for that group. It devastated her when Lady Eloise ruined everything. I suppose she thought the four hundred and twenty-seven pounds was worth saving the group. That is, of course, if she knew about the debt before she married you.”

  Lord Maten stared expectantly at Nick, so Nick decided he might as well tell the truth. “Yes, she knew. I didn’t deceive her.”

  “You were an expensive item she purchased. She would have been much better off with Sir Tristan Blakemoor. Not only is he wealthy, but he’s also Lady Cadwalader’s nephew. But, she ruined things with him so he married Miss Wilmington instead. Let’s face it. She was twenty-one, her group was in ruin, and there were no other suitors. What else could she do but make the stupid decision to marry you?”

  Nick didn’t smile as Lord Maten laughed. “You gave me two choices,” Nick said. “I do your bidding like a servant, or I give you all of your sister’s money.”

  Lord Maten stopped laughing. “Now that I think about it, you can choose debtor’s prison. That gives you three choices. If you had any compassion for my sister, you would choose the prison. Let her have the money that’s rightfully hers, and let her be free of you.”

  Nick was sure Lord Maten would like nothing more than for him to go to debtor’s prison. But Nick couldn’t pick that option. Not only did he want to be with Tara, but he had his mother and sisters to think about. He also couldn’t give all of Tara’s money to her brother. She’d generously given her money to help him and his family when they’d needed it most. So really, there was no choice. He had only one option he could pick.

  “I’ll pay you four hundred and twenty-seven pounds and,” Nick swallowed the bitter lump in his throat, “I’ll do what you want.”

  Lord Maten didn’t hide his disappointment. “I was hoping you’d do what was best for my sister and choose the prison.”

  “Well, I didn’t.”

  “Obviously.” Lord Maten tapped the roof of the carriage. “Very well. You will come to my townhouse this evening.”

  “To do what?” Nick asked.

  “I’ll let you know when you arrive at eight.”

  “Eight? You expect me to be at your townhouse at eight this evening?”

  “Yes, and you will bring four hundred and twenty-seven pounds with you.” As the footman opened the carriage door, he added, “And just so things don’t get complicated, you won’t tell anyone about this.”

  “But Tara will wonder where I’m going.”

  “Then make something up. If she finds out, I’ll send you straight to debtor’s prison.”

  “Fine,” Nick snapped. “I’ll be at your townhouse at eight this evening, and I won’t tell her.”

  As Nick got up to leave the carriage, Lord Maten said, “Be prompt. I don’t like it when people make me wait.”

  Ignoring him, Nick stepped out of the carriage. He hated Lord Maten. The gentleman had him cornered, and he wasn’t going to show him any mercy. Lord Steinbeck was right when he said Evermont was the kind of person a gentleman wanted to settle his accounts with as soon as possible. The only problem was, Nick had no idea how long he’d be at Evermont’s mercy.

  Nick turned back to him. “How long will I be doing your bidding?”

  Lord Maten shrugged. “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll let you know when I do.”

  Before Nick could protest, Lord Maten motioned for the footman to shut the carriage door. The footman offered Nick a sympathetic gaze that notified him that Lord Maten had done this kind of thing to other gentlemen in the past. Nick only took small comfort in knowing he wasn’t the first person who’d been treated like this.

  N
ick backed up from the carriage as the coachman snapped the horses’ reins. He didn’t know how he was going to leave Tara this evening. He’d gotten used to being around her. Since he married her, he’d spent every evening with her. Granted, his mother and sisters were there as well, so it hadn’t been just the two of them ever since returning to London, but he’d still been with her. And now he’d have to spend the evening away from her for who knew how long. Shoulders slumped, he started the hour-long walk back to his townhouse.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tara couldn’t be sure, but she thought something was bothering Nick. All through dinner, he seemed lost in his own world. Usually, he participated in the conversation, but this evening, he ate his food in silence, looking more like a gentleman about to face the noose than one who was enjoying time with his family.

  She chose not to confront him until after dinner. His mother and sisters had retired to the drawing room, and when she noticed that he went to his bedchamber, she followed him.

  “Nick, are you all right?” she asked as he reached his door.

  He jerked and spun around. He breathed a sigh of relief and put his hand on his chest. “I didn’t know you were behind me.”

  “The slippers are quiet on the floor.” She smiled. “I wanted to wait until we were alone before talking to you.”

  He nodded and opened the door. “What do you want to talk about?”

  She stepped into the room and waited for him to close the door before she answered. “You seemed preoccupied during dinner. Is something bothering you?”

  “I finally met Evermont. It was while I was out.”

  “Who is he?”

  “I can’t say. He forbade me to tell anyone.” He pulled out a key from his pocket then went to the cabinet where he had put the money she’d given him to pay off his father’s debt.

  “You can tell me. I’m good at keeping secrets.”