Darling Jasmine (Skye's Legacy Book 1) by Small Bertrice

Author:Small, Bertrice
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency
Published: 2022-04-11T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

“Did I not warn you to silence, little brother?” Kipp St. Denis scolded the marquis of Hartsfield. “You have lost Queen Anne’s favor, and now will probably lose the king’s as well. You have gained nothing from this sojourn at court, which has cost us so dearly. The world was within your grasp, Piers, and you flung it away for the mere chance to torment Lady Lindley because she preferred another husband to you. Father always said you were a childish fool.”

“It was our father who squandered almost all our resources, leaving our mother to die in virtual penury,” Piers St. Denis snarled. “Besides, not all is lost. I can still beg the king’s forgiveness. I have become quite the expert at begging, Kipp. And remember, we have not yet put the rest of our plan into action.”

“You have lost the game,” Kipp replied. “The duke of Lundy will remain with the earl and countess of Glenkirk.”

“Not if it is believed they have murdered Lord Stokes,” the marquis said softly. “And Jasmine has played right into our hands, Kipp, by publicly declaring she would kill anyone who tried to take her children from her care. If Stokes is found dead, she will be the first one who is considered the murderer, and Lord Leslie, too, will be named her accomplice. The child will be removed from their care, and they will certainly end up with Somerset and his shrewish wife in the Tower.”

“Even if you can attain this goal, there is no guarantee that you will be given the duke of Lundy, particularly now that the queen has made clear her dislike of you, Piers. Attempt to mend your fences with the king so you may gain something out of this before we must leave court. Snatch a small victory from this defeat.”

“I will have the child! You should have seen the smug look on that upstart Villiers’s face, Kipp. I could have easily killed him had the queen not been there! I must have the child, Kipp. His income will save us. You know how little money there is left. I don’t want to leave court and return to Hartsfield Hall. I hate the damned country! I want to be here, in the center of the universe, where there is so much excitement happening. To be at court is to be alive, Kipp!”

“We haven’t the money to remain indefinitely, Piers,” his brother reminded him. “If you don’t get an heiress bride out of this, we are ruined! This was why we originally came to court. That you caught the king’s eye was a gift from God. You need a rich wife to restore Hartsfield Hall and to remain at court. Without one we are lost; and the king is your only hope to obtain that wealthy wife. You are angry, and you want revenge upon the earl of Glenkirk and Jasmine Lindley. I understand, and perhaps one day you will gain your revenge, but now is not the time.

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