“For creating this solitary life for me? To what end? What could you possibly have to gain from it?”
“What could I have to gain from it? I could ensure that you never married. And that you never had a child of your own,” his uncle snapped.
Matthew stared at him in shock and confusion. “But why? Why would it matter to you whether I wed or not?”
“Because your son would become the Duke after you step down. AndthatI could not allow to happen.”
“What are you talking about? Why would you not want him to have a son to become the next duke? ” John asked, bewildered.
Matthew turned toward him without another word. His uncle, however, scowled at his son.
“I did not raise you to be thatstupid. If Matthew dies without an heir, the duchy will pass on to me and then to you, John. Tomyson.” The Marquees turned back to Matthew. “To whom it belongs.”
“But… why…” John seemed incredulous still.
Matthew, on the other hand, could very well understandwhyhis uncle would want John to inherit the duchy, but what he couldn’t understand was how he could possibly have missed the fact that his uncle was sabotaging his life from the start.
“Your father was always the perfect one. Always the one that was destined for great things. He was everyone’s favorite,” his uncle spat out angrily. “And then he died young, leaving a son who was barely old enough to take the charge even under my wing.
“But I was your uncle. Your last remaining relative. The one that you turned to immediately for assistance. And it was perfect. I realized that your father’s ship sank on its way to America, I could not have planned anything better myself.”
Matthew’s eyes widened in shock as he remembered the horrible day when he had learned that his parents were not returning. And the way he had immediately turned to his uncle for solace. He had thought that he found it. Thought that his uncle had joined him in his sorrow, grieving the loss of his older brother while Matthew grieved the loss of his father and mother.
“And to have you there, right where I needed you. Turning to me for everything. I was able to mold you into exactly what I wanted. Sure, your father’s stubbornness and pride won out, and I could not make you submit to me, but I created a persona that would ensure you would be hard-pressed to find a fitting bride.”
All he could do was stare at this man who he had thought he knew. The one he had never realized was against him from the very start … But he didn’t need to say anything else, because his uncle was continuing on entirely on his own.
“And Marigold… ah, she was the perfect bride for what I wanted. Too mild and sweet and innocent to ever protest your cold and heartless manners. She would never have loved you, and you would never have forced a woman into your bed, so the two of you would never have produced an heir.”
“And if I never produced an heir…” Matthew trailed off, his voice cold.
“Then the duchy would pass on to my family. Where it belonged. And while I may never become the Duke, I have a son. A son who would be a much better fit for the role becauseIwould teach him everything he needs to know.”
All it took was one glance at John’s bewildered expression, and Matthew was even more sure that his cousin had known nothing of this wild scheme and was just as horrified by it as he was.
“But then you returned with a wife whom I hadn’t chosen. Diana,” he sneered. “Of all the sisters that you could have chosen, you chose the one who may have seemed least likely to challenge everything but was in fact the most likely to destroy all of my plans. That spitfire who would stand up to you without fear. I could not have it. I had to do whatever was necessary to ensure that you did not destroy everything I had worked for. Everything I had spent so long cultivating.”
“You sabotaged my life. And for what?” Matthew snapped. “You were the one who trained me. Who taught me. If you wanted me to become a certain type of man, I would have. You know that because you created this lie about me.”
“Yes. Yes, I did. But I didn’t want to turn you into the perfect Duke. I wantedmyson to be the perfect Duke. For years, I stood in your father’s shadow, watching him make stupid decisions. Watching people fawn over him for no reason. Watching him train you. And I knew that I could do better. Knew that Iwasbetter. And yet I never had that chance. But my son… my son could have that chance. All I had to do was get you out of the way.” his uncle sneered at him.
John opened and closed his mouth as though he were trying to figure out just what to say.
“But that girl… she challenged everything that I had planned. And so she had to go.”
“That girl, is mywife,” Matthew replied coldly. “And I shall go and get her back.”
“Good luck. I’ve already told her that you want nothing to do with her. That you cannot forgive her for what she has done. She is prepared to be sent away forever. To be disgraced amongst her family. And she will not easily be swayed.”
“I will do whatever it takes,” Matthew vowed. “And you… I never wish to see you again. You shall have no place in my household ever again.”
With that, he stormed toward the door.
John raced after him, a stunned expression on his face. “Matthew! I did not—I never?—”
“Not now,” Matthew snapped, rushing out the door.
He knew that John was afraid that he blamed him as well, but there was no time to reassure him because he needed to get Diana. He needed to reach her as soon as possible.
