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He sneered. “Miss Benrow is known to be a dramatic, vain creature who vies for anyone’s attention. I would not trust her story in the slightest.”
“You will do well not to insult your betrothed at the present moment. Explain yourself,” Michael challenged. “I have not heard Kitty’s story, so tell me what you think you were doing.”
“I merely heard someone in the wine cellar and thought we had a thief,” he said. Michael thought that if he had not been lying, he might have sounded more apologetic. Yet, Joseph’s angry and defensive tone suggested that he was still trying to cover up his true intentions.
“Do you often attack people with a wine bottle without verifying their identity?” Michael asked coyly.
“How was I supposed to know that you had come out of your room on your wedding night?”
“What if it had been the butler, or the housekeeper?” Michael countered, raising his voice as he grew frustrated by Joseph’s explanations.
“He’s lying!” Kitty cried, tears streaming down his face. “He meant to kill you!”
“Shut up!” Joseph shouted at her, which caused her to wince and cower on the couch in fear.
“Do not speak to anyone else in this household!” Michael shouted. “You cannot speak to anyone that way, let alone a lady and a guest in our house. At this moment, I am rescinding my blessing for your marriage to Miss Katherine Benrow. In fact, I believe the best course of action would be to fetch the constables for attempted murder at once.”
Silence fell over the room, stunned by Michael’s shouting. Michael took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. Fatigue from the long day, pain from the head injury, and frustration at his cousin’s betrayal made him feel overwhelmed, unsure what to do next. Once he felt slightly calmer, he turned to Lydia.
“Tell me, did my cousin try to force himself upon you tonight?”
She nodded solemnly.
“That’s a lie!” Joseph shouted. “I told you, she propositioned me. She has been flirting with me since the day she arrived in Marigold. See, that is why I tried so hard to separate you two, Michael, I did not want to see you heartbroken.”
“I spent almost all of my time with the lady while we were in Marigold and I can assure you that she was not flirting with you then, and not propositioning you now. You have committed a great sin against me and this house through your actions tonight.”
“You have no idea of what you speak,” Joseph mocked. “Tell yourself that this little whore loves you, that she will care for you. I promise you that she will drive you mad just as your mother did to your father!”
“How dare you speak of my mother that way!” Michael shouted again, raising his fist as though to strike Joseph.
“Yes, strike me, just as your father used to do to you and your mother. See how you are just like him and realize how terrible it will be for you to be a husband and a father. You will bring ruin to your name, just as your father did. You do not deserve to be the duke. I do!”
Michael turned away, withdrawing his fist, chastised by Joseph’s comparison to his father.
“You will never be the Duke of Marigold,” Michael promised, turning back around. “And you have betrayed more than a cousin ever could.”
“Worse yet!” Lionel cried out. “He is your brother!”
