Lord Montrose’s hand shot out but Jeremy dodged it easily. He took a step away again, shaking his head as he saw the look of sheer anger burning in Lord Montrose’s expression. “She has, then.”
“This has nothing to do you with you, Avondale,” Lord Montrose replied, darkly. “Eliza is mine. She has already agreed to be mine. I shall do as I please and neither she nor you shall have any bearing on my behavior.”
“And Rebecca?” Jeremy asked, softly, letting his words fill the air between them. “What of her? And what you did to her?”
Lord Montrose let out a mocking laugh that sent Jeremy’s skin crawling with disgust at the gentleman’s behavior.
“What of her?” Lord Montrose laughed, his expression growing malevolent. “She is dead, is she not?” Seeing Jeremy flinch, he laughed again. “Gone from this earth, she and that child with her. I have nothing to say on the matter, given that there is no one to seek out recompense for her.” He shrugged, his lips pulled into a wide, scornful grin. “She was pretty, yes, and remarkably amiable,” he continued, his voice dropping low and sending waves of fury through Jeremy. “But I cannot claim to be the only one who sought out her company.” One eyebrow arched slowly and Jeremy forced his hands behind his back, so that he would not allow his anger to force him to act unwisely.
“My cousin has written only of you,” he stated, harshly. “She wrote to you over and over, Lord Montrose. First, there came words of love, of gratitude and of hope. And then, by the end, she was in such despair, that I can barely bring myself to read what was written.” He shook his head, his eyes cold as he saw the grin fade from Lord Montrose’s face. “You told her not to seek you out, begged her to keep what was between you a secret. Excuses and lies were piled upon her shoulders and, as innocent and as quiet as she was, she accepted everything in the belief that you truly cared for her.”
“But I did not!”
Lord Montrose’s words ripped from his mouth and struck Jeremy hard, forcing him to suck in air.
His eyes widened as he saw Lord Montrose’s hard stance, took in his fury and allowed what had been said to settle over them both.
“You admit it, then,” he breathed, after a few moments. “You admit to me now that you were the one who forced Rebecca to return, ashamed and broken, to her father. You got her with child and then turned away from her, having taken your pleasure, having taken exactly what you wanted from her without consideration.” His jaw worked as he continued to battle against his flaring temper. “And you stand there and call yourself a gentleman?”
Lord Montrose turned away for a moment, his face paling slightly. Jeremy closed his eyes and sucked in air, taking long, slow breaths that helped cool the furious fire that was raging within him. Lord Montrose had, finally, admitted that he had been the one who had written to Rebecca and, in doing so, had taken the guilt and flung it across his own shoulders. There was no question of his innocence now, no excuse that he could make that would remove it from him.
“I cared nothing for Miss Childers,” Lord Montrose hissed, using Rebecca’s formal title. “She was a thin, quiet little thing who seemed to beg for any attentions I might give her.” A dark smile lit up his eyes. “And I was only happy to oblige.” Slowly, Lord Montrose began to move around Jeremy, who turned also, keeping Lord Montrose in view at all times. He did not know what the gentleman intended to do, but he was not about to risk turning his back on the fellow.
“So you decided to make her your own,” Jeremy said, coldly. “You wanted to take your pleasure and so, therefore, you did so.”
“It took some time,” Lord Montrose replied, shrugging, “but such things always do. And the reward at the very end was more than enough to make up for the time and effort I had to make in order to gain her trust and her affections.” He shrugged, still moving around Jeremy. “But none of this matters, Avondale. I shall deny everything to anyone who asks. I shall state that the letters you have presented are entirely false, written by your own hand in order to attempt to steal my bride from me.”
Jeremy’s stomach knotted painfully but he did not allow himself to show it. “Eliza will not be yours, Lord Montrose,” he said, secure in the knowledge that she would not allow herself to be tied to such a gentleman. He was quite certain that she would look over the letters that he had found and, coupled with Jeremy’s own explanation of what had occurred with Rebecca, would turn from Lord Montrose completely. “She is wiser than you think.”
Lord Montrose scowled and, to Jeremy’s horror, reached out and pulled a walking cane from where they were stored, just behind the front door.
“What is it you intend to do?” he asked, as Lord Montrose glared at him balefully. “Beat me until I am unable to rise? Try and pull the truth from my lips so that it will not be spoken?”
Lord Montrose’s jaw worked hard, his eyes so dark that they appeared almost black. He raised the cane high and Jeremy felt himself tense. He could run, of course, but he would not do so. He could not allow himself to show cowardice in the face of such overwhelming anger and attempt to intimidate.
“You have ruined everything I have worked so hard to gain,” Lord Montrose hissed, his hand gripping the cane tightly. “You have brought it all to an end.” The cane was brought down hard, catching Jeremy on the shoulder as he attempted to dodge out of the way. “This is all your fault!”
Sweat trickled down Jeremy’s spine as he tried to avoid the cane, over and over again. Pain was screaming in his head as his shoulder, ribs and knee began to ache from Lord Montrose’s blows. He staggered as one caught him about the head, his vision blurring as he put his hands out in front of him, trying to find something to break his fall
“Stop!”
Eliza’s voice broke through the haze of pain as Jeremy tried to remain standing, hearing her voice cry out again towards Lord Montrose. Blinking furiously, he felt something warm and wet begin to seep towards his eyes as he leaned heavily against the wall, his breathing ragged as he battled the pain.
“What can you be thinking of, Lord Montrose?”
Lady Whitehaven’s voice was high and sharp and Jeremy heard the clatter of the cane as it fell on the floor.
“You have no right to do –”
“Lord Avondale has attempted to ruin my reputation,” Lord Montrose replied, his voice still filled with malice. “I had no choice but to call him out.”
“That is not calling him out,” Lady Whitehaven retorted, as Jeremy felt Eliza’s gentle hand on his arm. “That is a cold-hearted beating, Lord Montrose. You have injured Lord Avondale terribly!” She shook her head as Jeremy pushed himself away from the wall, his chest heaving. “You are no longer welcome in this house.”
Eliza held onto Jeremy’s arm tightly, her support of him bringing a clarity to his mind and a strength to his limbs. Focusing his eyes on Lord Montrose, Jeremy took a small step forward.
“I shall ensure, Lord Montrose, that society knows of what you did to my dear cousin,” he said, softly. “It shall not be specific, no, for I do not wish to bring shame upon her father, sister and brother, but have no doubt that society will turn its back upon you.”
“And I shall ensure that the beau monde know precisely what it is you have done to Lord Avondale,” Titania added, her voice a little too bright for the occasion. “I shall be glad to see you gone from town, Lord Montrose. I have disliked you for some time.”