But no sooner had the butler disappeared out the door to deliver this message than the door of the parlor was flung open again and a man strode inside, a cold, arrogant look on his face.
Leah recognized him at once: a man of average height, with thin lips, a jowly face, and gray watery eyes. He was older now, probably over sixty, with gray streaks in his black hair. Lord Benedict Dubois.
The butler followed behind the Viscount, looking distraught.
“Please, Lord Dubois!” the butler was saying. “You cannot_”
“I will speak to the Duke now!” Lord Dubois said, his cold voice ringing out through the parlor. Every guest in the room stopped talking and turned to look at him, shocked expressions on all their faces.
Lucien stepped forward, his jaw set and his eyes flashing with cool dislike.
“Excuse me, Lord Dubois, but this is my home you have just barged into without an invitation. I demand you to explain yourself. Now.”
“I would be happy to,” Lord Dubois said, his eyes narrowing as he took Lucien in. “I came here to fulfill the marriage contract your father promised me.”
A ringing silence greeted this pronouncement. Everyone was still staring at Dubois, their mouths slightly open and eyes wide. No one moved.
Then at last, Emery stepped forward. “Would our guests please excuse us?” she asked. “I believe that whatever Lord Dubois is here to discuss, it is a private family matter, and that it is best we deal with it alone.”
It took several minutes for all the guests to move from the parlor into the drawing room. No one wanted to go, of course. They all wanted to hear what Lord Dubois had to say. B y tomorrow, gossip of this event would be all over London. And although she didn’t know what Lord Dubois meant, she did know that it couldn’t be good.
Only when no one but family remained did Lucien turn back to Dubois and gesture for him to continue.
“What exactly are you talking about?” Lucien said, his voice low and deadly.
“I have a contract,” Dubois said, drawing himself up. “It was a contract that your father and I made together and which he signed before his death. In it, he states that should my wife die before giving me an heir, he would give me his daughter Leah’s hand in marriage, for a hefty sum.”
Leah stared at the man, her heart in her throat.Did I mishear that?But there was more. “Well, my wife has died without an heir, so I have come to claim what is mine.”
Dubois’s watery gray eyes found Leah’s, and she felt her stomach drop out of her.
“I have come to wed Lady Leah.”
“Have you lost your mind?” Lucien roared, taking a threatening step toward Dubois. Leah wasn’t quite sure how he had reacted so quickly, because she herself was still in shock. She couldn’t move. All she could do was stare at the Viscount in numb disbelief.Marriage? To Lord Dubois? And Papa approved of this? He sold me for a hefty sum?
She could not believe it. It couldn’t be real. And Lucien seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
“I don’t believe you for a second!” Lucien snarled at the Viscount. “Leah’s hand in marriage is not for sale, and there is no way my father would have signed a contract to that effect.”
“I have it here,” the Viscount said, raising an eyebrow and looking almost bored by the Duke’s anger. “Would you like to see it?”
He opened his briefcase and produced several sheets of paper, which he held out to Lucien. Her brother ripped the pages from his hand and began to read through them, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.
Next to Leah, Celeste gras ped her arm. “Did Father ever say anything to you about this?” she whispered. “Is there any chance it is true?”
“No,” Leah murmured back, although she was in such shock that it was difficult to speak. “He never said anything like this to me!”
“I don’t believe this,” he said, glaring up at Dubois. “This is a fake. I’m sure of it.”
“That is your father’s signature, is it not?” Dubois asked, shrugging.
Lucien’s eyes narrowed, and he said nothing for a long moment. The truth hit Leah like someone had slapped her across the face: Lucien recognized the signature; it was Papa’s.
But he didn’t say as much. Instead, he folded the papers and set them on the closest table, then folded his arms. “I will need to have these documents authenticated by my solicitor. Until then, I will not believe their validity.”
“Fine,” Dubois snapped, “but I assure you: they are real. In fact, I am so confident in their validity that I would have brought a special license with me now and married Lady Leah tomorrow if I had been able to obtain one.”
Tomorrow!Leah was hit by a wave of dizziness, and it was all she could do not to faint right then and there. Celeste seemed to anticipate her, because she reached out and took her hand,squeezing it tight. When Leah glanced at her, Celeste shook her head, as if to say,We wouldn’t let that happen.
