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A knock scraped on her door. “Come in, Hendricks.”
“Miss Reynard, the Duke of Belford is here. Should I tell him you are not at home?”
“Show him in.”
Sophie glanced down at her gown and wished she had time to change into something better suited to meet a duke. Hearing his shuffling footsteps slowly nearing her, she inhaled deeply.
“The Duke of Belford, ma’am.” Hendricks bowed out of the room.
“Your Grace,” she said with a deep curtsy.
“Miss Reynard.” The duke ambled over to the chair on the other side of her desk, leaning heavily on his cane as he went. Once seated, he took a long moment to catch his breath and just looked at her. “I am not sure what he sees in you.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said I don’t know what my son sees in you.” He coughed into a handkerchief. “But whatever it is doesn’t matter.”
Sophie leaned back in her chair. “And why is that, Your Grace?”
“In case he hasn’t told you, he is marrying Miss Littlebury.”
“I did indeed know it. Although, I wonder why my knowledge of the situation is so important to you.”
He coughed again. “I have a proposition for you.”
“Do you?”
“Yes, I know you have attempted to deceive both my son and many of the ladies in the ton. Including your closest friends.” His gnarled hand tightened on his cane. “But you have not fooled me.”
What was the man talking about? “Exactly how have I fooled my friends?”
His icy glare sent a shiver of apprehension through her. “With the lies that your father is some earl. Your friends may have believed you, but I certainly do not. You have the look of some peasant gypsy, nothing more.”
She arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh?”
“Yes.”
“What is your true reason for coming here today, Your Grace?”
“I will give you ten thousand pounds to leave England and not contact my son again.”
Sophie could only stare at the old man. She never could have imagined anyone offering so much money to get her to leave. “You believe you can pay me off as you did Nicholas’s mistress?”
A flash of shock crossed his blue eyes and was quickly replaced with curiosity. “You know about that?”
“Of course,” she replied with a laugh. “I am a medium.” She stood and rounded the desk. “Hold my hand for a moment, Your Grace.”
She expected him to balk at her request but he said nothing and placed his hand in hers. Closing her eyes, flashes of his life swirled through her mind. Pity overcame her until she had to release his hand.
“I’m sorry, Your Grace,” she whispered, then walked back to her chair.
“For what?”
“Your life. I’m sorry that you feel your wives never loved you. You could have had the love of your son, but you ruined that relationship, too.”
The duke rose slowly from his chair and then tossed a large envelope on the table. “Good day, Miss Reynard.”
Nicholas watched the excited expression on Justine’s face as she danced with Mr. Heston. A proper fiancé would convey his displeasure with the situation to her parents, but not him. If she behaved improperly then the engagement was off and not due to his actions.
