Dylan lifted a placating hand and searched for a possible explanation. Before he could say anything, the duke blindsided him with a right hook. Dylan reeled backward, stunned by the brute force of the older man’s blow.
“Father, no!” Natalia cried, trying to put herself between them, but the duke pushed her out of the way, intent on his goal. She stumbled and fell, hitting her head on a stone bench with a resounding crack.
“Natalia!” Dylan tried to go to her, but as he gained his feet, the duke glanced a punishing blow off his left temple, followed with a swift jab to his gut. Dylan bent forward, gasping and trying to catch his breath.
For a moment, he thought he might lose consciousness, but worry for Natalia eclipsed his pain. When the duke moved to strike again, Dylan lifted his arm and blocked the blow. He deserved every bit of the duke’s fury, but enough was enough.
“Just hold on a minute,” Dylan growled. “Let me see if Natalia’s all right.”
“I’ll check on her.” Much to Dylan’s dismay, Michael stepped from behind the hedge and knelt by Natalia’s side.
Christ, this was just what he needed. Had all of London invaded their privacy? He kept a wary eye on the duke, ready to fight back if the old man tried anything else. He focused the rest of his attention on Natalia and his brother.
God, he’d made a colossal mess of everything.
Michael pulled Natalia to a sitting position and gently probed the back of her head. He murmured to her in a concerned undertone, but his reproachful gaze locked with Dylan’s.
“Are you all right, daughter?” Chagrin replaced the old man’s anger when he realized he’d hurt Natalia.
“Yes.” Natalia’s ragged voice, choked with tears, was not very convincing. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Dylan tried not to think about the look of betrayal on Michael’s face. The confrontation with his brother would have to wait. The most important thing right now was Natalia. There was only one thing he could do, given the circumstances. And although he realized this was exactly what he’d wanted all along, he hated that it had come about in this manner.
He took a deep breath and turned to face the enraged duke once again. “Your Grace, I apologize for my behavior tonight.”
The duke shook his head. “Your apology is not accepted, young man.”
Dylan tried again. “I care for your daughter very deeply, sir. I never meant to compromise her. Please, let me make this right. Let me marry her.”
“Never. I would die before I allowed my daughter to marry a fortune hunter like you.”
Dylan flinched, stung by the duke’s contempt. “I may not be titled or wealthy, but I promise to be good to her. I would never hurt her in any way.”
Natalia got to her feet and moved to Dylan’s side. Her anguished gaze met his, and she lifted her hand to dab a bit of blood from his lip.
“I love you,” she said, loud enough for both her father and Michael to hear. “And I’m so sorry about all of this.”
Then she squared her shoulders and turned to face the duke. “Please, Father. I’m begging you. Let me marry Captain Blake. I’ll never be happy if you force me to wed someone else.”
She loves me.All of Dylan’s anger, regret, and embarrassment faded away. None of that mattered, not if she truly meant what she said. He reached out and squeezed her hand to let her know how much her words meant to him.
The duke stared at them in brooding silence. Dylan was peripherally aware that Michael had left the three of them alone. Natalia trembled like a leaf in the wind. She held his hand so tightly he could no longer feel his fingertips.
“You shame me, Natalia.” The duke’s soft words were brutal, despite their lack of heat. “I can’t believe you are foolish enough to believe this young man cares for you. Don’t you know he only lured you out here to fulfill some sort of rakehell’s bet? He’s 200 pounds richer because you gave into him so easily.”
* * *
A bet. Natalia lifted her gaze to Dylan’s, afraid of what she might find.Please, let this be a lie.There had to be a mistake. Her father had made it up in order to turn her against the man she loved.
Dylan shook his head, but desperation filled his eyes. So much guilt…
Father’s not lying.
Bitter tears sprang to her eyes, and her knees threatened to give way as she confronted the bitter truth. It all made sense now—all his sweet words and relentless pursuit. He wanted something from her, just like all the others.
“It did start out as a bet,” Dylan admitted, his voice rough and low. “But I didn’t come out here tonight because of that. To win the bet, all I had to do was dance with you twice. If all I’d wanted was the damn money, then why didn’t I just convince you to dance with me again?”
“Because you didn’t want to settle for 200 pounds?” She put two and two together and reached a sum that destroyed her soul. “Because you realized all you had to do was compromise me, and you could have my entire dowry.”
