Lady Isabella was not perturbed by his coldness. She came closer, batting her eyelashes. “May I inquire what it is about?”
“No, you may not.”
Still, she was not snubbed. “If you wish to know, Your Grace, I have not accepted the affections of any other gentleman this Season. You are completely unopposed.”
Michael sighed heavily. He stared at her, wondering whether he should be blunt or let her down gently. Before he came to a conclusion, Lord Grovington walked into the room.
He bore an identical grin to his daughter, arms spread as if readying himself to embrace Michael. “Your Grace, I see you have come to your—”
“My lord, what was your involvement in the conviction of the late Duke of Ryewood?”
Lord Grovington froze, arms falling to his side. He frowned. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Answer the question, Lord Grovington.”
The marquess’ face distorted with rage. “You do not come into my home and demand such things of me. I shall have you forcibly removed!”
“You may do so,” Michael responded calmly, a miraculous feat considering the fact that his own fury was roaring through his body. “But I shall only return with the constables so you may as well save yourself the embarrassment and confess to your involvement now. Rest assured that I know enough to know if you are lying or not.”
“How dare you—!”
“No, how dare you!” Michael’s roar had Lady Isabella backing away from him in fright. He didn’t care. “I have spent years andyearstrying to prove that the Earl of Suthenshire had given a false testimony that led to my father’s wrongful conviction. He died a despairing and disgraced man and I harboured resentment and hate for the earl, making a promise to myself that I shall see justice served. Now I know that all that anger and hate should have been aimed at you, Lord Grovington.”
“You do not know what you are talking about,” Lord Grovington spat, his face going red. “You were young when it all happened.”
“I was old enough to know the truth. I was old enough to know that my father would never do the things you all accused him of.”
“My father would never do such things either!” Lady Isabella chimed in, but she squeezed in terror when Michael whirled on her.
“Lady Isabella, I suggest you leave or else you’re going to learn of all the terrible deeds your father committed all in the name of power.” Then he turned back to the seething marquess. “Do you truly think I would come here if I did not already knowwhat I am accusing you of? Do you truly believe that I do not have the evidence and testimonies I need to convict you of your own crimes?”
That seemed to knock the wind out of the marquess’ sails and his face fell. “You are bluffing,” he pushed out.
“Dare me, Lord Grovington,” Michael growled. “And I swear, if you do not start confessing, I shall ensure that your name is dragged through the mud until there is nothing left of your legacy, until you suffer a worse fate than my father and my family ever did. Take my kindness, Lord Grovington, before it is too late.”
“Father?” Lady Isabella’s voice was barely above a whisper but it caught the marquess’ attention all the same. “Is this true?”
Lord Grovington looked back at Michael and then at his daughter. Michael crossed his arms, rage reverberating through his stance. For a moment, he thought the marquess was going to continue denying it. He prepared himself for it and even relished the thought of doing worse to the marquess than what had been done to his father.
But then, the marquess cracked. “Your father brought this upon himself!” he hissed, pointing a podgy, accusing finger at Michael. “He thought himself so high and mighty, simply because he was well-loved. One man did not deserve so much power and yet his influence grew by the day. He had to be knocked down a peg.”
“And you were the man to do it,” Michael concluded.
“Of course not! I would never sully my hands in such a manner. But there were more than enough people willing to undertake the dirty work in exchange for a little more prestige and wealth. Lord Suthenshire was simply foolish enough to lead the charge. Had he not had me telling him what to do, he would not have been able to pull it off.” Lord Grovington barked alaugh. “Idiots, the lot of them! Testifying against the late duke and lying right through their teeth.”
“You wanted to replace him,” Michael taunted. “You wanted the top spot and needed to get rid of my father to get it. You were envious of him.”
“I envy no one! I am the Marquess of Grovington!”
“And yet you would not have received half of your influence if you hadn’t gotten rid of my father first.”
Lord Grovington spluttered in his fury, hands opening and closing at his side. Michael remained calm as the marquess fell apart in front of him.
Then Lord Grovington barked a laugh. “Say what you want, Your Grace. No one will believe you. My reputation is impeccable while yours certainly leaves much to be desired.”
“You may be right about that,” Michael answered. “Even if I were to publish all I know, it will only implicate the Earl of Suthenshire while you remain unscathed. Which is why I ensured that your confession was heard by men of the law.”
“What do you—”
