Chapter Nineteen #2
“Nothing,” Mrs. Bellamy agreed readily. “Except Lockwood has been thorough. He’s had men searching parish records throughout Ireland.
There is no record of any marriage between you—under any name—and a woman named Ava.
And several people in Malahide remember the ‘widow Collins’, who wasn’t a widow until you supposedly married her. ”
The careful life he’d constructed since returning to England seemed to crumble around him.
Everything he’d feared since discovering Ava’s deception was coming to pass.
His daughter would bear the shame of illegitimacy.
His sisters would suffer for his mistakes.
And Courtney—God, Courtney was facing Lockwood’s threats alone, believing she was protecting him.
“What would you suggest I do?” he asked, his voice dangerously quiet.
Mrs. Bellamy’s eyes glittered in the firelight. “Kill him.”
Lucien stared at her, momentarily speechless.
“I’m perfectly serious,” she continued, unperturbed by his shock. “Men like Lockwood don’t simply go away. Even if you pay him once, he’ll come back for more. You think he’ll be satisfied with stealing your fiancée? Once he has Lady Courtney’s dowry, he’ll still hold your secret over your head.”
“You’re suggesting murder,” Lucien said flatly.
“I’m suggesting a permanent solution,” she corrected. “Men duel over less every day. Or accidents happen. A tumble downstairs, a runaway carriage, a midnight swim in the Thames.”
Lucien shook his head, disgust welling within him. “I am not a murderer, Mrs. Bellamy.”
“No? That’s a shame,” she remarked, watching him carefully. “Sometimes violence is the most direct path to justice.”
“Is that what this is about for you? Justice?” Lucien’s laugh was bitter. “Or merely revenge because Lockwood is cheating you of your blood money?”
Mrs. Bellamy rose, drawing herself up to her full height.
“Call it what you will. I have my reasons. But consider this—Lockwood intends to meet Lady Courtney tomorrow night at Lady Fenchurch’s ball.
He expects her answer then. If she refuses him, he plans to spread his poison immediately.
Your reputation, your daughter’s future, your sisters’ prospects—all destroyed before sunrise. ”
Lucien’s mind raced. If what the woman said was true, he had less than twenty-four hours to counter Lockwood’s scheme. “And your price for this information?”
“Two thousand pounds,” Mrs. Bellamy said promptly. “A fair sum for information that could save your family from ruin.”
“Two thousand—” Lucien broke off, incredulous. “That’s extortion.”
“That’s business,” she replied calmly. “Consider it an investment in your daughter’s future.”
Lucien moved to the desk, pulling out paper and ink. “I won’t have that money until I marry. You must have heard my family is broke. I can provide you with a promissory note.”
Mrs. Bellamy considered this, then nodded. “I can wait for the wedding. Unlike Lockwood, I won’t be back for more. I’m rather proud of what Ava achieved and we working ladies must stick together.”
As Mrs. Bellamy rose to leave, a cold determination settled in his chest. He would not kill Lockwood, no matter what this woman suggested. But he would stop him—immediately and permanently.
“One more thing,” he said. “Where can I find Kitty? I may need to speak with her directly.”
“You should call on your friend, the Duke of Blackstone. I believe he’s just set Kitty up in a house. She’s not told anyone where that is. The duke does like his privacy. The girl has moved up, so don’t ruin things for her.”
Farah’s brother? The man who was afraid of any scandal?
The rigid and proper golden duke with a common prostitute?
Lucien was astounded. He always thought the Duke of Blackstone was above such things, but he supposed all men had needs.
He would call on the duke first thing in the morning. He had to find Kitty.
“One last thing, my lord. Lockwood is a snake—not a gentleman—so don’t go thinking your society rules apply. If you get the chance, kill him.”
“I’ll manage. As you know, I haven’t been a gentleman for the past five years,” Lucien said curtly. “Is there anything else I should know about Lockwood’s plans?”
Mrs. Bellamy paused at the door. “Only that he’s desperate. His creditors are circling, and that makes him dangerous. Lady Courtney’s dowry isn’t merely desirable to him—it’s necessary for his survival.”
After she departed, Lucien stood motionless in the center of the study, the magnitude of the situation washing over him.
Courtney was facing Lockwood’s threats alone.
The thought of her sacrificing herself, possibly agreeing to marry that snake to shield Ava-Marie from scandal, made him physically ill.
He should have told her the truth from the beginning. He’d been a coward, afraid of losing her respect, afraid she would walk away when she learned the full extent of his deception. Instead, his silence had left her vulnerable to Lockwood’s manipulation.
Moving swiftly, Lucien crossed to his desk and pulled out fresh paper. He needed help, and quickly. He wrote a note for Blackwood, asking to call on him as early as convenient tomorrow.
As he wrote, his mind kept returning to Courtney. She must be terrified, believing she faced this threat alone. Yet she’d maintained her composure, even canceling their dinner engagement and going along with Lockwood’s scheme.
Her strength humbled him. Her willingness to sacrifice herself for his family—for Ava-Marie—proved the depth of her character in ways words never could.
Something deep in his chest burst free and he almost dropped to his knees.
Why was he fighting so hard? Why couldn’t he just have loved this woman?
Told her what he was afraid of. Half his hesitation in opening his heart was because everyone expected him to love her because of their past and he had fought that.
But his fight was for nothing. Because she had been claiming pieces of his heart from the day he’d called upon her.
It was as if his heart knew she was his, even if he couldn’t remember.
Finishing his note to Blackstone, Lucien rang for Phillips. When the butler appeared, he handed him the sealed letter.
“Have this delivered to His Grace, Duke of Blackstone immediately, regardless of the hour. Then ready my horse. I’m going out.”
Phillips looked startled. “At this hour, my lord? It’s nearly midnight.”
“This can’t wait until morning,” Lucien replied, his decision made. He would not let Courtney face this alone for another moment. “And Phillips—send word to prepare my pistols. I may have need of them.”
As the butler hurried to comply, Lucien moved to the fireplace, staring into the dying embers.
Mrs. Bellamy’s suggestion of murder had repulsed him, but he couldn’t deny the satisfaction he’d feel in putting a bullet through Lockwood if necessary.
Not for revenge, but for protection—of Courtney, of Ava-Marie, of his family’s future.
But first, he needed to see Courtney. To tell her he knew about Lockwood’s threat.
To promise her she wasn’t alone in this fight.
To finally confess the whole truth, not just about Ava-Marie’s birth, but about his feelings for Courtney herself—feelings that had grown from cautious attraction into something deeper.
As he prepared to ride through the midnight streets to her home, Lucien made himself a solemn vow: After tonight, there would be no more secrets between them. Whatever the cost, whatever the consequences, they would face them together.
And as for Lockwood—the baron would soon discover that threatening Lucien’s family was the gravest mistake of his miserable life.