Duke of Thorns: Defiant Brides Book 5 Read online

  Mr. Birks cleared his throat. “Shall we retire to my study?”

  Miss Birks never broke Benjamin’s gaze, ever challenging him. Yes, she was a defiant one who needed to be broken and shown her place in this world. Oh, how he wished he could be the man to teach her that place, if only to put out that fire in her eyes.

  “Very well, then,” Benjamin said finally as he tore his gaze away from the beautiful woman.

  He followed Mr. Birks down a short hallway, and they entered the study where a large desk took up most of the room with two comfortable chairs facing each other in front of a large fireplace. Heavy oak bookcases had been built into two of the walls and a large window looked out over the gardens.

  “May I offer you a drink, Your Grace?” Mr. Birks asked as he led Benjamin to one of two leather high-back chairs that sat in front of the fireplace, which now lay dormant.

  Benjamin let out a sigh. “That will not be necessary; I do not plan to stay long. I have come to collect my money and then I will be on my way. I have more important matters to attend to.”

  Mr. Birks’ knuckles whitened as he grasped the back of one of the chairs. Something was not right, and Benjamin narrowed his eyes at the man.

  “Y-Your Grace,” Mr. Birks stammered, “I do not have your money.”

  Benjamin clenched his jaw. “What do you mean you do not have my money?” he demanded, not caring if his voice sounded harsh. “Do you take me for an errand boy by having me come here to be refused payment for that which is owed me?”

  “Not at all!” Mr. Birks practically shouted. “You must understand that I…it’s shameful to say it.” He looked ready to sick up.

  Benjamin cared not if the man was on his deathbed. “You have already shamed yourself,” he said harshly. “Trust me, your words will not make matters any worse. Now, out with it.”

  Mr. Birks took a deep breath and gave a single nod. “Very well,” he said. “I have but one mine remaining and two properties that I rent that I rent besides Brightstone Manor. I will be putting the manor up for sale, and once the sale is completed, I will pay you what I owe you, plus any extra interest on top of it, of course.” As if all of his energy had been expended in speaking those words, he dropped into one of the chairs.

  Benjamin walked over to the window. The shrubbery was overgrown and the paths were overtaken by weeds. The place was in shambles. Then his eyes fell on Miss Birks, who stood near a patch of brambles, and his heart skipped a beat.

  “So, you have no money, and I am expected to wait to receive what I have loaned you? I do find it amusing you did not have to wait to receive my funds, and yet you expect me to wait to get back what is due.” He turned and faced the man, his hands clasped behind his back. “You have insulted me twice in one day.”

  The man vaulted from his chair and hurried to stand beside Benjamin, the look of guilt on his face apparent. “Your Grace, I have already dismissed all but two of my staff, and my head gardener left today. We have sold most of our possessions to keep the house running. Everything is gone. I implore you to show mercy.”

  Benjamin laughed. “Mercy? I have shown you mercy from the moment we met. Allowing myself to dabble in the affairs of business with the likes of you should have been enough, but then I lent you money when you needed it, even though my first instinct was to deny you. No, Mr. Birks, I am afraid my mercy has gone on far too long. Plead with the magistrates for mercy, for you will find no more from me.”

  Mr. Birks looked down at the floor and shook his head. “Although I know it means nothing, I am sorry, Your Grace.”

  Benjamin returned his gaze to the garden and his eyes once again fell on Miss Birks. Her father was a fool to lose almost all of his assets. To lose his own home was enough to brand him a bigger fool.

  However, a thought came to Benjamin and he smiled. The man still had one asset left of great value. “If your debts were cleared today, would you be able to survive on what you bring in from the properties you let out?” he asked without turning from the window.

  “Come again?”

  “I do not speak in riddles, man. You heard me.” Benjamin’s eyes remained on the woman in the garden as she leaned against a small tree, her eyes still on that patch of brambles. Whatever the woman could see in that snarl of weeds, he did not know, but perhaps the poverty of the house had made looking at such things an enjoyment.

  “If I had no debt today, I would be able to rehire my butler and one gardener. It would also allow me to take my earnings and invest in more land holdings.”

  Benjamin nodded. “Then perhaps your foolishness will save you after all.” He turned from the window and looked the man in the eye. “I have a solution to all your problems. For how much are you in debt?”

  “Well, that is a personal matter…” the man began to say, but Benjamin cut him off.

  “Enough. The amount.”

  “Just over ten thousand pounds, Your Grace.” The man at least had the decency to blush.

  Benjamin laughed. “You have squandered a small fortune, a task only a fool could accomplish by today’s standards. You have lost everything and have nothing with which to bargain. However, there just might be something.”

  “What is that?” Mr. Birks asked with obvious interest.

  Benjamin turned and walked over to lean against the desk, his arms crossed over his chest. “I will clear your debts for you, and in return, you will remain here in your home and restore it to its previous grandeur.”

  Mr. Birks stared at Benjamin, his face pinched with confusion. “I cannot accept more money from you, Your Grace. How will I ever pay you back?”

  “You would not have to,” Benjamin said, ready to pounce like a cat who had cornered a mouse. “I would require one asset from you in exchange for the money.”

  The man was beside himself as he replied, “Name it, Your Grace, and I shall hand it over to you immediately.”

  Benjamin smiled. “Your daughter, Birks,” he said. “I wish for her hand in marriage.”

  Mr. Birks’ excitement vanished and anger replaced his features. “Do you mean to insult me?” the man roared.

  “You insult yourself by your foolish actions,” Benjamin replied, unruffled by the man’s outburst. “Come with me.”

  The man followed Benjamin to the window.

  “What do you see?” Benjamin asked.

  “I see my beautiful daughter resting against a tree,” Mr. Birks said hoarsely.

  Benjamin laughed and clapped the man on the back. “You are blind. However, I expect nothing less from a man of your standing. I will tell you what I see.”

  The man nodded. His cheeks still held a bit of the crimson from his flush of anger, but the man had put himself in the position from which he could not argue his way out.

  “I see a beautiful woman, a prize to her parents. A woman who, in short time, will be left with nothing due to the inability of her father to provide for her.”

  Mr. Birks sighed. “I can no longer provide. You speak the truth.” Finally, the man saw reason.

  “I always do,” Benjamin said honestly. “However, I see much more. I also see a woman who will attract no man of wealth, let alone title, not if her father has left her family destitute. She will find someone, of course, for even a woman of no means marries. Perhaps it will be the son of a cobbler who wins her hand? Together they will work in his shop, her hands and body aging quickly and her beauty fading. Her heart will break as she wonders what she did to deserve such travesty.”

  When Mr. Birks spoke again, his voice was choked. “Must you continue to insult me?”

  Benjamin chose to ignore the man and continued. “And when my servants go to the cobbler’s shop to have their shoes repaired, I will pass along a message. ‘Dear Cobbler’s Wife, your father had the opportunity to save not only his home, but you as well. Sadly, he refused my offer of making you a Duchess and thus happiness.”

  Silence filled the room and Benjamin smiled as he walked to the door. He turned back arou
nd and Mr. Birks still stood at the window, deep in thought. “Best of luck in the sale of the manor,” Benjamin said as his hand touched the door handle. “The repairs will be costly, but perhaps the cobbler’s son will agree to help.” He laughed at his own attempt at humor and opened the door.

  “How do we arrange this?” Mr. Birks asked from the window.

  “We arrange nothing,” Benjamin replied. “I am the one in control here. One month from today, I will return at noon, and upon completion of the marriage ceremony, the money for your debts will be handed over to you.”

  “I understand,” Mr. Birks said softly. “What shall I tell her, though?”

  Benjamin smiled. “Tell her she is to become a Duchess.”

  Unlike the man he left to wallow alone, Benjamin was anything but sad. In all honesty, Mr. Birks had little for which to regret; he would soon be able to rebuild that which what he once had, if he was less foolish with his funds this time. In a month’s time, Benjamin would have a mate for his bed and a woman to parade about on his arm. And best of all, he would break the defiance in the woman’s eyes. That was easily worth ten thousand pounds.

  Chapter Three

  Although she was not one to eavesdrop, the same evening her father had spoken with the Duke, she had overheard her father and mother speaking with lowered voices in his study. It appeared by all accounts that the Duke was going to pay off her father’s debts, though Cecilia did not know the particulars around whatever arrangement to which they had come. However, she knew well enough not to ask, for her parents would simply explain that whatever scheme the men had made was their concern and not hers. She found it interesting that most business dealings of men were done in secrecy while the women did their embroidery and reaped either the benefits or travesties of those dealings without the opportunity for them to share in their opinions in such matters. It was as if men believed women to be inferior to them in some way, which Cecilia found to be utter nonsense.

  Walking outside, Cecilia returned the bramble patch. For some reason, her legs brought her back to this exact spot without her mind telling them to do so; however, being there allowed her to think. Brightstone manor at the moment was anything but bright, but Cecilia believed that, one day, it would be restored to its formal greatness. She would honor her mother’s request and not touch the prickly plants, at least not at this moment. When her father decided to share what she hoped would be good news with her, she would feign surprise and then later lift his spirits even higher by finally ridding the area of the ghastly weeds and readying the bed for the spring planting. Or perhaps she would be able to instruct Walter to do so if he was able to return.

  Letting out a sigh, her mind wandered to His Grace and the comment she had made to him. It had been rude and unladylike, but the man had a way of irritating her. It was not his looks, for the man was handsome, his dark wavy hair alluring, his eyes sharp, and his jawline bold. However, the way he held himself, the way he walked with such confidence made her legs feel weak. She assumed he had that same effect on most women he encountered, for on the outside, he was quite the catch.

  However, his tongue revealed the monster that resided beneath the visible handsomeness. She had witnessed the results his speech had on people, even her own father, and the words were oftentimes cruel and demeaning, as if he were the King himself. Yes, the man was more than self-possessed, he was downright arrogant.

  What could possess a man to treat others so? She pondered this for a moment and decided it had to do with his title. Or perhaps it was the money. Either way, she had seen the look he gave her and the desire and longing in his eyes, though he thankfully never acted upon those emotions. There had been no request to court her or to engage in conversation with her in the parlor, for which she was glad. If he had, her parents would have been ecstatic, she was certain, for he was a Duke after all.

  Inside, her mind and heart warred against one another. Her mind instructed her to be relieved he had not come forward, that she had been saved a life of heartache. Yet, her heart told her to be irritated he had not done so, for he made her heart pound against her chest like no other man she had ever encountered before in her life.

  Despite that war, seeing His Grace’s face when she had spoken those harsh words which let him know that there was one thing in this world his wealth could not buy him, had excited her beyond belief. It might not be her place to teach the man humility, but he did need to experience it sometime in his life. If she was the teacher in that instruction, so much the better.

  “Cecilia,” her mother said, startling her from her thoughts.

  Cecilia turned and smiled at her mother, who had called out to her from the veranda. “Come inside. We must speak with you.”

  Cecilia scrunched her brow as she made her way to the house and followed her mother to the drawing room. The woman said nothing but instead padded the space on the couch beside her inviting Cecilia to sit.

  Whatever her mother had to tell her had to be of the utmost importance, for she sat in silence for several moments, as if to gather her thoughts. This, of course, made Cecilia suspicious. What had worried the woman to the point that she did not simply speak her mind? From what little she could gather from the whispered conversation she had heard before her parents had closed the study door, they would not have to sell the manor and their debts would be paid off due to whatever arrangement that had been made between her father and the Duke. What in that arrangement had caused such concern?

  “Mother?” Cecilia asked tentatively. “What is it? You seem troubled.”

  Her mother nodded and sighed heavily. “There is no easy way to say this, so I will try my best to help you understand.”

  This brought on a feeling of foreboding in Cecilia. She took her mother’s hand in hers. “Mother, I know Father has saved the manor, just as he wished. I know I should not have been eavesdropping, but I overheard you two discussing it earlier; some arrangement the Duke made with Father?”

  “Yes, that is true,” her mother said before letting out another sigh. “Cecilia, in order for your father to erase the debts he has incurred, he had to make a sacrifice. In saying that…” She paused, as if what she had to say caused her great pain. “I will need you to make a sacrifice, as well.”

  “But of course,” Cecilia said adamantly. “Whatever I can do. If this is about Miss Panton’s party next month, I understand if I am unable to go. I can also go without new gowns, and if we are unable to attend the London Season, then I can live with those consequences. I am sure that whatever agreement Father and His Grace has come to, it did not include excess funds for extravagances such as parties, at least for some time.”

  Her mother patted her hand. “You have a great heart, but no, it is more than that.” She took a deep breath and then said, “Cecilia, you are to marry the Duke.”

  The words sat in Cecilia’s stomach as if she had eaten a heavy custard made of mud. For a moment, she considered that she had misheard her mother. However, when she looked in the woman’s eyes, she knew what her mother had said was truth.

  “Ma-marry him?”

  “Yes. In exchange for your hand, he will clear all of your father’s debts, including what is owed to him, and we will be able to continue residing here. We will even be able to bring back Mrs. Vickery and Walter, if not a few other servants we have had to relinquish in these tough times.”

  Fear and sadness crept over Cecilia. The ‘we’ who would remain at Brightstone Manor her mother spoke of did not include her. No, she, of course, would be expected to move to the Duke’s home, having been ripped from the warmth and comfort of her childhood home. There was also one other problem that bothered her even more.

  “But I do not love him,” she said as tears streamed down her face. “In fact, I despise the man.” This should have been obvious to her mother; had Cecilia not said as much? She was certain she had mentioned it aloud to her at least once.

  “Many marriages are performed for couples who do not love one another.
However, you will become a Duchess, my dear, a title any woman would desire.” The excitement behind her words was forced, and her mother must have known Cecilia could hear it, for she added, “This is difficult for us all, but I ask that you do this…for your family.”

  Wiping at her eyes, Cecilia stood and walked over to the window that overlooked the bramble patch. From this vantage point, she realized that the area she had cleared was so small compared to how much more remained. It would take more than a single afternoon to clear away that which had overtaken their home, and she would be the sacrifice to make it happen.

  Her stomach churned as she thought of the man she was to marry. Yes, she would become a Duchess and would have the wealth and notoriety that came with it. However, she had always wanted to marry for love and nothing more, a dream that had grown over the past year as she had come of age.

  Now she no longer would be allowed to have that dream. This was about her family and their livelihood. Her parents had done everything they could to provide for her, and now it was time she did her part.

  She wiped the tears from her cheeks and turned from the window. “I understand, Mother,” she said as she attempted to hide her regret. “How long before the wedding?”

  Her mother smiled. “One month.” Cecilia said nothing as her mother embraced her and kissed her cheek. “I know this is not what you wanted, but I believe it will work out for you.”

  Cecilia nodded and offered her mother a smile, though it took everything in her to force her lips to form it. She had only a few weeks before she was to wed and then her life of living with a man who sent her inside to war would begin. Just thinking about it made her stomach roll once again.

  Chapter Four

  The weeks went by and Benjamin had kept himself busy, not even thinking on the plans that would unfold a month from his meeting with Mr. Birks. To him, it was nothing more than a business transaction—as well as a challenge. More so the latter if he was completely honest with himself. An amazing, extraordinary challenge. If he had one scheme he could say excited him more, it did not come to mind.