Felicity sank into the leather chair across from Adrian's desk, her legs no longer able to support her weight. Her mind raced as she tried to process what she was seeing. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be the same man society whispered about in hushed, pitying tones."You're not..." she began, her voice barely above a whisper."Scarred? Crippled? Hideously disfigured?" Adrian's voice held a note of amusement as he settled back into his chair, studying her with those penetrating gray eyes. "No, Lady Blackwood, I am not."The casual way he admitted to the deception made her head spin. "But everyone says... the fire... your injuries...""Ah yes, the tragic tale of Lord Blackwood's downfall." He reached for the crystal decanter on his desk and poured himself a measure of amber liquid. "Would you care for some brandy? You look rather pale."Felicity shook her head, unable to take her eyes off his face. In the lamplight, she could see that his skin was unmarked, his features perfect in their masculine beauty. There wasn't so much as a single scar visible anywhere she could see."I don't understand," she said finally. "Why would you let people believe such things about you?"Adrian took a sip of his brandy, savoring it as though he had all the time in the world. "Tell me, Lady Blackwood, what do you know about your family's business dealings?"The sudden change of subject caught her off guard. "I... what does that have to do with anything?""Humor me." His voice carried a note of steel beneath the silk. "What did your father tell you about his work?"Felicity frowned, trying to remember conversations from years past. "He owned several mills. Textile production, mostly. But after mother died, he seemed to lose interest in business. Lady Margaret said he made poor investments, that's why we lost so much money...""Your father made one particularly poor investment twenty-three years ago," Adrian said quietly. "He invested his trust in the wrong man. A man who promised him partnership and delivered betrayal instead."Something cold settled in Felicity's stomach. "What are you talking about?"Adrian rose from his chair and moved to the fireplace, his movements as graceful as a predator stalking its prey. In the flickering light, his handsome features took on a more sinister cast."Your father destroyed mine, Lady Blackwood. Thomas Ashworth and his business partner, Marcus Whitmore, conspired to steal my father's textile designs and his most lucrative contracts. They spread rumors about the quality of his goods, bribed his workers to sabotage production, and eventually drove him into bankruptcy."Felicity's heart hammered against her ribs. "That's impossible. My father was an honorable man—""Your father," Adrian interrupted, his voice cutting through her protest like a blade, "was a thief and a liar who watched my father drink himself to death rather than face the shame of his ruined reputation."The words hit her like physical blows. She gripped the arms of her chair, her knuckles white. "Even if that were true, what does it have to do with me? I was just a child twenty-three years ago!""It has everything to do with you, my dear wife." He turned to face her, and the smile that curved his lips was cold and calculating. "You see, when I learned that the Ashworth family was facing financial ruin—poetic justice, really—I saw an opportunity for the revenge I've been planning for years."The pieces began falling into place in Felicity's mind with horrible clarity. "The marriage contract... you arranged it?""I suggested it to your father during one of his more desperate moments. A substantial dowry in exchange for one of his daughters. He was so grateful for the lifeline, he never questioned why a wealthy lord would want to align himself with a failing textile merchant."Felicity felt sick. "And the rumors about your injuries?""Carefully cultivated over the past three years. It's amazing how easily society accepts gossip as fact, especially when it comes from seemingly reliable sources." He moved closer to her chair, and she caught the scent of his cologne—sandalwood and something darker. "I needed to become invisible, you see. A recluse who conducted business through intermediaries, who never appeared in public. It made it so much easier to... rearrange certain aspects of your family's financial situation.""You've been sabotaging us," she whispered."The same way your father sabotaged mine. I've simply been more subtle about it." He leaned against the edge of his desk, crossing his arms over his chest. "Blocked loans, delayed payments, rumors about the quality of your remaining mill's output. Nothing illegal, of course. I am, after all, a gentleman."Felicity shot to her feet, anger finally overriding her shock. "You destroyed my family's livelihood just to get revenge on a dead man?""Your father took everything from mine," Adrian said, his voice deadly quiet. "His reputation, his business, his will to live. My mother died of a broken heart watching her husband waste away. So yes, Lady Blackwood, I took everything from his family in return.""And me?" She faced him across the study, her green eyes blazing with fury. "What am I to you in this twisted game of revenge? A pawn? A prize?"For the first time since she'd entered the room, Adrian's composed mask slipped slightly. Something flickered across his features—too quick for her to identify."You," he said slowly, "are the final piece of my plan.""Which is?""To give you everything your father stole from my family. Wealth, status, security. To make you a lady in truth, not just in name." His gray eyes held hers captive. "And in return, you will give me what I need most.""What could I possibly give you that you don't already have?"Adrian moved closer, so close she could feel the heat radiating from his body. When he spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper."An heir. A legitimate Blackwood heir who carries Ashworth blood. The ultimate symbol of my complete victory over your father's legacy."Felicity's breath caught in her throat. The intimacy implied in his words made her cheeks burn with embarrassment and something else she didn't want to examine too closely."And if I refuse?" she managed to ask.His smile returned, dangerous and beautiful. "You won't refuse, Lady Blackwood. Because despite everything I've just told you, you're still better off as my wife than you were as your stepmother's servant. And we both know it."The truth of his words hit her like a slap. Even knowing his motives, even understanding that she was nothing more than a tool in his elaborate revenge, she was still safer here than she had been at Ashworth Manor."You're a monster," she whispered."Perhaps," he agreed, straightening to his full height. "But I'm a monster who will clothe you in silk, feed you from golden plates, and treat you with more respect than your own family ever showed you."Before she could respond, he moved to the door and opened it. "Morrison will show you to the dining room. We'll take our evening meal together from now on. I find it's important for married couples to maintain certain... appearances."Felicity walked toward the door on unsteady legs, but paused when she reached him. This close, she could see flecks of silver in his gray eyes, could see the way his dark hair curled slightly at his collar."Why tell me the truth?" she asked. "You could have kept me ignorant."Adrian's expression softened slightly, and for just a moment, she glimpsed something almost human beneath his cold facade."Because, Lady Blackwood," he said quietly, "I find I prefer honesty to deception, even when the truth is ugly. You deserve to know exactly what kind of man you've married."As she walked past him into the corridor, his final words followed her like a promise and a threat."Welcome to Blackwood Manor, my dear wife. I do hope you'll find your stay... educational."
