“What in heaven’s name happened, My Lady?” Rosemary clucked, as Reuben departed. She had been banging on the door for the entirety of the conversation, eager to seek entry.

“The lock must have become stuck,” Adelaide replied. She had no time to placate Rosemary, for she needed to seek out Jasper right away.

“My goodness, that devil locked you in there, didn’t he?”

Adelaide smiled. “I am unharmed, Rosemary. I am as you see me.”

“He is a despicable creature for doing such a thing.”

“You must not tell my mother or father,” Adelaide pleaded. “I am quite well, I promise you.”

“Are you certain?”

“Entirely certain.” She forced herself to be brave, though she could still feel the brutal graze of his kiss on her cheek. It irked her, that he had stolen such an intimate gesture from her. Still, it would be worth it if she could bring him to justice for his former crimes.

“Hmm… very well, I shall not breathe a word of this. Although, if he should attempt such a thing again, I shall be forced to have Daniel break down the door.”

Adelaide chuckled. “That would be most welcome. Now, I must go speak with Jasper. If anyone asks for me, let them know where I am.”

She nodded. “As you wish, My Lady.”

With that, Adelaide hurried out of the house and up the steps to the neighboring building. She rapped on the door and slipped past the butler, calling out for Jasper as she stepped into the grand entrance hall.

“Jasper!” she cried. “Jasper, are you here?”

He appeared at the top of the stairs a moment later, a concerned expression on his face. He rushed down to meet her, holding her by the shoulders as he scoured her features for any sign of harm. She felt her heart beat faster at the soft touch of his hands, remembering how they had almost kissed beneath the willow. One day soon, he would be hers to kiss and hold as she pleased. That day could not come soon enough.

“Is something the matter?” he asked.

She nodded. “I must speak with you in private. There is much that I need to tell you.”

He ushered her into the library and closed the door. “What has happened? Is it the Duke of Bradford?”

She nodded again. “He only just left. It would appear that Miss Green made good on her promise to reveal everything to him. However, it has not dissuaded him from seeking my hand in marriage. He still wishes to marry me. Indeed, he has threatened me into accepting him. I told him that I would still wed him, but only as a means to buy ourselves some time to seek revenge.”

Jasper gaped at her. “He threatened you?”

“Yes, he told me that my father has been involved in some underhand dealings with Lord Rowntree,” she explained. “He means to blackmail my father, and bring us to ruin, if I do not accept our engagement. As I said, I have only agreed in order to give us some more time.”

“What did he tell you about your father?” Jasper asked, his expression strange. He seemed suddenly on edge, running an anxious hand through his hair.

Hurriedly, Adelaide repeated everything that Reuben had told her about her father’s poor business decisions. She explained about Lord Rowntree’s part in all of this, and the fraudulent tasks that Ephraim had been forced to perform in order to be recompensed. She also added the knowledge that Reuben’s illegitimate sister had been delivering information to him, which was how he knew about everything that had been going on.

“So, you see, I had no choice but to agree,” Adelaide said, as she came to the end of her story. “However, I believe we may be able to use Lord Rowntree to our advantage. For some unknown reason, he appears to care for me. He cornered me the other day and wanted to tell me about my father’s affairs. I am certain that is what he intended to tell me, for he spoke of secrets. He wanted to offer me money in exchange for breaking my engagement to the Duke of Bradford. He wanted to protect me and my family, including my father.”

Jasper shook his head. “That cannot be right.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lord Rowntree wanted you for himself. He gave your father a choice—either let him make an offer of marriage to you, or steal the scepter. He had men waiting to expose your father at Westminster Abbey. He meant to ruin your father, too, so he could swoop in and protect you with his wealth and his title. He knew nobody else would be able to marry you, in such circumstances.” He paused in thought. “I wonder what could have changed his mind and made him behave so courteously. Perhaps, the Duke of Bradford threatened him, too? That is the only reasonable explanation I can think of. Maybe, he desires his own revenge over the Duke, which has proven more powerful than his desire to have you for himself.”

Adelaide stared at Jasper in shock.

“What is the matter, Adelaide?”

“How can you know all of that?”

Jasper froze.

No…you cannot be involved in all of this. There is no way you can be. I would have known… wouldn’t I? Her memory trailed back to those peculiar days when her father had retired to his chambers and Jasper had looked drained and weary. Was it the weight of this secret that made you ill? Are you involved, too?

“Jasper… how can you know all of that?” she repeated.

He sighed heavily. “Your father asked me to help him. He was in dire trouble…what choice did I have? He has helped my family so much over the years. I could not have denied him, even if I had wanted to. We had a plan to ensure that he was not arrested, and to ensure that you and your mother were safe. We always had your best interests at heart.”

She stared at him. “You were involved in this, too?”

“I had to protect your father in order to protect you. There was nothing else I could have done, except assist your father and make sure that no trouble befell him.” He offered an apologetic glance. “I believe I know the very young lady who is working for Lord Rowntree and the Duke. She came to us on the evening we planned to steal the scepter, and told us the task was no longer required.”

“The horses… the other night, when you arrived home on horseback. You had been about to steal the scepter?”

He nodded slowly. “Your father refused to see you fall into Lord Rowntree’s hands. He had no choice but to obey. After relinquishing you to the Duke of Bradford, he did not want to have to offer you to a man of equal ill-repute.”

Shocked and torn, she remained silent for several minutes. It would be a long time before everything properly sank in. None of it seemed real, and yet it was dictating their lives as they spoke. Jasper had been part of these fraudulent endeavors, but his intentions had been good. He had wanted to help Ephraim. He had wanted to help her, by proxy.

Oh, you foolish, foolish man, she thought. I am not worth all of this upset. I would have done anything to secure the safety of my father, even if that meant marrying a man such as Lord Rowntree. They have both put themselves in such danger for me, when all they had to do was ask me to obey. I would have done it in a heartbeat, regardless of my love for you, Jasper. Oh, you are foolish men, indeed.

“Can you ever forgive me?” he asked quietly. “I shall not seek your love any longer, if you do not feel I am worthy. I shall understand, for I have done such terrible things. My intentions do not justify the ends. If I could have acted differently, you must believe that I would have done.”

“All you had to do was ask me to marry Lord Rowntree,” she replied. “I would have done it, for the sake of everyone I care for.”

“Your father could never have allowed it, and nor could I.” He smiled weakly. “I was already starting to realize that I loved you, even then. To see you in Lord Rowntree’s clutches would have broken me. It may sound selfish, but I could never have seen it come to pass. Never. I would rather have been caught and thrown into prison before I would have allowed you to fall into Lord Rowntree’s hands.”

“I cannot bring myself to believe what you and my father have done.”

He shook his head. “Please say you can forgive me—forgive us both?”

“If I did not think that your hearts were in the right place, I could not.” She paused. “However, I believe your intentions were good. In truth, you did what I would have done, in the same situation. You have done everything in your power to protect those you love. I would have done the same.”

“So, you forgive me?”

“In time, I shall,” she replied.

He nodded. “I will wait as long as I must, to earn your forgiveness.”

“As for Lord Rowntree, it would appear you are right. The Duke discovered us in the alleyway and… well, I think he may have caused Lord Rowntree serious harm,” she said solemnly. “The two men seem to loathe one another. The Duke told me that he stopped the theft of the scepter. I imagine they had a dispute, that caused Lord Rowntree to put a halt to proceedings.”

“Thus, Lord Rowntree’s revenge is likely stronger than his desire to acquire you by underhand means,” Jasper added.

“I hope this may be the case, for we shall need him.”

Jasper frowned. “Whatever do you mean?”

“We must find a way to turn the tables on the Duke of Bradford. Lord Rowntree is the only man I can think of who may have enough information on the Duke to destroy him,” she explained. “If we can acquire his help, we may be able to set the Duke up in a ruse.”

“Blackmail him?”

“In a way, yes. We must implement him in the midst of a scandal, giving us the leverage we need to make him break the engagement and leave us alone.”

Jasper smiled. “Your mind is an agile thing, Adelaide.”

“I thought we might involve Miss Green, too,” she went on. “Although, in a manner that will bring her security. I do not wish for her to be ruined. I only mean well in the suggestion I am about to make. You see, I believe she truly is in some trouble. There was a gentleman that she hoped to marry, but it would appear that he took actions that may now result in her ruin. If we can involve her in the scandal, then the Duke will have no choice but to either marry her or take care of any child that may come. It will give her the hopeful future that she has been seeking, though it is a somewhat troubling risk. And she would have no choice in the matter, which does not sit well with me. However, I do believe this may be the best course of action to acquire much-needed security for her.”

“How can you show such kindness after everything she has done to us both? She sought to use me for her own selfish means, and attempted to use you to entrap me.”

Adelaide shrugged. “She is a woman in this world, and that is no easy thing. She sought security in the same way that I did, though she went about matters in a less than honorable manner. Now, we may offer that security to her. We can make it part of our blackmail attempt.”

Jasper smiled and leaned over. “I love you more with every word you speak.”

“And I love you,” she whispered, tilting her chin up as his lips grazed hers for a fleeting moment. A shiver pulsed through her veins as he moved closer again, and pressed his lips to hers.

Oh yes, she thought, this is worth fighting for.