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But not against Eric Bateman. She wouldn’t stand a chance.
“No, don’t send him away.” Taking a deep breath, Vanity folded her hands in front of her. “Let him in.”
“Very good, my lady.”
Desiree didn’t look convinced, but she stepped aside to allow the tall man into the room. Vanity had to keep back the gasp that always lodged in her throat every time she saw him. He looked so much like his father, it was scary. What was scarier was how much he looked like her son. The son she didn’t ignore, the one she raised and the one who had become a good man. Not like the man before her, standing there with a lazy smirk on his face. He looked every bit as arrogant as the man who had raised him.
Why did the stupid woman have to take him to the one-person Vanity would want to keep him away from?
“Do you need me for anything, Lady Brixton?” Desiree was still hovering in the doorway. “Do you want Jonathan to stand by?”
Jonathan. One of her footmen. He was big, a former soldier, and he was young and strong. But still he was no match for Eric Bateman. Not with what Eric had. Vanity swallowed hard and shook her head.
“No, thank you, Desiree. We’ll be fine. That will be all.”
“Very good, my lady.”
Desiree curtsied, gave Eric a harsh glare, and left. Vanity wished her maid could stay. They shared everything, many secrets passing between the two of them since Desiree started working for her fifteen years ago.
But she didn’t know the biggest secret. She didn’t know about Eric. She only knew that he had a more than passing resemblance to the dowager countess’ son.
The door closed behind her maid. Eric was still watching Vanity with that lazy smirk of his that Vanity had come to hate.
“Did you send the letter yet?”
“I did. The day after you told me to. It should be at his barracks by now.”
“Will they let him come home?”
Vanity hoped so. Her relationship with Nathan wasn’t the best. They didn’t get along now. If Nathan came back, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
“It’ll take a bit of time to get the leave granted, but if they know that I’m dying and possibly on my deathbed, they’ll make sure he gets it as soon as possible.” She clenched her hand in the other, biting back the wince at the pain. “If that’s the case, he’ll be back in London in the middle of next week at the very earliest.”
“Good.” Eric prowled towards her. “See, Vanity. Everything is going to plan because you’re being a good girl and following the rules.” He stopped before her. Vanity wanted to move, but she couldn’t as he reached up and brushed his fingers across her cheek. “I know how you like to stick to the rules.”
“Don’t touch me,” Vanity hissed.
Eric chuckled. It was not a nice sound.
“Why shouldn’t I? Like you couldn’t touch me? Couldn’t look at me?” He grabbed her chin and lifted it, making her look at him. “I know you refused to hold me when you thought I was dead. Now you can’t bear to look at me.”
He had to remind her every single time he saw her. Vanity hated those moments, but she forced herself to look at him.
“I did a bad thing all those years ago. And I regret it, Eric. But you can’t expect me to turn on my motherly affection just like that.”
Eric sniggered. His eyes were so dark, so cold.Far too familiar.
“Maybe not, but you will have to soon.” He released her chin hard and stepped back. “Once the son you kept is dead and I’m in his place.”
Vanity felt a chill slide down her spine. Ever since Eric had walked back into her life three weeks ago and told her that he could make everything she held dear disappear in the blink of an eye if she didn’t do as he asked, she lived in fear. There was so much hate in him, and he was willing to do it if he didn’t get what he wanted.
It meant sacrificing Nathan to keep the secret.Nathan.
“You’re really going to kill him?” she whispered.
“Yes.” There was no hesitation, just stated as a cold hard fact. “I will kill him, because he has what should have been mine. I’m going to make sure that I get what is my birth right.”
Vanity could feel her fingers digging hard into her hand. She was sure her nails were drawing blood. But it was either that or lash out at him. Her reputation versus Nathan’s life had her at a quandary. She didn’t want him to die, but she didn’t want people to know the mistake she had made either.
