She lifted her gaze to his, her somberness tightening his heart, which irritated him. That he should allow her to affect him at all after what she’d done. He’d rubbed his wrists raw striving to get out of the bindings, had nearly wrenched his shoulder from its socket in his contortions to free himself. If not for his gaming manager knocking on his door and his yelling for the man to come in, Aiden might still be writhing about, feeling helpless and humiliated.

“The Earl of Camberley. Unfortunately, my father left the estate in shambles. It is not a particularly respected title. All my siblings are dependent on my position. And it is greatly diminished unless I become the mother of the next duke.”

“That was the reason you came to the club to be bedded.”

Her cheeks turning a soft pink hue, she nodded. “I thought if I could get with child within the month, before my next menses, I could pass it off as Lushing’s. It might arrive a tad late, but sometimes children do. Or perhaps I could find a way to make it come early. If I give birth to a son, all would remain as it was.”

“And if you bring a daughter into the world?”

“While the title will still go into extinction, the terms outlined in the entailment would allow her to inherit all Lushing’s assets and properties. Property is power. Lushing taught me that. She would grow up to become an independent woman of means. In addition, by showing I was not barren, my marriage prospects would increase and perhaps I could land another duke.”

He hated her plan, every aspect of it. Her willingness to do anything to get with child. “So if I hadn’t intercepted you that first night, you’d have gone with one of the gents with the red buttons.”

“No. It was always you I wanted.”

He was torn between feeling flattered and feeling the fool. “Why me?”

“I saw you at Lady Aslyn’s wedding. I thought you pleasing to the eye. And I liked your smile.”

“You haven’t very high standards.”

A corner of her mouth twitched, and he cursed himself for wanting to see her smile fully. “Rumors are that your father is nobility, so I thought at least my child would have noble blood in his veins, even if he wasn’t Lushing’s. But then I came to like you—immensely—and it seemed wrong to take what you had no desire to give.”

“Why not just ask me?”

“The fewer people who know, the better a secret is kept.”

“You didn’t trust me.”

“To be quite honest, Mr. Trewlove, I was ashamed of the circumstances that brought me to your establishment.”