Page 58 of In Service to the Duke

For once, make this family proud.

Emmeline Gillet.

How dare this impudent cow claim Portswell to be gullible? Richer, I’ll grant her, but his gentleness is not something to be taken advantage of. In fact, knowing what I do of him, he’s far more deadly than anyone can ever imagine.

Though I have a penchant for discipline, he has a penchant for pain. I’ve seen the things he’s done to the girls at The Rose and Thorn, and this woman would not have wanted her daughter on the wrong end of his knife. My fingers clench, marring the paper.

With this new information, it’s not hard to guess it’s the reason she refused me. The only reason I can see now for her not accepting my hand and fully trapping me as she planned is to go after one of my dearest friends. The audacity of her actions continues to slam into me, filling my head with all sorts of unholy desires. I wish to make her hurt as I am currently hurting.

Honestly, this righteous anger feels far better than the alternative—that she refused me because she just doesn’t want me. For some reason, I can handle this betrayal far better than her feeling tepid toward me, as opposed to the raging inferno I feel toward her. I want this to be the reason, for it to all make sense, because my heart still doesn’t understand her rejection.

Though, truth be told, none of this is like me. With Delilah, I met her betrayal with a calm indifference. It was as if my heart and brain knew the truth before it was revealed. As much as it cut my pride, it was a relief to let her go.

With Miss Gillet, I thought she was the one for me. She responded to me and to my punishing hand in a way I’ve never seen an omega react before. I suppose what hurts the most is knowing I was willing to give her anything, and she was all too quick to toss it away like rubbish.

That’s why, as much as this scheme seems ridiculous, there’s an air of truthfulness about it. It makes far too much sense to be ignored. If it were just the fact that she came here to trap me, I might have overlooked it. But to be in a plot to bring down one of my friends? That I cannot forgive.

Riffling through the sheets, I look for more letters. I must be a glutton for punishment, since I wish to see all in horrid detail. And yet, I only find the two. Why destroy the others and keep just these?

Unless they were far worse than the ones in my hand. Nothing at all makes sense except I’ve been betrayed. Plain and simple. Though her mother may have orchestrated it, based on these words, Miss Gillet had a hand in it as well.

The fact that she picked me above all others. Should I be flattered? What I am is vengeful. The feelings of wrath flowing through me are dangerous, but nothing seems to lessen the rage making my brain buzz.

“What are you doing in here?”

Before her voice can penetrate my brain, her scent invades my nostrils. Turning, I throw the letters on the bed. Her face pales as she looks between the damning missives and my furious expression.

“What were you thinking?” I snarl, stalking toward her. “Was anything about you real?”

She trembles before me, her eyes filling with tears. She looks so young, so frightened, and that’s when I remember another part of the letter. Eighteen. This little vixen is only eighteen.

“Please- I-”

“Oh no, little governess,” I hiss, backing her up against the wall. “No more lies. How on Earth were you able to trick the butler? Did you use your feminine wiles on him? Are you even as innocent as you claim?”

Her face turns red as she narrows her eyes. This time, her anger swells, nearly matching mine. It takes every ounce of willpower not to pin her to the wall and devour her, showing her who’s really in charge.

“I am as innocent as your sisters. No man has ever touched me. Save you. If anyone should be ashamed, it’s you.”

Her words are like a slap to the face. Though she accuses me correctly, we are not the same. “I never lied to you. From the moment you were employed, every word from your mouth has been an untruth.”

“Not everything,” she wails, glancing about as if someone will help her.

If the servants know what’s good for them, they’ll not intervene. With the door standing prominently open, it’s clear we’re not up to any scandalous actions, and thus, I should be safe from any meddling.

“How old are you?” She bites her lip, refusing to answer, telling me everything I need to know. “Damn it all. I proposed, and you refused. Why in the blazes would you refuse me if you were sent to trap me?”

She opens her mouth to speak, but I want to hear no more of her venom. There’s nothing she can say which can save her from my wrath. I blink down at the slip of a girl, my vision blurring.

No longer is Miss Gillet in front of me. In her place stands Delilah. How could she betray me like this? How could she betray my family like this? And my mother. What will happen when my mother finds out what transpired?

She championed for the girl as if she were her own daughter. This would kill her. I don’t dare tell her about this travesty or it might be the thing that sends her to her grave.

But what else can I do? She must know about the scandal happening under her own roof. Is it possible to just send her away quietly? That would certainly put Portswell in danger. It’s clear he’s in their crosshairs. What on earth can I do?

I no longer wish to marry her, seeing as she’s deceived me at every turn. Sorrow lances through my chest, intermingling with anger burning in the depths of my soul. Tipping my head up, I roar, the harsh, guttural sound rattling everything in the room.

Miss Gillet doubles over, clutching her lower abdomen. The sweet scent of her arousal perfumes the air, nearly driving me feral. She whimpers at my feet, but the pitiful sounds do not sway me. I cannot give in. I cannot lose myself in her.