The Pirate's Duchess: A Regent's Revenge Novella

The Pirate's Duchess: A Regent's Revenge Novella by Katherine Bone Read Free Book Online

Book: The Pirate's Duchess: A Regent's Revenge Novella by Katherine Bone Read Free Book Online
Authors: Katherine Bone
your side.
    “I did what had to be done, my lady.”
    She absentmindedly rubbed her arms. “You are cold and heartless.”
    He pulled her closer, enjoying the way she’d been sculpted to fit him, chastising himself for not coming home to her sooner. “And you are alive.”
    “Alive?” She turned to view his face. “I died the moment I saw that fire and realized you were in it. I died a second time when I had to identify your body.”
    Curse and damn me! He fought to find his voice. “That wasn’t me.”
    “Who was it, then? Who did I bury? Tell me or I shall go mad.”
    He didn’t want to frighten her. It’s a little late for that . “The man sent to kill me.”
    “K-kill you?” Her stuttering words revealed a spark of affection still lurking beneath her shadowed eyes. “Who would do such a thing?”
    “Underwood,” he said, despising each syllable that left his mouth. “I said as much in the chapel.”
    “But why would the marquess want to harm you?”
    “You do not know Markwick’s father, my dove. He’s unscrupulous. When he and my father were young, they had been great friends. But even friendship cannot bridge the social divide. When my uncle and grandfather died and my father became duke, Underwood seethed with rage that he wasn’t the highest-ranking peer among them. He became obsessed with wealth and strove to find it by any means, not caring who was in his path.”
    Manfred tripped, and Tobias tightened his hold on Prudence when she cried out with fright. He continued to explain, hoping to take her mind off the storm.
    “When that wasn’t enough—” he worked harder to settle her nerves, rubbing his thumb over her ribs “—he began a campaign to swindle my father and his friends out of their inheritances. At first, no one suspected Underwood’s deceit. As mineral lords, their collective interest in leasing and mining benefited the whole corporation. When Sir Landon died mysteriously after refusing to support Underwood, Lord Eggleston took over the corporation’s accounts. Underwood then managed to convince the marquess that significant profits would be lost if they didn’t sell to break even. Eggleston conferred with several bankers who were, unbeknownst to him, in Underwood’s employ. They verified the figures and Eggleston sold. Within weeks, Underwood profited three hundred thousand pounds. The shame cost Eggleston his life.”
    Prudence gave a sharp intake of breath but didn’t speak. A neigh from Manfred cut through the silence. Tobias shot a wary glance behind them, searching the terracing woodland. Hair rose on the back of his neck as a bolt of lightning revealed a flash of silver. It was just as he’d feared. They were being watched, followed.
    He kicked Manfred’s flanks, trying to stay calm so as not to frighten Prudence. “My father expended his energy fighting Underwood’s fraudulent methods. I promised him on his deathbed I wouldn’t stop fighting until Underwood was either penniless or dead.”
    Static prickled his skin as another bolt of lightning serrated the sky.
    “In all this time, it never even occurred to me someone might have tried to harm you.” She reached under the cloak and fidgeted with her clothing, giving him a peek over her shoulder at the tempting flesh mounding above her corset. “I found this in the ruins and have worn it ever since.”
    She raised her hand, revealing his signet ring—a ruby embellished with gol d— dangling from a chain around her neck.
    “And you wore it on your wedding day?” He let out a deep, satisfied sigh. Perhaps he hadn’t lost the key to Prudence’s heart after all.
    He cleared his throat. “Your attachment to the trinket pleases me.”
    She returned the ring to her bodice, leaned back, and turned her head to look up at him. “I prayed for your return. Truly I did. I longed for it.”
    “And yet, you were going to marry Markwick today.” He tamped down the fury roiling inside him, an objectionable jealous

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