Compromising Miss Tisdale Read Online Free Page B

it’s all on your shoulders, as reluctant as they might be.”
    Duncan dipped his head and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m not unwilling.” He realized after the words were said that they hardly sounded believable. “I’m not deliriously happy about the chain of events, either. You forget-I didn’t leave London by choice.”
    “What was your father to do?” Richard asked. “You were out of control. How many thousands of pounds did he spend trying to right your wrongs? Even with you in the country, the stories of your exploits still found their way to my ears.”
    “Is this why you brought me here? To lecture me about how I’ve chosen to lead my life?” Duncan let his head roll back, frustrated by the all-too-familiar direction the discussion was taking when there was obviously more critical dialogue to be had.
    “In a way, yes. I need you to become respectable. Your brother worked diligently ‘til the day he died to rebuild the reputation that your parents squandered. And there’s the matter of fortune. Your father and mother misspent much of it. Jason tried to rebuild what he could, but he just didn’t have enough time. Without proper action, society will soon find out how poor we’ve become.”
    His uncle paused, took a deep breath, then continued. “You need to accept the role of Earl and return honor to our family’s name. It is up to you to continue your brother’s legacy. I suggest you start by taking your seat, marrying for money, and producing an heir. It’s quite simple, really. Just don’t bungle the order of it.”
    Duncan’s head shot back up. “Pardon me?” The dying part he could handle, but now the conversation was taking a turn for the ridiculous.
    Richard poured him another liberal glass of brandy, and refreshed his own. “I can’t die a pauper, knowing our family is remembered only for the exploits of your nefarious parents. It’s about posterity and our legacy. Don’t you understand?” He slumped back, spent. “Of course you don’t. You’re eight and twenty-you have your whole life ahead of you.”
    He still couldn’t understand why his uncle was being so rash. He reached over and put a comforting hand on his knee. “I’m sure all will be well. I will rebuild the fortune soon enough and I’m certain, given time, I’ll even settle down.”
    Richard shook his head. “Soon enough is not soon enough. I’ll be dead by fall.”
    Duncan took back his hand. “How am I to do this? You’re asking me to find a fortune and change who I am. Miracles take time!” The conversation echoed many he had entertained with his father while he was alive.
    “I know,” Richard snapped, sitting up in his chair. “But I haven’t any. That’s why I called you here to London. Listen to yourself—you’re like a petulant child. You are no longer a boy and it is time that you do what is right, rather than what is shocking. Surround yourself with decent people and fill your life with worthwhile pursuits. Representing your family has never been a priority for you and now you must pursue the matter with the utmost urgency. Here, in London.”
    Richard leaned in and grabbed Duncan’s hands. “Please. I am asking you, as a dying man making his last request. Be the Earl , help fill the title with honor and respect, find a rich wife from a good family, and let me die with peace in my heart.”
    Duncan scowled and removed his hands from his uncle’s grasp.
    “Laying it on a bit thick there, aren’t we?”
    Richard slumped back into his chair again. “You give me no choice but to play the cards I am dealt.”
    The side of Duncan’s mouth crept up. “Yes, I can see how that death card could be quite convenient.”
    Richard chuckled. “So, will you at least stay for a few weeks and make an effort? Your townhouse is being readied and you should be able to move in by the end of next week.”
    Duncan thought for a moment. “Jason’s townhouse?”
    “It’s yours. It’s all yours