Read Online To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield by Bronwen Evans - Free Book Online

ruthless.”
    “I did not force the man to play, or to wager his estate.”
    “You understood his weakness and played on it.”
    Harlow’s voice turned cold. “As he played on your weakness fourteen years ago. I thought you’d be pleased. I managed to hurt him in the only place he feels anything—his purse.”
    “It is his loss, my dear. In every way.” She smiled, but her eyes glittered with unshed tears. “But it is hard for me to stay angry at the man who gave me Jeremy. I’ll never think of my boy as a mistake or a sin.”
    Harlow’s anger lessened at his mother’s smile. “I did this for Jeremy. I promised him.” She was right. It was Bridgenorth’s loss. Jeremy was a fine boy. “Jeremy’s a corker. That’s why he deserves Mansfield Manor.”
    “Come.” His mother patted the settee beside her. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re not too old to sit with your mother. I’m lucky to have Jeremy, with you so grown up and busy with your own life. I hope winning Mansfield Manor will help you let go of the past. Are you satisfied now?”
      “Perfectly.” He sat and she took his hand in hers.  
    He would not be made the villain here. Not after he’d had to pick up the pieces of his mother’s shattered heart when not much older than his brother. “Jeremy will get what rightfully belongs to him.” He let none of his simmering resentment show on his face.  
    Such a pity his mother smelt blood.
    “So interesting, then, that the first person I see you with on my return is Caitlin Southall. She is as innocent as Jeremy in this mess.”
    He felt his cravat tighten around his neck. “She is upset, obviously, to lose her home.”
    “Of course. And?”
    It took work to keep his features blank, but the last thing he needed was his mother interfering in his plans. “She asked for the chance to win the house back.” When his mother’s eyebrow lifted, he continued, “And I gave it to her.”
    “Oh?” Lydia laughed, a ripple of amusement. “I wonder why? Everyone in London knows how long you’ve waited to get your hands on Mansfield. And yet all his daughter had to do was ask and you’re ready to give it up?”
    Caitlin’s face and succulent body shimmered into Harlow’s mind’s eye. He shifted restlessly and cursed his mother’s interference. “I felt honor-bound to do so. The house was her mother’s and held in trust for her. Bridgenorth didn’t really have the right to stake it.”
    “Then why not simply give it back to her? If it was to be Caitlin’s it never really could have been Jeremy’s. Maybe that is why Bridgenorth wouldn’t acknowledge him. He was embarrassed to admit there was nothing to give him. The title couldn’t go to Jeremy as he is illegitimate, and the estate was not Bridgenorth’s to dispose of.”  
    “Perhaps.” His mother’s question left him unsettled. “But I can’t simply give it to her. People would assume the worst and talk.”
      “Is that because she’s a beautiful, unmarried young woman?” He nodded. “I see. So will you let her win?”
    “That depends on Jeremy—and I can’t see him releasing me from my promise. He hates Bridgenorth. I can’t say I blame him.” He met his mother’s disconcertingly sharp gaze. “Therefore I’ve instigated a plan where when I win I both keep the house and protect Caitlin’s reputation.”
    His mother’s hand fluttered outward. “I don’t see how you can achieve that unless you marry—” Her mouth dropped open for a second before she composed herself. “Marriage? You’ll offer her marriage? That seems somewhat extreme. You hardly know her.”
    He shrugged. “She has everything I require in a wife. Breeding, beauty, intelligence—what more do I need? First, I have to win the wager, and second, Caitlin has to accept.”
    Her eyes narrowed and her stare sharpened even more. “You like her, even admire her. That’s why you have no objections. Good. It’s a fine start to a marriage.” She