Page 19 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke
Zachary ignored the question entirely. Instead, he smiled a cold, cruel smile. The sort that made Jane’s skin crawl.
“You truly do not understand the situation,” he said.
“What situation?” Jane demanded.
“The obvious one.” His gaze sharpened. “Your brother is not coming back.”
The words struck like a physical blow. “No.” Jane shook her head immediately. “No.”
“He was abducted byarmedmen.”
“That does not mean—” Jane began.
“It means precisely what you think it means.” His smile widened. “If his body turns up in a ditch somewhere, I shall not be surprised.”
Lady Wynten made a broken sound. Jane feared she would collapse again.
“Stop.” Jane’s voice shook. “Stop saying that.”
“Why?”
“Because he is alive,” Jane insisted.
Her uncle’s smile grew. “You do not know that.”
“I do.”
“Wishful thinking,” he said.
Jane wanted to strike him. The urge shocked her. She had never wanted to hit another human being before. Yet, at that moment, it seemed entirely reasonable.
Zachary walked toward the window. His hands clasped comfortably behind his back. “As tragic as it is, life continues.”
Jane stared. “What does that mean?”
He looked over his shoulder. It was the look of a man revealing a delightful secret. “It means that when Colin is declared dead, the title passes to me.”
Jane felt ice flood her veins.
“The title is Colin’s.”
“For now.” He smiled again. “But not forever.”
A horrible realization began to dawn. “You’ve been waiting for this.”
Zachary’s expression did not change. The lack of denial was answer enough.
“You’ve actually been waiting for something to happen to him,” Jane said.
“What nonsense.”
“Then why do you look pleased?” Jane asked.
His eyes flashed. For a moment, the mask slipped completely. Jane saw naked ambition. Then it vanished. “I merely understand reality.”
Lady Wynten sank weakly into a chair. “What will happen to us?”
The question escaped her in a whisper. Zachary looked at her. Then at Jane. “That depends,” he said.
