Chapter 17 #2
“Never mind, none of that matters. You are just like the others, Mr. Alegria.
No, you are worse, so much worse," she continued when she could finally speak without crying.
“Their disdain for me was apparent, their machinations easy to see. You lured me to you under the guise of friendship and affection, under the guise of…”
Alice was about to say love but could not bring herself to say it aloud.
“In the end, you shamed and betrayed me in the worst possible way," she said, her voice wobbling against her will.
"You didn't even have the decency to stick with the terms of the bet.
Hackman called you a conman because you refused to give the others their cut of my dowry.
That is just another example of your deceitful nature.
And a conman you are. You set a pretty trap for me with your sweet words and passionate touch, and I tripped right into it. "
“Alice,” Marco said softly, but Alice shook her head, effectively cutting him off.
“You have lost the right to use my name, Mr. Alegria,” she said, her voice shaking. “I trusted you, and you turned out to be the worst kind of traitor. I would have been better off accepting any of those men, even Sir Hackman. At least I knew what they wanted from me. You are nothing but a liar."
“Do not say that,” Marco said quietly, his eyes pleading. “You do not understand what kind of men they are. They are vile. The things I heard them all say about you. None of them can be trusted, especially not Hackman. My darling..."
“Do not call me that!” Alice cried, unreleased sobs shaking her body. “Why do you continue to lie when I know your secret? What do you think you can gain by offering me sweet words made of lies when I see the truth?”
“They are not made of lies,” Marco said simply, reaching for her hand, but Alice pulled it away in disgust. “I adore you. I burn for you. I have from the start. I shall forever regret writing my name on the bloody playing card."
“I do not believe you,” Alice laughed harshly, shaking her head as if to shake away the tenderness in his voice. “If any of that were true, why would you ever participate in such a wager?”
“They were being cruel, Alice,” Marco said sharply, his voice blazing with sincerity. “I came upon them after our first dance and overheard their plans to deceive you, and I was appalled.”
“So appalled that you agreed to take part?” Alice snorted, rolling her eyes sarcastically.
“I could not let one of those rogues have you,” Marco said fiercely. “I could not let them divvy up your dowry as if it were owed to them, to speak of you as if you were beneath them when clearly, you were above them all!”
Alice remembered Hackman’s words to her that morning. He told her that even her beauty could not overcome her low birth. That the only value she had was her wealth. And it all turned out to be true. She shook her head dismissively at Marco's declarations.
“No, you only wanted to get your hands on my money,” she said scornfully, glaring at him without shame.
“You are just what you said you were upon our first meeting. You are not a gentleman; you are a businessman in need of wealth, are you not? You have a failed business you must rebuild, do you not?”
“My business did not fail,” Marco said. His voice rose in anger for the first time, and Alice felt a rising vindication. Finally, she had found something that ruffled him.
“I should have known when you agreed to remain childless,” she said witheringly. “What kind of man would willingly deny himself the opportunity of siring a duke?”
“What kind of man do you think would?” Marco said, his eyes full of anger.
“The kind of man who only cares about money,” she snapped back, ready to hurl all the accusations ruminating furiously around her mind at him.
Of course, it made sense now. His affection, kindness, acceptance, everything seemed to be love, but it was not.
“A man who burned for me would never settle for less than my whole body.
He would never be content with only having part of me.
Only a man who was feigning his affections would agree to that.
He would agree to anything to get me to the altar and have access to my money. Which is all you ever wanted!"
“Is that truly what you think of me?” Marco’s voice was low and dangerous, and Alice couldn’t find it within herself to care. “You think every word I’ve ever spoken is a lie? That every kiss and touch was feigned?”
“What else could I possibly think?” Alice exploded, glaring at him with all the sadness and disappointment she felt inside.
“I told you all I wanted was to marry you,” he said quietly. “Did you detect lies in those words? Did it feel like a lie when I told you I burned for you? When I kissed you? When I brought you to completion with my hands and my mouth?”
“Don’t speak of that!” Alice exclaimed, feeling tears jump up in her eyes. “Of course, it did not feel like a lie! Of course, it felt genuine or would never have allowed you to do those things. I never suspected this because I did not believe you capable of such cruelty.”
“I entered into the wager because I wanted to protect you. I was not being cruel. I was being...” Marco said as he swallowed heavily. “Possessive. I have wanted to have you in every way since the night I met you. That is the truth.”