Chapter Sixteen #2
Seth felt his temper rising to uncontrollable levels and when he reminded himself to focus, it was Lord Bolderwood’s voice that shouted the command, but he didn’t listen, couldn’t listen to another word.
“I served my country.” Blood rushed in his ringing ears, nerves tingling as every hair stood on end. “It almost killed me.”
“And yet here you are, alive! A hero, son.”
“Don’t call me that,” Seth snapped.
“You forget who you are, what you’re capable of.”
“Forget?” Seth barked out a single, bitter laugh. “How could I possibly forget! Every time I look in the mirror! Anytime I look in my armoire, for that matter! What is my uniform doing in my room?!”
“Your room, is it?” Lord Bolderwood lowered his voice, thick lines forming on his forehead. “To remind you of your accomplishments. You should be proud of what you’ve done. An orphan from Liverpool would never have achieved what you have without proper support. I gave that to you.”
“Don’t act like you did me any favors!”
“I saved you from that orphanage, fed you, clothed you, provided you with the best education money could buy!” Lord Bolderwood’s voice rose with every word. “Now look at you! A disrespectful child who breaks down crying in the middle of my halls!”
“You should have left me in that orphanage!” The chair legs grated against the hardwood flooring as Seth hurled himself onto his feet.
“This is the thanks that I get for all of my efforts?!” Lord Bolderwood bellowed.
Unable to take anymore, Seth ripped his coat off and threw it onto the floor.
He tore at his shirt, buttons popped and bounced off Lord Bolderwood’s desk.
He shoved his shirt down to his elbows and turned to show the aggressive scarring on his back, skin mottled and grotesque.
“This is the thanks that I get for my efforts!”
Lord Bolderwood looked away, the shame on his face only infuriated Seth further.
“No! You blasted coward! Look!” Seth seethed and said again with a snarl, “You should have left me in that orphanage.”
Not bothering to find his buttons, Seth shrugged into his shirt, grabbed his coat, snatched The Bible from the desk, and turned to leave.
“You know,” Lord Bolderwood said. “The strangest thing happened last night. The key to the glasshouse went missing.”
Seth stopped with his hand on the doorknob, stomach plummeting as he heard a desk drawer slide open.
“I had the groundskeeper investigate, check for signs of tampering. With the string of crimes lately, you can never be too careful.” He hummed. “You’ll never guess what he found.”
Lord Bolderwood held aloft a cream-colored parchment with worn squares from how Seth folded it. He froze. Ice sank into the pit of his stomach, flowing into his marrow.
No.
“Cassandra Cooper. Excellent penmanship. Have you read this? You should, before you make any hasty decisions.” Lord Bolderwood smoothed the parchment on his desk and gestured for Seth to sit once more.
“It’s a letter, her personal correspondence. It’s neither of our business—”
“A letter? Is that what you think this is?” Lord Bolderwood’s voice dripped with venom as he read from the paper, mimicking Cassandra.
“I can’t get my thoughts off of Mr. Reeves.
I thought it would get better over time, but each day that I spend with him only makes it worse.
How can one know if what they’re feeling is love, or attraction? Closeness, or just being close?”
“Stop.” Unsteady on his feet, his heart beat wildly.
She loves me, his soul whispered, but his mind screamed that wasn’t on the page.
Cassandra hadn’t written those honeyed words.
It was a lie. A ploy to get him under Lord Bolderwood’s control.
Seth gripped his hands into fists and stared at the floor.
“Do you want her as your wife?”
“Don’t—”
“I can help you.”
Seth sneered. “Out of the goodness of your heart, I imagine.”
“Think logically. Work for me. Put your mind to good use,” Lord Bolderwood said. “In return, I’ll settle the Cooper’s accounts and pay you handsomely enough that the little chit will want for nothing.”
“Never pegged you as a man who would resort to bribery.”
“This isn’t bribery. It’s a negotiation,” Lord Bolderwood said. “I had the maids do a thorough check of Cassandra’s bedchamber this morning. Would you care to know what else was found?”
He brought forth two more pieces of parchment and laid them face up, exposing Seth’s own handwriting, and he already knew what both would say. Come to my bedchamber. The color drained from his face as he recognized his folly. Too late. Too late. Damn it all!
“This page and these love letters will paint quite the picture for the Viscount. Does he know of the affections you harbor for his sister?” Lord Bolderwood spread the papers across the table with one fluid movement of his hand.
“After your morning scuffle with Cooper, and your recent nighttime activities, I doubt he will be understanding.”
Lord Bolderwood gathered the pages and made a show of setting them in his top desk drawer, turning a key, locking the drawer with a resounding click.
“I’ll give you time to consider your options. You’re dismissed.”