In the Barrister's Bed. Tina Gabrielle

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СКАЧАТЬ want me to tell him?”

      Bella reached out and took the gold embossed card of the Duke of Blackwood. Her stomach churned with anxiety.

      “Please put him in the drawing room,” Bella said.

      Harriet’s brow furrowed. “You’d best be careful, Bella. My instincts tell me he’s not a man to be trifled with. Do you want me to stay outside the door?”

      Bella touched her sleeve. Harriet was willing to stand outside the door to protect her. Just like she had with Roger, only nothing could have saved her from her spouse. “That won’t be necessary, Harriet. I have the documents. I can handle him.”

      Minutes later, Bella made her way to the drawing room. Straightening her spine, she opened the door.

      Blackwood was standing at a large window beside a potted palm, looking out at the gardens below, as she entered the room. Hearing the door, he turned.

      Unlike their first encounter, today he was immaculately dressed in a well-tailored coat of navy superfine with buff-colored trousers and highly polished black Hessians. In the light of the day, he appeared even taller, and the cut of his coat emphasized his broad shoulders. A lock of black hair fell a little forward onto his forehead, giving him a rakish appearance. But the intense indigo eyes that studied her spoke of a firm inner strength that told her this was no dandy or town fop. He had an air of authority and the appearance of one who demanded instant obedience.

      In short, he looked every inch a formidable duke.

      He bowed. “Mrs. Sinclair. Shall I properly introduce myself this morning?”

      She curtsied. “At least you were gracious enough to knock.”

      His full lips curved in a smile. “I decided against using my key. I was afraid of being attacked with another sharp fireplace implement.”

      “Tempting, Your Grace.”

      To her surprise, his mouth quirked with humor. “I’m shocked to hear you address me by my title, Mrs. Sinclair. Shall we dismiss with the formalities then?”

      She nodded curtly. “Let us speak plainly.”

      “Very well. Wyndmoor Manor belongs to me. I have the documents to prove it.” He reached for a black leather bag on a nearby settee.

      The drawing room, along with most of the house, had come furnished when she purchased it from Sir Reeves. It had been an added incentive since—along with his fortune—Roger had bequeathed all their furniture to the church. Bella had left her marital home with only the pieces that had been in her bedchamber and those that she and Harriet had had the foresight to hide.

      Blackwood opened the bag and withdrew a piece of paper, which he offered to her. “This is the deed to the manor, which is officially in my name.”

      She took it with a surprisingly steady hand and gazed at the official-looking document. The letters blurred before her. A solitary thought crossed her mind—fate was cruel indeed to bring another man to her doorstep intent on wielding power and authority over her, this time to force her from her home.

      She thrust the paper back at him. “This document means nothing to me.”

      “Where is your husband, Mrs. Sinclair?”

      The question took her off guard. “He’s unavailable.”

      “You’re a widow then? Have you nowhere else to go?”

      She lifted her chin. “I don’t need anywhere else to go. This is my home.”

      “Show me your deed.”

      She went to a rosewood sofa table, opened a slim drawer, and withdrew a piece of paper. “I truly did not believe you would show today, but nonetheless, I am prepared.” She handed the document to him.

      He studied the deed carefully, and then held it up to the light from the window.

      “What are you doing?” she asked.

      “Checking to see if it is a forgery.”

      “A forgery!”

      “Quite frankly, yes.”

      “My deed is true. Yours is the forgery,” she insisted.

      “Sir Redmond Reeves made no mention of you,” he said.

      “I don’t believe you.”

      “If your deed is true, and I’m not admitting that it is, then it seems we were both played as fools. You purchased the property from Sir Redmond Reeves three days prior to me,” Blackwood said.

      “Are you saying Sir Reeves sold Wyndmoor Manor to both of us?” she asked incredulously.

      “I am.”

      “Why would he do that?”

      “He could be a swindler. A thief. He may not even be a knight. Perhaps there are others out there with deeds as well,” he said.

      Others? Her heart beat rapidly.

      Rancor sharpened her voice. “But you said yourself, I purchased it three days before you from Sir Reeves. I am the rightful owner and yours is the invalid deed.”

      “Not in the eyes of the law.”

      “Whatever do you mean?”

      “The rightful owner is the first to record the deed,” Blackwood said. “I recorded the deed with the Hertfordshire Registrar the day I purchased the manor. There was no mention of your deed in the books, and I carefully examined them. I questioned the clerk as well, and he was unaware of another owner or resident. So you see the legality of my deed is no longer in question.”

      A cold knot formed in Bella’s stomach. She’d had no idea she was expected to record the deed. She had believed all was legal when Sir Reeves had scrawled his signature on the deed and handed it to her. But this man, this duke, was trying to steal her home from beneath her based on a legal technicality that was ethically wrong. She refused to be bullied by him.

      She had purchased Wyndmoor Manor first!

      Bella stalked forward, glaring up at him. “For someone who claims to have been a barrister for over ten years, you were duped alongside me.”

      He flinched, and she suspected she had struck a nerve.

      “There is a simple way to resolve our dilemma,” he said. “We have to find Redmond Reeves. He told me he planned on departing Hertfordshire when he sold me the place. Nonetheless, one of the barristers with whom I share my chambers has access to some of the best investigators in the business. I will retain his services to search for Reeves straightaway and see that your money is returned. If he is not found or has spent the money, I will personally reimburse you.”

      “Why would you do that?” she asked.

      “This manor has great significance to me. It belonged to my father, the old duke, before he recently sold it to Reeves before his death. I intend to reclaim СКАЧАТЬ