Despite the unshakable attraction between them, Maeve and Lucian are uninterested in love and marriage; especially since they hate one another and couldn't think of a worse match.
• • •
London, 1815
Maeve Langston's aversion to the opposite sex has...
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"Your Grace," John started, "we can explain."
"I hope you have a good excuse for this, Worthington," the duke growled.
Because there was so much in the balance, Lucian unclenched his fist and released Ackley. The man tried to keep his footing but failed, sliding against the wall until he was sitting on the floor. Lucian held no pity for his state, on the contrary, hoping his nose was as broken as it seemed.
After a long breath to fill his lungs, he turned around to meet the duke's angered glare. "I thought I'd made it clear you weren't welcome among us," Maeve's father reminded him.
"Believe me when I say I didn't plan on staying." Lucian's voice was slightly uneven as he struggled to contain his heightened temper. Blood was still pumping in his ears, his limbs imperceptibly shaking with contained rage.
"Then what are you still doing here, beating someone in my yellow parlor?" The duke came further into the room, passing by John and Lucian, and then kneeled by Ackley, who was still on the floor, drowsy. There was blood seeping over the lower half of his face, and it was clear that the left side would start swelling soon. "What has this poor man done to you?"
"You should ask what he's done to you and your family," John intervened.
Confused, Maeve's father looked away from Ackley to glance at them with frowning brows. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Lucian exchanged a side look with his friend, unsure how to proceed. Why would the duke believe any of what he'd say, given the scene he'd just witnessed? "Lord Ackley is the one responsible for the article about your family," Lucian explained. "Not me."
After a moment of hesitation, staring at them with uncertainty, the duke turned to Ackley again. When he stood up, he still didn't seem to believe Lucian's declaration. "Is this what was happening? You were beating him into accepting to take the blame for you, Worthington?"
Lucian held back a grunt, expecting things to take such a turn. "The beating was regarding another matter, my lord, One I'm not sure you'd want to know about. Ackley slipped a snarky remark to me earlier, which triggered a few questions." Lucian did his best to explain everything to the duke, hoping his candor would be rewarded by the duke's trust. The fact that Ackley wasn't denying any of it, despite having regained some of his faculties, played in his favor.
"Is that what you were doing? Torturing it out of him? Of course the poor man would confess to whatever with this treatment!" the duke protested once Lucian was done explaining.
"No, he confessed before I began punching."
"It doesn't make it better, Worthington. If your intentions here are to gain my blessings again, you're going at it wrong. I'm not one to leave my daughter in the care of a violent man."
While Lucian was slightly irritated by the turn of events, he could appreciate the protectiveness of the duke toward his daughter. Instead of arguing, he walked to Ackley and bent to grab hold of his askew jacket, and pulled him back up on his feet.
