Page 9 of My Dangerous Duke

Xander was not yet sure if the union he was about to enter was an actual blessing or not, but he was certain that it was a mystery. Eleanor fascinated him greatly.

“Thank you, I suppose,” Xander mused briefly, “But back to business.”

Without another word, Jared’s head dropped to pen the missive Xander wanted to send to his grandmother. When he finished, he drew out a fresh paper and made out the long list of things Xander rattled off to him.

“I will not need you in this meeting, you may go. Once you have those things arranged let me know and I shall alert you of what is next,” Xander instructed as the carriage came to their next stop. “Take care of my grandmother’s letter first.”

“Yes, Your Grace,” Jared replied quickly as Xander reached for the door, “But before you go, I must tell you something. Regarding your cousin.”

Xander’s mood, briefly lightened by Eleanor’s kiss and successfully steamrolling Victor, darkened once more, and he shut the carriage door with great force.

“What is it?” he demanded.

“I know you sent him off to Larsen but he has returned to London, Your Grace,” Jared replied meekly, visibly shrinking in his seat. “And has taken up residence in your quarters.”

A red haze settled over Xander’s vision as his chest filled with rage. This little detail was something he should have been informed of immediately. While his interest in Eleanor certainly made the blackmail easier to swallow, it still did not overshadow the fact that it was his cousin’s antics that had allowed him to be blackmailed in the first place.

“Get out,” Xander instructed, his tone void of all emotion. “Reschedule my appointments before you do anything else. I shall deal with this immediately.”

Jared exited the carriage without a word, but Xander could hear him instructing the driver to take his Master home at once. During the short drive, Xander’s mood only darkened. As soon as the carriage stopped he was out of it, striding up the stairs to his London House and directly up the stairs toward his bedchambers. Servants scattered the moment they saw him, stopping whatever they were doing the moment they saw his hardened face.

Not bothering with the door handle, Xander kicked open the double doors of his rooms, sending splinters flying off of them as they splayed apart, and marched inside to see his cousin and a woman naked in his bed, both of their eyes and mouths wide with alarm.

“Jesus, Cousin!” Richard exclaimed, jumping out of the bed as he pulled a sheet around his naked waist. “I knew you would be chapped about me being here but this is a bit much, is it not?”

Xander’s eyes narrowed in on the woman his cousin had left on the bed, and the fear in her eyes only made him more disgusted.

“Get dressed and get out,” his gravelly tone commanded as he stared directly into her eyes. With a gasp, the woman suddenly flew into motion, scrambling off the bed and toward her pile of clothes. In a moment, she had them thrown haphazardly on and was running toward the broken door.

“That was completely uncalled for,” Richard started, but before he could finish his sentence, Xander was on him, his fist sailing directly into his cousin’s chin, and for a brief moment, his rage was satisfied.

“BloodyFuckingHell, Cousin!” Richard roared, staggering back as his hands flew to his mouth.

“Do not youdaretell me what is uncalled for, Richard!” Xander snarled, his fist clenching once more. “Do you have any idea what your debauchery has just cost this family? What it has costme?”

A look of genuine confusion came over Richard’s face, and his hand slowly dropped from his sore mouth.

“Xan, old chap,” Richard said calmly, reaching a hand toward him, “What are you talking about?”

“Marcus.”

The name came out of Xander’s lips bitingly. It was a name that would be scorched in his mind forever. The night of the ball- of his demise- Victor had actually allowed him to read the letters Richard had received from his lover, Marcus; and they were disgustingly detailed in the description of not just their sexual acts, but their alleged love. If the letters were to get out, it would ruin them all.

Richard froze.

“Who?”

“Oh, off it,” Xander growled, waving a frustrated hand toward his cousin. “I know what you wrote to him, and so does someone else.”

Richard’s face paled so drastically and so suddenly that for a moment, Xander’s anger dipped toward worry.

“Oh, God,” Richard groaned, “Someone has found us out. Who is it? What do they want from me?”

Xander laughed bitterly.Of course,his cousin was only worried about himself.

“You always think it is just about you, do you not?” He asked, shaking his head as walked over to Richard’s discarded breeches. He tossed them toward him bitterly, and Richard only gave him a confused look as he caught them.

“Tell me what has happened and I will fix it,” Richard stated as he drew his pants on. “They will kill me if I do not fix it, Xander. You know they will. They will have me hanged if word of this gets out.”