The door across the hall opened. The strumpet marched furiously out of her room, her fists clenched. She wore a filthy chemise and nothing more. But she wasn’t the only one. Sleepy, grumpy women in different stages of undress opened their doors to complain.

“I told you to pipe it down,” the strumpet said, ready to take on Willa, until she caught a glimpse of Ross in the blood-soaked bed.

Her screams did not stop. She backed toward her doorway. The others surged forward and then began screaming and screaming.

Matt heard booted footsteps charging up the rickety staircase and he made a quick decision. Too many would jump to the wrong conclusion. He’d come looking for Ross and here Ross was dead. This was not a place where people listened to rational explanations.

“Come,” he ordered, grabbing Willa’s arm and running to the window. He tried to raise the sash. It wouldn’t budge. He gave it another hard lift and it went up just as the door on the other end of the hall opened. The cardplayers came pouring in to mix with the screaming whores.

Matt lifted Willa through the window and said, “Run.”

She ran, with him at her heels.

The space between the two buildings was a tight fit for him, but the sight of a man sticking his head out of the Blue Boar put wings to his feet.

They reached the street. Someone was coming out of the gaming den’s front door. Matt took Willa’s hand and they ran in the opposite direction. She was breathing heavily, but she was a game one. She did not give up.

Matt dragged her into one of the pubs, racing with her to the back of the establishment. He found a back door and dashed out into the alley.

This section of London was a maze of side streets and alleyways. He kept them moving until they reached a busy thoroughfare. Bermondsey. He sighed his relief. The traffic was heavier.

“Are you all right?” he asked Willa. She’d lost her saucy velvet cap. He had no idea where his hat had fallen off, either.

“There was so much blood,” she said. “And his throat—”

He nodded and tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. “Let’s just walk. We are all right. No one should associate us with that.”

“So much blood.”

“Willa, don’t think on it.”

“How can I not? There was another body in room, wasn’t there? How could Hardesty kill both of them?”

“He didn’t want a witness.”

“That poor girl.”

Matt nodded, his attention taken by the sight of a hack making its way down the street. He waved, catching the driver’s attention. He gave the driver his address and climbed into the cab after Willa.

She all but collapsed in his arms. They held each other close. His heart still pounded from the escape. She had her head against his chest and gripped a portion of his shirt.

It was a great relief to see the hack turning onto London Bridge.

“Matt, what is going on?”

“I’m not certain,” he answered.

“But you have a suspicion? You asked after Hardesty.”

“I’d hoped he was with Ross.”

“Apparently, he was.” She lifted her head. “But the woman didn’t say anything about him leaving. He could have been there and we wouldn’t have known because we don’t know who he is.” She paused, her gaze arrowing on him. “Unless you believe you know this Hardesty. Do you?”

He looked down at her, his courageous, wild, little wren. “The less you know, the better.”

“Obviously not,” she reminded him. “Is Hardesty someone close to you? That you have met? That I could know?”

“Willa, if what I believe is true, then this could upend my family. Until I’m certain, silence is your protection.”

She pushed away from him, sitting up.

“Willa—”

“No, Matt, I will not be placated.”

“That isn’t it at all.”

“It isn’t? This does concern me. And I’m tired of being ‘protected.’ Even if there hadn’t been an attempt on my life, I’d be concerned because Hardesty is apparently determined to see you dead. I’m not ready to let go of you yet. Or perhaps I’m not the woman you want.” She sat back on the seat, keeping a distance from him. “I hadn’t thought of it that way.”

“Willa, you are misinterpreting—”

The hack pulled up in front of the house. Instead of staying so they could talk, Willa opened the door and hopped right out. She strode into the house, where Marshall held open the door. Her movement was purposeful, her displeasure clear. Matt had to pay the driver before he could follow her as quickly as possible.

By the time he entered the house, she had already gone upstairs. She might be petite, but she could move fast.

“Excuse me, Your Grace,” Marshall said, approaching him. “The dowager is out; however, she instructed me to remind you of the Mallory dinner party this evening.”

“The Mallory dinner party?”

“Sir Bernard and Dame Sarah Mallory are hosting a dinner in honor of a visiting Italian singer.”

After what Matt had been through over the last evening and morning, there was no possible way that he was going to listen to Italian warbling while dancing attendance on his grandmother. “Tell her my wife and I must beg off. We desire this evening for ourselves.” Minerva would be annoyed, but Matt had other plans and they all centered on Willa. He took the stairs two at a time.

Their bedroom door was open. The bath had been cleaned up by the ever-efficient Annie. Willa was pulling stacks of clothes out of the wardrobe.

“What are you doing?” he asked from the doorway.

“I’m moving. I no longer wish to share a bedroom with you.” She began pulling out shoes. One of them was his. She threw it back into the wardrobe.

“We aren’t going to have separate bedrooms,” Matt said.

She looked up at him. “You don’t make all the rules, Your Grace.”

“My house.”

“My money.”

He didn’t like that comment. “What am I going to do? Pork you from afar?”

She had no answer. He decided to ask a question that would grab her attention. “Are you truly in love with me?”

That stopped her movements. She didn’t look at him.

Matt closed the door. “You told me you were.”

“I don’t remember saying that,” Willa said slowly.

“It was last night when you were angry with me over Letty.”

“When I felt betrayed finding you with Lady Bainhurst.”

He didn’t answer.

She folded the piece of clothing she held in her hand and then offered, “You have been kind to me. Kinder than I believe most husbands would be.”

“That isn’t what I’m asking, Willa. Do you love me?”

Willa rose to her feet. “If love means do I worry if you are danger? Yes. If it means that I want to be a helpmate to you, to be a partner in all things, then yes. If it means that I want to trust you, but wonder if you have a care for me, well, yes.”

“And when did you decide you were in love with me?”

“I don’t know.” Willa put her hand on the bedpost. “It wasn’t this burst of understanding like fireworks. Or my heart pounding in my chest every time I looked at you . . . although I do like to look at you, Matt—especially when you are sleeping. Your guard is down then.”

She was right.

“In truth,” Willa continued, “I often find you exasperating because you don’t always do what I expect.”

“I can appreciate the feeling.”

That comment caught her attention. He held out his hands as if to declare his innocence. “You jilted me, Willa. With a snap of your fingers.”

A light came to her eyes. “I did, didn’t I?”

“It woke me up.” He took a step toward her. “Everything you do makes me more aware of what I’m saying and how I’m acting.”

Willa nodded. “Yes, like that. I understand. Love is quieter than I thought it would be, Matt. I read your poems—no, don’t scoff. They are lovely.”

“Willa—”

“They are meaningful to me,” she revised, “because they say something about you. And I admire how you are kind to people. No arrogance. No airs.”

“Thank you.”

Her lips twisted in self-deprecation before she said, “And then you married me even though you didn’t truly want me. But you have been thoughtful and giving.”

“Willa, I want you.”

She shook her head as if to deny him. She crossed over to the desk and sat in the chair. She looked out the window, and he could feel a chasm forming between them. She was right; in protecting her, he was shutting her out.

He wouldn’t have liked that, either.

Matt spoke. “I believe my cousin George is Hardesty.”

Her expressive eyes widening, she faced him. “The lawyer?”

Matt nodded.

She frowned. “I have trouble connecting the fastidious George with the blood in Ross’s room.”

“I know, and yet, Hardesty knows things that only someone in the family would know.”

“What possible reason could he have? He is a successful man. Even my father admires him.”

“The oldest in the world—jealousy.” He walked over to the desk and sat in the chair opposite hers, eager to share his theory. “George’s father and my grandfather were twins. It has always been a bit of a family jest that George’s father should have been quicker. Well, it was a jest for Henry. George seemed good-humored.”

“But if he wasn’t?”

He leaned on the desk. “Exactly. George has been good to me, but in ways that my grandparents would have disapproved.”

“For example?”

“He came to my father’s funeral when Henry had declared no one should attend. He defied Henry, but not in an overt way. And to be honest, Henry probably didn’t care. He used George’s services, but I never heard him give the man any consideration.”

“But could George slit Ross’s throat?”

“Could he hire men to kill us? Grandmother is convinced Hardesty had a hand in William’s riding accident.”

Willa chewed on the thought a moment. “George hired men for you to catch Hardesty.”

“He did for Grandfather as well.”

“Have you met these men?”

Matt drew a deep breath. “I’m wondering if I have. If Ross and Donel were the men he hired.”

“So he blackmailed the old duke just for money?” Matt understood that sort of greed was beyond Willa’s understanding. Her father would have grasped it immediately.

“Or to balance matters out,” he said. “Perhaps he felt he deserved Camberly. He did know about William. He told me so.”

“My mother mentioned William last night. She was aware of his nature. Apparently, it wasn’t that big of a secret.”

“Neither was my infatuation with Letty Bainhurst. However, the stationery used for the notes sent to both Letty and me was from a study in the Evanston house. George was there. He had the opportunity to arrange everything.”

“Including telling Lady Evanston that you wished to see me when you were with Letty. I did notice George in the card room.”

“I saw him as well. He appeared to be playing but perhaps he was watching.”

“How would he know that I’d be angry and leave? Why would he wish to drive a wedge between us?”

“I don’t know, but I will ask him when I see him.”

“We must go to the magistrate.”

“We can’t prove any of this, Willa. I could even be wrong and performing a terrible injustice to George. For that reason, I will handle the matter myself.”

“Matt, no—”

“It’s my family, Willa. My responsibility. The last thing the title needs is more of our personal affairs airing out in public.”

“If George is a murderer, there is no way this will be kept quiet. Nor can you let him go. We’ll always be looking over our shoulders.”

She was right.

Matt stood. “Come here.”

Willa looked uncertain. She came to her feet and walked over to him.

Almost reverently, he bent down, seeking her lips. “I’m fortunate to be married to a wise woman,” he whispered, his mouth inches from hers.

“I pray you never forget that statement,” she whispered back, and then he kissed her.

He kissed her reverently, hopefully, passionately.

Her arms came around his neck. She stood on her toes. He picked her up and carried her to the bed. His fingers began working her lacings. Her hands slid inside his jacket, pushing it down over his shoulders.

Dear God, he wanted this. He’d had her warmth beside him in bed but it had taken all his willpower to give her the time she needed to heal.

Matt lowered his arms, and his jacket slid to the floor. He pulled Willa down onto the bed beside him. He kissed her chin, her cheek, her nose, and her sweet ears before finding her mouth again. She laughed as if it tickled, and the sound made his heart grow fuller, the beat stronger.

She loved him.

He’d always thought true love was full of drama and turmoil. It wasn’t. Love was the sense that he was right where he was supposed to be. That at last, he’d found his home.

They undressed in earnest now. Clothes were thrown, boots tugged off, ribbons unbound. He buried his hands in her hair, adoring the silky texture of her curls. He liked her hair. He’d tell her that . . . as soon as he finished letting her know how much he loved her . . .

That was Matt’s last thought. They were between the cool cotton sheets. The mattress felt good and having Willa beside him felt even better. This was the best of married life and he couldn’t wait to be inside his wife.

“Are you ready to count?” he teased, reminding her of her mother’s advice to count backward and it would all be done.

Willa laughed against his lips, her breasts flattened against his chest, her hips fitting with his. With one hand, he cupped her buttocks to him. “One hundred,” he said.

“Ninety-nine,” she answered.

“Ninety-eight.” He nipped her shoulder and then found her mouth and swallowed, “Ninety-seven.”

The tip of his shaft was right there. He pressed forward, sliding it between her legs, knowing how sensitive she was.

She opened herself to him. “Ninety-six.”

Matt looked down at her. “Willa, don’t ever be jealous again. You are only woman I want.”

Her response was to shift beneath him, positioning right where he wanted to be.

“The only one,” she echoed.

“Forever,” he promised.

She smiled. No one had a smile like Willa’s. It lit his heart, until it turned slyly wicked.

“So, are you going to ‘pork’ that lady, sir?” Her imitation of the Blue Boar’s strumpet was so spot-on, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Or are you just going to tease her until she goes mad?”

His response was to thrust forward.

This time there was no barrier. She was snug around him. He held himself, watching her. “Is it all right?”

She wiggled her hips as if sampling the position and then ran her hand down his side. “It’s perfect. Is this it?”

“This is only the beginning.” And it was.

The very heat of her took hold of him. He began to move with purpose. Willa was as responsive as he had thought she would be. At first, he tried to hold back, but she wouldn’t let him. She moved with an urgency of her own—and then she cried out his name.

His first reaction was that he’d harmed her.

He started to pull out, but her arms wrapped around his. “No, Matt, no. Please, no.” She pressed herself against him. He pushed deeper, and her whimper wasn’t from pain, but pleasure.

His little Willa was a noisy lover, and the sounds of her gasps and coos drove him into a fine madness. He could not do enough to please her.

The tension between them built, fine-tuning itself until that moment when everything peaked.

Deep muscles held him; her beautiful, supple body arched against him. Wave after wave of rippling roiled through her.

And Matt came with her. Life flowed between them.

When they were done and spent, she nestled her head against his chest and they fell into a peaceful sleep.

Willa woke first.

Her head rested on the same pillow as the one Matt was using. For a second, she breathed in the scent of him. His skin was warm beneath her palm.

She loved him so much, she could not imagine the world without him. You are only woman I want. His words were magic to her.

His eyes opened. He rolled on his back and stretched. The mattress moved beneath her and she laughed.

At the sound, Matt whipped his head in her direction. He smiled. “Good morning.”

“Good evening,” she countered.

He frowned as if remembering. “What time is it?”

She shook her head.

Matt sat up and put his feet over the side of the bed. He combed his hair before rising and walking over to the washbasin where there was a fob watch.

“It is almost eight,” he said. “I need to eat.

Willa’s stomach rumbled her reply. He laughed and poured water into the basin. “I’m certain they are waiting supper for us,” he said. He picked up the dress Willa had been wearing and tossed it to her before washing.

She ran a hand over her curls. She was glad she’d cut her hair. Sleeping had been easier, and considering how much moving around she had Matt had done when they made love, well, that was easier as well. She nudged Matt out of the way of the washbasin so she could see her hair in the glass.

“I adore it,” she said. She looked at her husband. “What do you think?”

“I think I adore you.”

Willa grinned and began her toilette.

Within the half hour, they were on their way downstairs to the dining room.

Marshall met them at the foot of the stairs. “We are hungry,” Matt said to the butler.

“Cook has kept supper warm. I shall order it be served.”

“Please tell her to keep it simple,” Matt said. “We will eat in the sitting room.” That was where they usually sipped their port and sherry.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Also, has my grandmother eaten?” Matt looked to Willa. “She wanted us to accompany her to a dinner party this evening, but I knew we would be exhausted. I told her we couldn’t.”

“Thank you,” Willa said.

“Yes, well, she may not be pleased with us.”

“The dowager is not here, Your Grace. She did go to Sir Bernard’s affair.”

“Did she go by herself?”

“No, Your Grace. Mr. Addison went with her.”

Matt went still. He looked to Willa, who shared his worry. “When should she return?” Willa asked.

“She said it could be a late evening. She is fond of Sir Bernard and his wife. Also, Mr. Addison left this note for you.”

The paper was the same one that had been used at the ball.

The seal was unmarked. Matt broke it. He leaned toward Willa so that she could see the message as well: Meet me at Mayfield .

There was no signature, but then one wasn’t needed.

George knew Matt was onto his game.

“We must go to the magistrate,” Willa said.

The smile Matt gave her was cold. “If he does anything to her, I will break his neck.”

Willa understood. “I don’t believe that is his plan. His actions are desperate. He knows it is over.”

Matt frowned. “It is going to be over.”

She took charge. “Marshall, saddle two horses immediately.” She started for the door. “I shall be down in two shakes, Your Grace. I must change into my riding habit.”

“Willa, I want you to stay here—”

She turned on him, holding up a hand to stop his words. “Have you learned nothing this day? You need me.”

On those words, she dashed up the stairs to change into her smart military-styled habit.

And to her relief, he waited for her to come down.