Chapter 101

Cedric struggled to breathe. "You mean the night I met her she was raped?"

"The way Andrews told it, he pounced on her in an empty room. He didn't give Anne a chance to fight or flee." Despite the calm way in which he spoke, anger laced Ashton's words.

Cedric's fists were clenched so tight his hands were going numb. "How did you learn of this, Ash?"

"He saw me having a drink, and he was already foxed. He demanded that I congratulate him, of all things. He either did not realize who I was to you or mistook me for someone else. Andrews claimed that soon he would have a hold over your fortune once he said that your firstborn was actually his. He planned to blackmail you both. Said he knew Anne would do anything to keep her secret from you, or, failing that, you would pay for his silence about your wife's past."

"The bloody fool addressed the letter to me," Cedric said. His plan must have been made half out of a bottle to begin with.

"Dearest Anne, we have plans to make"