Chapter 16 #2
“I will hold my tongue and take this sordid secret to my grave if you pay me a thousand guineas,” Seymour said.
“That is an outrageous sum,” Lady Everly said in offense.
Dev held up a hand to calm her, never taking his eyes from Seymour.
He despised the idea of paying for secrets to be kept.
The practice was never reliable, as the one being paid could easily come back and demand more money time after time.
But if he agreed to Seymour’s terms, it might buy them time to devise an alternative plan.
They only needed three weeks, until after the wedding, so that he could take Kitty away to the country and remove her from anyone who would seek physical proof of the things Seymour said.
“I agree,” he said in a low, resentful voice.
“Dev, you do not have to do this,” Kitty said, shifting closer to him so that she could grasp his arm. “You know that he will not be satisfied with a thousand guineas. He will not stop until he has ruined both of us.”
“Perhaps,” Seymour said, puffing himself up as though he had already won the game they were playing. “Perhaps not. You will not know unless you give me a try.”
Dev glared at the man again. He was a rank bastard, but he was clever. And in an all-too palpable way, he had the upper hand.
“If you send me the information for your account I will have the money deposited there directly for you,” Dev said.
“However, if you go back on your word or tell another living soul what you have witnessed here today, including any other members of your family, I will make your life a living hell. And believe me, with the friends I have and the company I keep, justice will be swift and painful.”
It was a terrific gamble to threaten Seymour in such a manner, but it appeared to work. Seymour blanched and took a step back. He glanced to Kitty, then back at Dev.
“I will give you three days to deposit the funds,” he said, as tense as a tiger about to strike. “If you attempt to go back on your word, not only will my father know about this, all of London will know as well.”
“We understand the terms of our deal, then,” Dev said, tilting his chin up so he could look down his nose at Seymour. He was beyond relieved that Seymour had implied he would not share the truth with the Duke of Bedminster, at least not immediately.
“We do,” Seymour said.
Dev nodded. “Good.”
He turned away from Seymour as dismissively as possible, giving his full attention to Kitty instead.
Seymour wasted no time in leaving. Dev was under no illusion that he would keep to his end of their bargain, in the long term or in the short. He was the last man Dev wanted to trust, but for the next few days, at least, they would be forced to trust him.
“Are you well?” Dev asked Kitty again, throwing caution to the wind and pulling her into his arms.
Kitty let out a heavy breath and sagged against Dev.
If not for her bonnet, Dev was certain she would have rested her head against his shoulder to hide from the world.
“I do not believe I am well,” she said quietly, eyes downcast. She glanced up at Dev to say, “George will not keep to his word. He wants everything that should be mine, but he wants to see me destroyed even more than that. ”
“He will not touch you,” Lady Everly said, as ferociously as a general. “None of that wretched family will touch you. If George says something, we will deny and disavow it.”
“The rumors alone would be enough to enlighten London to the truth,” Kitty lamented.
“Then we will leave London and go elsewhere, as I have said,” Dev insisted, rubbing Kitty’s back for a moment before stepping apart from her and taking her hands. “I swear to you that no matter what happens, we will be safe and we will be together.”
“And what if George tells your family the truth?” Kitty asked, despair painted on her face.
“I do not think I could bear it if they found out from someone like George.” He paused, glancing to Lady Everly for a moment, then looked back to Dev.
“They should find out from me. I have to tell them. It would be too much of a betrayal to keep the secret from them forever.”
“Are you certain that is wise?” Lady Everly asked, alarmed. “The world is changing every day, but not everyone is amenable to accepting things that they do not understand.”
Dev could see in Kitty’s eyes that she understood what Lady Everly was saying.
She understood his position on keeping things from his family as well.
He had more faith in his family than Kitty did.
His brothers, and likely his father, knew he enjoyed the company of men as much as women, but he did not know if they would extend their understanding as far as Kitty’s nature was concerned.
“We do not have to decide at once,” he said, with a sigh, frustrated that he had found the sort of love his family had always wished for him, only to have it come in the form of someone who would be questioned and very possibly rejected.
“We have time before the wedding and time once that is completed and we depart for the country. Something may yet arise that could make the entire situation easier for everyone to understand.”
Kitty glanced to Lady Everly. Clearly, the two of them were not as certain about that possibility as they could have been. At least Kitty had a true friend who was willing to make great sacrifices for her.
“I will agree to wait and see what happens next,” Kitty finally agreed in a quiet voice. “But I worry about what my brother will say and do.”
“He will do nothing for at least a short time, once I give him the money he wants,” Dev insisted, hoping it was true. “Whatever else might happen, we have time.”
“Precious little time,” Kitty said with a sigh. “And I would very much prefer to be honest and forthright with your family, regardless of the consequences. They have been so kind to me and they are owed that much.”
Dev nodded, but he was not certain. He loved his family and believed them to be the very best of people, but discovering who Kitty was might reach the very limits of what they could understand.
He feared very much that Kit was right, however, and that they would have to know the truth, perhaps sooner rather than later.