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“And he told me everyone was against him, but he was not afraid to tell it how it was.” Eric pushed off the wall and advanced on her. “He taught me to stand up for myself and not take anything from anyone, including those who supposedly care about me.”
Vanity had to stop herself from backing away, even as Eric stood close to her and towered over her. He was imposing. Just like Nathan. But unlike Nathan, his presence just sent a shiver down Vanity’s spine. She was scared. Eric was dangerous. Nathan was...he was safe. She felt safe with him, even with their arguments.
If only she could tell him the truth. If only she was brave enough to own up to everything. But Vanity knew she wasn’t brave enough. She would never be brave enough.
“You would strike me?”
“I’ve been tempted. So many times, since we got...reacquainted.” Eric raised a hand, his fingers hovering inches from her neck. Then he wagged a finger. “But that would be naughty. Your darling son would figure out something was wrong if I touched you. So, that must wait for now. Once I’m the Earl, however…”
The smile he gave her made Vanity shudder. God, he was more like Jasper Black than she realized, even if they weren’t blood related. She gritted her teeth.
“I hate you,” she hissed.
“And I’m saddened that you have to think that about me.”
“You’re not sad.”
Eric smirked, his eyes hardening to black crystals. “You’re right. I’m not.” He stepped away so quickly that Vanity swayed. “Have you received a letter from your son? It’s been nearly two weeks since you sent your letter to him.”
“Only this morning.” Vanity bit her lip. “He’s on his way back. It is only a short way ahead of him, so it’ll more than likely be tomorrow or the day after that he’ll land back in London.”
“Good.”
Eric looked very pleased about it. Vanity stared at him. How could he be so cold about this? He really wanted to kill Nathan. All Nathan had done was exist. Eric hated that. Vanity understood why, but it still scared her at the animosity Eric had towards a man he had never met.
“Why are you doing it this way?” she asked.
Eric cracked his knuckles, the noise making Vanity wince.
“I want to toy with him, get him distracted. Besides, the girl I’ve picked out would be perfect for me. It won’t take much to kill your precious son and insert myself in his place. She won’t notice the difference.”
“That’s if the girl is stupid.” Vanity pointed out. “If she falls in love with Nathan, she’s going to know the difference.”
Eric chuckled. “Not even his closest friends are going be able to tell the difference. Only you and Desiree here will know the truth. I know neither of you are going to tell the girl. She’ll be married to the Earl of Brixton and that’s all that will matter to her. She’ll be so delighted with a marriage that it will barely register.”
Such a cold way to talk about a young woman. Vanity had received a letter from Eric about the girl in question, and from what Eric had written, the young woman was clever and kind. Quite the opposite for someone like Eric. He shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near her.
She was going to be deceived, just like Nathan. Only Nathan wouldn’t be walking away from this. Vanity’s heart clenched at the thought of losing her son. They may have had their differences, but she didn’t want him dead. Hopefully, he would be able to figure it out before Eric hurt him.
“Look, why don’t you just talk to him yourself? He’ll be able to guess the truth just by looking at you. He doesn’t care for the title at all. That boy prefers to play soldiers. His title of Captain is more important than Earl of Brixton. If you told him what happened and who you are, he would happily give up the title.”
Eric sniggered. “But then it would all come out, wouldn’t it? That you committed something atrocious. You wouldn’t want that to be revealed to everyone, would you?”
Vanity faltered. Damn him. He knew that was a weakness. Vanity didn’t care if Nathan knew about it, but what about everyone else in society? People were very cruel, and Vanity had survived one scandal with Jasper Black. She couldn’t do that again. This time, she couldn’t paint herself as the victim.
You don’t need to kill Nathan,” she whispered.
“I do.” Eric advanced on her. “Then I take my place where I’m supposed to be, and I can take everything. Titles, land, the girl...perfect.”
“And how are you going to explain to the British Army that you’re not going back to the front line in the middle of a war with France?” Vanity demanded. “Nathan loves being in the army, and abruptly asking for a discharge is going to raise some eyebrows. You’ve never fought in the wars, so how are you going to pass yourself off as Nathan if you ever cross paths with his soldier compatriots?”
Eric looked a little amused. “I’ll be fine. Like you, I’m good at acting. But thank you for worrying about me...Mother.”
He looked her up and down, and Vanity swallowed hard. She didn’t like the look in his eyes. It was something Jasper had right before he struck her. Back then, Vanity had been a little more outspoken. Jasper had liked that at the beginning, and then as soon as he had Vanity sucked in, he had tried to beat it out of her. Years afterwards, Vanity would hear rumours that Jasper hated the fact he had been forced out of London over something he never did.
She had had the bruises to prove it. They took a long time to fade. Vanity knew what Jasper was capable of, which left her in no doubt that Eric would do the same to her if she said anything out of turn. Once he was the Earl, he would certainly do that.
What had she done?
