Chapter 338: The other Isabelle_Part 1
The duke’s expression became serious as he noticed his wife was firm with her words. "Are you certain of this, Louisiana?"
"I am certain, just like I was certain years ago when I saw our daughter die before my very eyes. If you want to confirm it, you can send for our family doctor to examine her and see. You will realize that I know what I am saying," Lady Louisiana remarked firmly, her voice steady. Her womanly instinct about the girl could not be wrong, and if proven right, it would be the perfect opportunity to finally rid themselves of her completely and end the possibility of her tarnishing the Dawson name the way her husband’s grand-aunt had done in the past.
Duke Griffin didn’t want to believe it, but he also thought there was no harm in confirming. "I will send for the doctor," he muttered as he rose, reaching for the bell at the wall to summon his valet so he could send for the doctor. But just as he lifted his hand, the door they had locked before entering the study creaked open slowly.
He frowned, turning toward the sound, and his eyes widened when he saw who stood inside.
The duke and his wife stiffened in terror when they saw the mad vampire standing in the doorway. His dark eyes were unimpressed, his arms folded across his broad chest.
"I had no intentions of coming to see you two just yet," Rohan said in a low, nonchalant voice, "but I couldn’t help overhearing your words about my wife." His tone carried a dangerous calm as he strode further into the richly furnished study, seating himself casually in the chair beside the duchess across from the duke.
Duke Griffin remained standing close to the bell he had been about to ring, his gray eyes shifting between the vampire seated across from him and the bell that was not too far from his reach. He contemplated ringing it to summon his men.
"Have a seat, Griffin," Rohan ordered, gesturing to the chair opposite and behind the man. "We have important things to talk about, and I wouldn’t want you growing tired before I get my answers."
Obediently, though with forced composure, the duke sat down again, masking his fear with a forced air of civility.
"How may we be of help to you, Lord Dagon?" the duke asked stiffly, still wondering how the vampire had managed to break the lock and enter his study unnoticed and without a sound.
"In so many ways," Rohan replied coolly, "only I am not in the best of moods today, and I might lose my patience if you don’t provide me with what I need. And by the way, since you seem curious about my wife, there is no need to send for a doctor. She has indeed given birth to my son a few months ago, and the baby you called a monster in this very study is, in fact, your grandson."
He delivered the news with pride shining in his eyes, though his voice remained devoid of emotion, as though he were discussing the weather. The couple, however, went pale as snow. Their expressions twisted with disgust and disbelief.
Lady Louisiana momentarily forgot her fear at the vampire’s confirmation that Belle had given birth to one of these creatures. She slammed her palm against the desk, her face twisted in outrage.
"I knew it! That no-good girl has betrayed us! I told you she was no different from your grand-aunt, and now she has brought disgrace to the Dawson name all over again. Do you see it, Griffin? No wonder I thought the vampire child looked familiar, he has her nose when she was a baby!" she spat, her voice dripping with loathing.
The duke could barely breathe as the truth sank into his head as well. Rage slowly contorted his features until his face turned red. He pointed a shaking finger at Rohan, his voice trembling with fury. "How dare you force your seed on her?! Do you have any idea what this will cause my family if word gets out?"
In his mind, with the strict discipline they had enforced on Isabelle right from when she was a little girl, and with the rumors surrounding this vampire, the duke was certain Belle could not have been foolish enough to willingly allow such a creature to touch her. Unless she had been forced, and out of fear, she had kept it a secret.
Rohan let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "I do appreciate that you at least considered giving her the benefit of the doubt, rather than leaping to the conclusion that we fell in love and shared passion willingly. But I’m afraid I must shatter your illusions, Griffin." He leaned forward, his voice nonchalant, and deliberately using the duke’s name without a shred of respect or formalities. "Because I did fall madly in love with your daughter. She became a part of me, and I am as much hers as she is mine. The son we conceived was born of love, not force. He’s the fruit of our love for each other."
Lady Louisiana gasped in astonishment, clutching her chest as her body shook with shock. She slumped back into her chair as though struck by a heavy blow.
"Dear God... Isabelle has brought another shame upon the Dawsons. What will people think when they hear of this disgrace?" she muttered grimly, almost forgetting the vampire’s presence as her mind swirled. Her thoughts spun around the humiliation it would bring to them, the betrayal of the stupid girl, and the looming possibility that the king might soon hear of it and punish them all for it.
She turned desperately toward her husband, who looked pale and sickly, his face drained of color. "We must confess this to His Majesty and sentence her to her fate before we are implicated—"
"Not so fast, Louisiana."
Rohan’s quiet interruption cut her short, his voice sending a chill down her spine. She flinched, her eyes darting to him as his gaze pinned her with unnerving calm. "I didn’t tell you all this to leave you with the knowledge that will get my wife and son in trouble. I told you because I was curious about your reaction. And now that I have confirmed you care nothing for my sweetheart or my little boy, we can move on to the other reason I came to see you both in private."
He hadn’t intended to confront them so soon. But after overhearing their talk of sending for a doctor, he realized he had to act before they carried out their plan. And since compulsion could not be overused on the same victims without breaking the person’s mind and memories, he had decided to settle all matters at once.
His mind had been restless since last night, weighed down with guilt and regret of what he had done in the past to someone who had been loyal to him. What he truly longed for at this very moment was to bury it all in the arms of his wife, to lose himself in her with a wild, passionate love in bed. But that would have to wait. He needed answers first.
Lady Louisiana exchanged a frightened look with her husband, but before either could speak, Rohan leaned back in his chair with calculated ease. His eyes glinted with curiosity as he asked, "I am most curious why you seem to favor one daughter over the other. What made it so?"
"Wh-what do you mean we favored one daughter over the other?" Lady Louisiana scoffed, glaring at him with disdain, though her voice shook. "We love our daughters equally."
"I see," Rohan said slowly. His lips curved into a smirk. "If that’s so, then perhaps, when we return to Nightbrook, I should take your other daughter with us? Isa would appreciate a familiar—"
"Don’t you dare think about my Eve!" the duke thundered, cutting him off before he could finish his words.
Rohan’s smirk deepened as he lifted an accusing finger toward the man. "See what I mean? You prove my point with your own mouth. Eve means far more to you than my sweet woman ever did. Tsk." He tapped his fingers against the desk, his voice calm but edged with menace. "Just as I said, I am not in a good mood today. I advise you to start indulging me in the truth, not in pretense, before I lose my patience." His brow arched towards the duke, letting his threat settle inside them so they could start talking.