Page 146 of A Scandal for the Beastly Earl

"That's not his fault."

"Isn't it? He trapped her in a betrothal she didn't want."

"She could have left anytime."

"Not without scandal. Not without losing everything."

"So instead she lost her life."

"Because of him. And Cassandra. And that whole poisonous world you all inhabit."

"And burning down our house helps how?"

"It's poetic justice. He couldn't save Matilda from fire. Let's see if he can save you."

"That's insane."

"That's fair."

"I'm pregnant."

"I know. More poetry. Matilda might have been pregnant too."

"What?"

"She was late. Worried. Part of why she was leaving."

"Whose..."

"No one's. False alarm, as it turned out. But the fear was real."

"That doesn't justify this."

"Nothing justifies anything. But revenge feels good."

"Does it? You look miserable."

"I look determined."

"You look desperate."

"Same thing sometimes."

"No. Determination has purpose. Desperation has only pain."

"Philosophical for someone being threatened."

"I'm not threatened. I'm annoyed."

"You should be terrified."

"Of you? You're a gambling addict with delusions of grandeur."

"I'm a man with nothing to lose."

"That does make you dangerous," she admitted. "But also predictable."

"How..."