Read Online The Lady and the Duke by Olivia Kelly - Free Book Online Page A

something.
    This was not simple matter of blackmail. Widows in the ton took lovers all the time. Yes, to flaunt it would be considered scandalous and common for a duke’s sister, but it was nothing she could not endure and come through. Knowing her as he did, Will knew the worst of it would be causing her family humiliation, and injuring his marital chances.
    The silence between them stretched as his gaze travelled down, taking in the gown that hung loosely on her frame, further evidence that there was more to this mess than he had been informed. Staring at his sister, Will wished he was back in that alley with Claremont. This time he wouldn’t have left him alone until the man had taken him to wherever it was he was keeping those letters and handed them over, ensuring Lisle would have some measure of peace. It was obvious the entire affair was making her ill.
    He made a vow to himself at that moment. After retrieving the letters, he was going to beat Claremont within an inch of his life. Violence bubbled within him at his sister’s fragile appearance.
    "What are you doing here?" Will crossed the room and took her chin in his hand, tilting her face to the light, revealing purple circles under her eyes. She clearly wasn’t sleeping well either.
    She jerked away and glared at him, the despair in her green eyes clearing with a spark of anger. "I am here to remind my little brother that I am a grown woman and that my business is my business. If I hadn’t had a third glass of wine that night, I never would have told you any of this."
    Her flat rejection poked at him, but he pushed it back. No time for wounded feelings. He was going to fix this mess of hers whether she liked it or not.
    "I do not require your assistance, Will."
    Her tone might have sounded confident to one who didn’t know her, but he could hear the slight tremor in it that gave her away. It only solidified his commitment to seeing this whole mess resolved.
    "That’s too bad, because I am already giving it."
    Will strolled to the sideboard. His throat was dry from the dust of the road, and the fragility of his sister’s thin frame. "And it’s a little too late for me to ignore the situation."
    He poured a glass of brandy and sipped, looking at her over it.
    "What have you done?" Lisle braced herself with one hand on the back of the sofa. "I told you I had it under control!"
    "Yes, if control means paying the bastard off. That’s not going to happen, Lissy," He slammed his glass down on the sideboard. "We’ve…spoken. He understands that he will be handing over those letters, without any payment rendered. You don’t need to be involved anymore."
    "My God. You’ll only make it worse," she moaned, coming around the sofa and sinking down onto one of the cushions, burying her face in her hands. Will crossed to her. Crouching down, he tugged her hands away with concern. Her reactions were damning. This was not the behavior of a woman whose affair had gone sour. He was worried now, worried that even his influence may not be enough to slip her out of whatever she had fallen into.
    "Lissy, what is really going on?" She shook her head, and he drew in a deep breath. He couldn’t fix things if she wouldn’t confide in him, but losing his temper would accomplish nothing. "I cannot help unless I know just what I am dealing with."
    "I told you, I don’t want your help,’ she said dully, pulling her hands out of his. She pushed him away, moving back as she stood. "Please, Will. Just leave it alone ."
    Moving like a woman forty years her senior, her steps measured and hopeless, his sister left the room. As he watched her go, Will clenched his fists at his side and smothered the urge to pound the wall in his frustration. She wouldn’t tell him what was really going on, and he was more determined than ever to get those letters back.
    Lord and Lady Bentham’s masked ball was this evening, and the guests were required to go in fancy dress. There was a good chance the