The Viscount's Secret by Normandie Alleman

Author:Normandie Alleman [Normandie Alleman]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wisteria Lane Press
Published: 2023-09-13T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Benjamin

Neither Benjamin nor Alexander spoke as they traveled to the agreed upon spot. Ben knew his mother would kill him if anything happened to Alexander, but it was Phoebe’s wrath he truly feared. Of course, if something were to happen to Alexander, Benjamin wouldn’t be around to face the consequences.

That thought sent a chill through him that burrowed much deeper than the early morning fog could. The sun itself could hardly break through the silvery mist and Benjamin didn’t know what hope their pistols stood. How would either of them aim in these conditions?

Aiming was the least of his concerns, though. Dalton was the one who demanded satisfaction; there would be none for Benjamin. He could not bear the thought of Dalton and Lady Victoria together, but that did not mean he wanted his friend dead.

“Did Phoebe try to talk you out of this?” Ben asked before the silence in the carriage could swallow him whole.

Alex shook his head. “She’s too practical for that. She only told me to be careful.”

Ben arched a brow. “Truly? That was all?”

A flush rose up the back of Alexander’s neck, and he rubbed it, suddenly sheepish. “She may have also offered an incentive for me to return in one piece,” he admitted with a wry smile.

Ben nodded, his gaze back to the impenetrable fog. Alex was fortunate to have Phoebe. They’d found love in the most unlikely of circumstances, yet they’d overcome. They’d forged their own way to be together at last.

Could he not do that with Victoria?

No. That was the sort of thinking that led him into this predicament. He did not even know if he would survive the day. There was little use in planning future indiscretions.

“What of your Lady Victoria?” Alexander asked in turn.

“She is not my Lady Victoria,” Benjamin said sourly. “If she were, we would not be doing this.”

“True enough,” Alex agreed, “but I saw the way you held her, and how she gazed at you. Perhaps she is not yours, but her heart seems to be.”

Ben grunted, shifting in his seat. He didn’t want to admit his brother’s observation caused a flutter of hope deep in his gut. He didn’t want to give himself any more rope with which to tie his own noose. “She hoped I would not go through with it,” he finally said.

There was no further response from Alexander, only a heavier silence crowding in around them, the mood somehow even grimmer. Ben wished their other brother could join them. There had been a growing divide between them, even before they left Italy. Matters were simpler in the villa, though. One never had to fear prying eyes or whispered rumors following in their wake. Life in England was not so simple, and all three brothers had their own manner of adjusting to the expectations and norms of their new world.

Alexander had found his answer in Phoebe and George, devoting himself so thoroughly to his growing family that he had neither the time nor energy to concern himself with the ton.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.