The Duke sidestepped easily, catching his wrist and twisting just enough to block the blow.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he hissed.
“Let go of me!” Felix growled.
“Are you going to try that again?”
“Depends. Are you going to tell me the truth?”
They stood frozen with Felix glaring at the Duke silently.
Iris had never seen her cousin truly angry before. It transformed his usually cheerful face into something harder.
“The child is not mine,” the Duke said finally after releasing Felix’s wrist. “I haven’t touched another woman since before the wedding.”
Iris blinked. Surely that was an excuse to calm Felix. Even if Evie wasn’t truly Owen’s, he would have resorted to women of the night to… satisfy his needs. That’s what many noblemen did.
“Then whose is she?” Felix barked.
The Duke was quiet for a long moment. When he spoke, his voice had lost its edge. “I know whose she is. But for her safety, it’s best if the world believes she’s mine.” He glanced at Iris. “Ours.”
His possessive tone sent an unexpected shiver through her.
Felix looked between them. His confusion from earlier resurfaced. “You’re taking in another man’s bastard?”
“Don’t call her that,” Iris said sharply. “She’s an innocent child. And besides, I’m not lying for his sake.” Iris adjusted Evie, who had fallen back to sleep. “I’m protecting her. She was left on my doorstep as much as his. I won’t abandon her to chance.”
“Iris…” Felix ran a hand through his hair, messing it further. “This is madness. You’re talking about raising another woman’s child as your own. She is not your blood.”
“And does that truly matter?” Iris met his gaze steadily. “I know how cruel blood relatives can be. You are the exclusion, of course. I don’t care if I didn’t birth her.”
Both Felix and the Duke winced at her words. Felix knew how her parents had treated her. As for the Duke… he didn’t know. He’d only known her father as a formal gentleman who followed the rules of theton. He didn’t know what kind of father he was to her. Not that he had ever asked.
“Don’t.” Felix’s voice softened. “Don’t do this out of obligation. There are other options.”
“I feel no sense of obligation.” Iris looked down at Evie’s sleeping face. “I’m choosing to raise her because it’s right. Because she deserves better than whatever fate awaits her, otherwise.”
Felix studied her for a long moment. Then, his shoulders drooped. “What’s her name again?”
“Evie. Lady Evangeline Sencler, if we’re being formal.”
“God help me.” He sank into a chair. “You’re serious about this.”
“Completely.”
“And people will believe she’s yours?”
“The timing works,” the Duke said. “We’ve been married for over a year. A child born in the countryside, away from Society’s eyes. It’s plausible.”
“Plausible.” Felix laughed mirthlessly. “You’re asking me to lie to everyone. Our friends, theton—everyone.”
“Yes,” Iris said simply. “Please, Cousin.”
“Halston.” Something in the Duke’s tone made them both look at him. “I need your word that nothing said in this room will leave it. Nothing.”
“Is that a threat?” Felix straightened, frowning.
“It’s a request. For Evie’s sake.”
