AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter 26
“What?” Sebastian roared as he entered the rose bush alcove.
He had checked William’s chamber, and when he hadn’t found him, Sebastian remembered William roaming the halls at night, goading Sebastian about the ladybird he’d been visiting.
Had he been talking about Victoria all along?
In a fit of rage, Sebastian dashed toward the garden where he thought he might find them, and he did. Just in time to hear the words that easily escaped Victoria’s mouth.
They are already married.
Sebastian had suspected that this was the reason for William’s scheming all along. He’d anticipated it. And yet, expecting something to happen—dreading it—and hearing the confirmation, were two different beasts.
Blood boiled inside Sebastian’s veins, and his vision blurred. All he could see was his sweet, innocent niece, holding hands with the worst scoundrel the world had ever known.
“You are not serious, Victoria!” he pushed through his greeted teeth. “Tell me you are not serious.”
Victoria took a step back, and William shifted to shield her. “She is utterly serious, my friend. We are married.”
“Then we’ll get it annulled!” Sebastian took another step forward, his hands fisted at his sides.
“You can’t.” William’s features were stony. “I made certain it’s legal. There is nothing you can do.”
“Well, then I’ll have to kill you!” Sebastian growled.
“No, Uncle!” Victoria peeked from behind William’s back, but the bastard moved to shield her again.
“Name your second,” Sebastian said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper.
“Sebastian, don’t,” Lavinia warned by his side.
“You know very well I have no seconds in this house, Bastian.” A light smirk appeared on his lips. “If anyone, you’d be the one standing by my side.”
“Well, you forfeited my friendship the moment you seduced my niece!”
“He didn’t seduce me!” Victoria peeked out again. “I married him willingly.”
Sebastian watched her silently, waiting for his blood to cool. She didn’t deserve his ire. She was innocent in this situation. “Did you, now?”
“I did. And I know that you dislike him and that you were against our marriage. That is why I had to do it in secret.”
Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “You shackled yourself to this—this criminal—on purpose? Why would you do this? You doomed yourself to be a social outcast! Do you know this? What about your aspirations of joining your sister in Russia and bridging our nations through advantageous marriage?”
“He isn’t a criminal, despite what you might think.”
Sebastian closed his eyes as the obvious answer dawned on him. He finally understood the only way she’d marry him willingly. He looked at William, a smirk of disgust on his face. “You haven’t told her.”
There was a beat of silence. Victoria stepped out from behind William, her features pinched with confusion. She swallowed before asking quietly, “What haven’t you told me?”
William gritted his teeth, a vein popping out on the side of his neck. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Bastian.”
“Don’t I? Then tell her. Now.”
There was a long pause as Willam and Sebastian stared at each other under furrowed brows. William finally broke the contact and looked at Victoria. “I didn’t lie to you about anything. Everything I told you is the truth.”
“But you omitted some truths, too. Didn’t you?” Sebastian gritted out.
William licked his lips. “Yes. I might not have told you the entire truth about the origin of my birth.” There was a pause as he took a deep intake of breath. “Iama duke’s son. A duke’s bastard son.”
