What the Groom Wants by Jade Lee

clenched teeth.
    “I’ll have it paid off by month’s end.”
    Too long, and it didn’t matter anyway. “How much, Wind?”
    “One hundred twenty-one quid.”
    He almost laughed. So little an amount, and yet she was destroying herself to get it. He wondered how much she’d already paid. “I will have the money to you tomorrow morning.”
    “No!” she gasped. Then she all but stomped her foot. “I’ll have—”
    “It paid off by month’s end. Yes, I heard. But did you also hear that I am now a duke? Good God, Wind…” He took a breath, then turned her to look at him. He held her gaze, trying to impress upon her what he’d learned, to let her know that all of it was at her disposal if she needed it. Then, when she had quieted enough to gaze back at him, he said it. The words were so new that he’d never voiced them aloud. But he did now. To her.
    “I’m rich, Wind. The old duke was a miser like you couldn’t imagine. The money I have now, it’s staggering. I could never have earned that much in years as a captain even with rich hauls.” He couldn’t stop his grin. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw the ledgers this morning. The money that flows in and out of the estate is staggering!”
    “But you need it,” she said, her mind obviously coming to grips with what he’d just said. “Nobs are terrible about paying off their bills. All that money is meant for—”
    “Yes, yes. And those are being taken care of. As are the tenants—those who survive—and the new ones. The cash is dicey, but still there is value. There is a lot of value.”
    She blinked, and then her eyes grew hooded. “And you will need it. For good clothes, for parties and improvements and—”
    “I think I can spare a hundred twenty-one quid.”
    She closed her eyes then shook her head. “You can’t just give it away,” she said.
    “I can. And I will. Tell me who you owe this money to—”
    “No!” she cried, loud enough to draw attention.
    He winced, then began walking again. It was awkward at first, but she fell into step beside him easily enough.
    “I will not have you working for Damon,” he ground out. “Nor will I have you beholden to a moneylender.” His voice dropped. “Do you know what they do to people who don’t pay?”
    “I know,” she said, her voice a whisper.
    Yes, she probably did. “Wind—”
    “I will take it as a loan. And I will repay every penny.”
    Of course she would. She had her pride.
    “Tell me who it is. I shall have it paid off tomorrow first thing. And you will never, ever set foot inside Damon’s hell again. Do you understand?”
    She took a breath, but he felt steel in the sound. “I won’t work for him again,” she said. “I promise.”
    “Good. Now who holds your marker?”
    “I won’t tell you his name. I’ll take the money with gratitude, but I can’t… I won’t let you pay it for me.”
    “Then let Bernard do it. He’s the idiot who started this in the first place.”
    She flashed him a rueful smile. “Very true. And if it makes you feel better, I’ll take Bernard with me. But you will not be there.”
    He didn’t like it, but he could see that she would not budge on this. “Who is it?” he pressed one last time. “Why would you take Bernard but not me?”
    She wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Because you are a duke now, with deep pockets to bleed. I won’t expose you to that risk.”
    He frowned, thinking through her words. He’d never been a man with deep pockets before. He had money enough. More than most sailors, but that wasn’t the same as what he had now. He had to admit that she was right to fear. It was one thing to bleed a woman and her brother for a few quid. But if whoever it was realized that she had a duke’s money at her beck and call? The blackguard would keep his hooks in her by any means possible.
    So she was right. It was safer if she went with Bernard. And maybe some of Radley’s friends. “Very well,” he finally said.