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that his father had been right about his sexual tastes all along.

There had to be a way for him to save face and come out on top.

Thomas was going back to India, so that left only Jane...

Minshom stiffened. And according to their bargain, Jane had

only to get pregnant and she would be gone too.

Minshom struggled to find his boots and pull them on. All he

had to do was keep fucking Jane until she was pregnant and that

was scarcely a hardship, was it? She was always quiet when he

filled her mouth with something. His cock twitched at the

thought and he managed to stand upright. Somewhere deep

inside, he knew he was still a coward and that his plan was that of

a desperate man. He could hardly fuck her every time she opened

her mouth, but what else could he do?

Three hours later, after bathing and changing with the help of

one of his startled footmen, Minshom knocked on the

connecting door between his and Jane’s suites. To his immense

surprise, he realized he was nervous. Would she berate him for

running away from him or simply smile and accept him back as if

he hadn’t done a thing?

He hoped it was the latter, which worried him even more. He

hesitated before turning the handle. Could he find peace with her

after all? Believe that she could accept him just the way he was?

It seemed impossible, but some part of him craved that, yearned

to be loved...

«Ooh, my lord, you startled me!»

Minshom stopped short at the sight that met his eyes. His

wife’s room looked as if a herd of cows had run through it.

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Clothes lay everywhere as well as shoes and all the other

garments apparently necessary to a lady’s comfort.

«What exactly are you doing, and where is my wife?»

The maid blushed and bobbed him a curtsey. «I’m just spring

cleaning, my lord, sorry for the mess.» She dumped the load of

dresses she was carrying on the bed and turned back to the

clothes chest.

Minshom followed her across the room and waited until she

turned back to him, her arms again full.

«Where is Lady Minshom?»

The clothes slipped from her arms. «Oh, I’m sorry, sir, I

forgot to tell you, didn’t I? She went out with Lady Millhaven,

although I told her not to go, being as she looked so queasy-

like...» The maid stopped speaking and went bright red.

Minshom frowned. «Her ladyship is unwell?»

«I couldn’t say, sir, it could be any number of things. Who

knows what’s going about on those dirty London streets.»

Something was wrong, Minshom could sense it. Was Jane

really sick and concealing it from him? He decided to be blunt.

«Is her ladyship coughing up blood or anything?»

«Oh no, my lord. She’s just puking a lot.» The maid returned

to the chest and started throwing things out at random. «Not that

that means anything, sir, she might just have a weak stomach,

rather than...»

«Rather than carrying a child, perhaps?»

The maid straightened and clutched a flattened bonnet to her

chest. «I didn’t say that, sir.»

«But you think it might be true.»

«I...» The maid curtsied and ran for the door. «I have to get

some new paper to wrap the winter furs in.» She escaped through

the door before Minshom could stop her.

He remained in the wrecked room and ran through the entire

bizarre conversation. Was Jane pregnant? If so, she was obligated

to tell him and she hadn’t. His distracted gaze fell to the floor

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Kate Pearce

and a large box that the maid had tossed onto the fireside rug.

Something about the box seemed all too familiar and made his

blood freeze. He bent to pick it up, read the words «The Little

Gentleman’s Club.»

He’d thought Jane finally knew the worst of him, but

apparently she knew so much more. He sat down on the bed, his

throat working convulsively as he opened the box and saw the

written records of his torment, his pain and humiliation, of his

victories...

God, she must despise him so much. So why had she come to

him, let him make love to her, let him believe she wanted to be

part of his life again? He slammed the lid shut and stood up.

There was only one reason, and that had nothing to do with love.

He strode to the door and rang the bell. When his butler

appeared instead of the maid, his suspicions were confirmed. He

scowled at Broadman.

«Get that maid back up here and tell her to pack all her

mistress’s things, and then deposit them in the hall. Have my

traveling coach brought out and kept in readiness for further

orders.»

«Yes, my lord.» Broadman looked puzzled, but that wasn’t

unusual. «I’ll go and find Lizzie immediately.»

By the time Jane returned home, she was no longer capable of

maintaining her bright smile. She was exhausted, sticky and ready

for her bed. The ripe smells of the orphanage had almost been

her undoing. For the first time she had struggled to stay and play

with the children. She halted in the hallway which was filled with

luggage. It took her a dazed moment to realize it belonged to her.

She looked at Broadman who had opened the door for her.

«Am I going somewhere?»

Broadman bowed and avoided her gaze. «His lordship is in his

study, my lady. Perhaps he can enlighten you.»

«Lord Minshom is here?» Jane untied her bonnet as she

walked toward the back of the house and the closed door of

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Blaize’s study. Whatever her reception, at least he was home, at

least she had a chance to see him again.

He was sitting at his desk, his dark head bent as he wrote

something on a sheet of parchment. The room was half in

shadow, the only illumination from the candelabra on his desk.

He didn’t stop writing when she walked around to face him. Jane

waited patiently for a moment and then cleared her throat.

«Blaize?»

He looked up and there was no welcome in his gaze, no hint

of anything but furious cold anger. Her hesitant smile died.

«I’ve arranged for a carriage to take you back to Minshom

Abbey tonight.»

Jane blinked at him. «Have you finally decided to come home

with me? That is wonderful.»

«I’m not going anywhere.»

«I don’t understand.»

«You broke our bargain.»

«I did what?»

He sat back, his hands folded together on the desk, his

posture so relaxed she knew he was acting. «You agreed to tell

me when you were pregnant.»

«I don’t know if I am pregnant, and how could I tell you

anything when you haven’t been here for almost two weeks?»

«Are you suggesting that you waited for my return to deliver

your news in person?»

Jane took a step closer to the desk. «I don’t know if I am

pregnant.»

«Your maid seems to think you are.»

«My maid needs to learn to hold her tongue.»

«So you were trying to keep the news from me.»

«Blaize... why are you doing this? Why are you trying to tie me

in knots?»

He shrugged. «Because you deserve it. I don’t like being lied

to, Jane. You should know that.»

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Kate Pearce

Despite her resolve to remain calm, her voice rose. «I didn’t

lie! Even if I am breeding, it takes several months to be sure and

a lot can go wrong in the meantime.»

«Which is why I just told you to leave.»

Jane stared at him and tried to gather her thoughts. «When I

can confirm that I am pregnant, and not merely overwhelmed by

living in London, I promise you will be the first to know.» She

bobbed him a curtsey. «Now please, will you stop this? I’m tired

and I want to go to bed.»

He stood up and shook his head. «You’re not staying, Jane.

You’re breeding, that’s all you wanted from me, so now you can

leave.»

«That’s not all I wanted, Blaize. Why won’t you believe me?»

His smile was brittle. «Ah, that’s right; you wanted sex as well,

didn’t you? Hopefully I gave you enough of that to last you for a

while. And after you deliver my heir, you can fuck whoever you

want.»

Jane drew a deep careful breath. «Why are you doing this? Is it

because of what happened with Thomas Wesley? I only thought

to...»

«To confirm your suspicions about my sexual tastes?»

«I don’t know what you mean.»

«Yes, you do, don’t lie.» He pushed a familiar red box into the

circle of light spread by the candelabra. «Thomas was the first

person to fuck me—apart from my father, of course, did he

mention that in his diaries?»

Jane’s eyes filled with tears. «God, Blaize...»

He slammed his hand down on the desk. «Don’t you ever feel

sorry for me, wife. Don’t you ever dare to presume you know

what is best for me in bed or out of it.»

«I don’t feel sorry for you.»

His laughter stung. «You’re lying again. Now get out.»

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She fisted her hands in her skirts. «No, it’s not like that, I want

you to come home to me, I’ve always wanted you to come

home...»

«For God’s sake, be quiet!» Jane froze as he rounded the desk

and came to stand toe-to-toe with her. She had never seen him

like this before, so furious, so deadly. «You wanted another child

and you didn’t care how you achieved that aim.» He pointed at

the box on the desk. «Christ, Jane you even brought your own

ammunition! If I hadn’t given in and fucked you so quickly,

would you have used my father’s perverted diaries against me?»

«No!»

«Easy for you to say now, but hard for me to believe.» He

grabbed her by the elbow and started edging her toward the

door. «You are leaving right now.»

Jane dug her heels in and refused to budge. «I want to stay

with you. I love you.»

He went still, his pale eyes blazing down at her. «Don’t say

that; don’t lie»

«I’m not. Yes, I wanted a child, but I wanted a child with you,

I wanted us to be together.»

«And you were prepared to do anything to get what you

wanted, weren’t you? God, people think I am Machiavellian, but

you...»

«No.» She whispered. «I would never have used that

information against you. I hoped that we would be able to sit

down together and decide what to do with it. I didn’t feel I had

the right to destroy the box without consulting you.»

«So you brought it all the way to London with you.»

«Yes.»

He met her gaze, his eyes full of skepticism. «It doesn’t make

any difference, you are still leaving.»

«Why?»

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Kate Pearce

«Because I have made other plans.» He turned away from her

and picked up the letter he’d been writing. «I’ve decided it’s time

to get to know my eldest son.»

Jane stared at him for a long moment and then tried to read

the letter he’d held up for her perusal. «You can’t do this to

me.»

«But it’s not about you, is it? It’s about what I want.»

«No, it’s just you thinking of the most horrible way to hurt

me, to make me leave you.» She raised her head, made him look

at her. «It’s about you running from the truth, using any excuse

to stop me loving you or you daring to love me back.»

His lip curled. «How melodramatic my dear and how utterly

untrue.» He marched toward the door and flung it open. «I don’t

love you and I don’t need you, Jane. I don’t require love in my

life—I already have a son and you’ve reminded me that even

Thomas Wesley has his uses, so why in God’s name would I

want you?»

She bit down on her lip and realized she couldn’t look at him

anymore. She swept past him to the door and headed for the

hallway. Her baggage had disappeared, obviously preloaded into

the carriage. Broadman leapt to open the front door for her and

she kept going, even remembered to thank the coachman who

held the carriage door open for her.

She picked up the fur rug draped across the seat and

discovered a leather pouch full of money. It was the same pouch

she had thrown at Blaize, the one containing all her savings. How

typical of him to give it back to her now, as if to underline his

victory and his lack of need for anything she could give him,

even money. She drew the fur rug around her shoulders and

huddled underneath it.

Her tears stopped as if her body finally realized what her mind

already knew. There was nothing more to say and she refused to

beg. She had her pride and if Blaize didn’t want her, she would

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return to Minshom Abbey and make a life for herself and her

child without him.

She’d survived losing him once, she would survive again.

Within her, something precious crumbled and died. Robert had

been right, bringing the box to London had been a mistake. It

had finally given Blaize the excuse he needed to get rid of her.

She rubbed at her eyes. Was he correct? Would she really have

used it to get his attention?

God, she hoped she was pregnant. At least then she would

have something to love, and to hell with Blaize Minshom. With a