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The Duke Disguised Himself as a Footman to Meet His Bride — What He Overheard Left Him Speechless

The Duke Disguised Himself as a Footman to Meet His Bride — What He Overheard Left Him Speechless

Chapter 11

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"She was wrong," he said.He carried the girl to Dr. Thorne's house in the village, and before dawn, he sent a rider to Ashgrove with one sealed note for Ambrose Pike.At ten the next morning, the library at Ashgrove Court was warm for the first time in years. Silas had ordered a roaring fire, the best brandy, and fresh flowers, because a man about to come into £14,000 could afford to be generous.On the table lay the deed of guardianship. Beside it stood Mr. Hector Pruitt, the local magistrate—a red-faced man who owed Silas Crowther £300 and had come to witness the signatures. Basil leaned in the doorway, smirking. Ambrose Pike sat in a chair, pale as milk, because Silas had promised to hand him to the constables as an impostor if he opened his mouth.And Amelia stood by the fireplace in her gray dress, alone.Silas believed Lucien had drowned in the floods; the driver had crept back at dawn and, to cover his own cowardice, sworn the footman had gone into the water at Sedgemoor."Sign here, my dear," Silas said pleasantly, dipping the pen. "You renounce any claim on Ashgrove and leave your poor sister entirely in my care, wherever she may be. Just a formality." He held out the pen. "Sign."Amelia didn't take it. "No."The room went quiet. Silas's smile didn't move. "I beg your pardon?""I said no, Uncle." Her voice was shaking, but it carried. She turned to the magistrate. "Mr. Pruitt, before anyone signs anything, you should know what you're witnessing."She took Dr. Thorne's letter from her pocket and laid it on the table."This is a sworn statement from Dr. Elias Thorne. The tonic my sister has been given every day for seven years is laudanum—enough to keep a child near death."She laid down a second paper, yellowed and soft."This is my father's letter. Everything in this house belongs to Kit under our father's will. If Kit dies, it all belongs to my uncle."And then, before Silas could open his mouth, she said, "And this is Mrs. Gaunt."
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The Duke Disguised Himself as a Footman to Meet His Bride — What He Overheard Left Him Speechless

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