Viscount Haddon raised his collar as he entered the graveyard. It was cold enough that his breath formed white puffs of air, and mist clung to him as he walked the well-worn path. Rows of headstones veered left and right, and beneath were the bones of hundreds who had reached their final resting place.

He had been roused by his valet at the ungodly hour of 5:00 a.m., and handed a note that Nibbly believed needed his attention urgently.

I can wait no longer to speak to you, Joseph. Please come to the cemetery immediately. I shall be waiting beside my mother’s grave.

It had been signed Millicent.

Surprise hauled him from his bed, and had him dressing with haste. His betrothed was not someone who usually left the warmth of her bed before the sun was well advanced. For that reason alone, Joseph realized something was very wrong.

“My lord.”

She stepped from behind a headstone to stand before him. The hood of her cloak was up, covering her face, and he would not have recognized her but for her voice. Soft, cultured, the woman before him was soon to be his wife. Lady Millicent Lawrence, his love.

“Millicent?” Joseph stepped closer.

“Don’t speak, please just listen.”

Joseph looked around them, for all the good it did him; he could see nothing through the swirling mists.

“Are you here alone?”

“I am. Now please listen to me, as what I have to say is important.”

Something had happened; the woman he knew would never take such a risk with her reputation as to venture out unchaperoned.

“What has happened, my sweet?” Cupping one silken cheek, he stared into her lovely blue eyes. Her fragile beauty had caught and held him from the first glance. He loved her with a fierceness that sometimes took his breath away.

“Joseph!” The snap in her voice caught his attention. Sweet, biddable Millicent Lawrence had never spoken to him this way. His unease increased

“You are upset.” He reached for her, but she retreated, something else she had never done before. “Let me take you to my carriage. It will be warmer there and we can talk.”

“I do not need to be warmer! What I need is for you to listen to me!”

He was held momentarily speechless by the tone of her voice. He’d never heard her raise it before, and definitely never in his company.

“Then speak, and we will leave here before you catch a chill.”

He watched as she drew a deep, steadying breath, and the gesture unsettled him.

“Millicent?”

“I no longer wish to marry you, Lord Haddon. I do not love you.”

“What!”

“I will not repeat it, and am sure you have no wish for me to, either. I love another, and it is he I will wed.”

“No.” Joseph reached for her. “You love me, as I love you. There is no other.”

She stepped away from him, her face blank of all emotion.

“I liked the idea of one day becoming a countess. Alas, your father is a healthy man, and shows every sign of living for many more years. Therefore, I no longer wish to marry you. And I do not love you.”

Joseph couldn’t believe her callous words. Surely they were not true? He loved her, as she did him. They were to have a family and grow old together. Everything was planned.

“I don’t believe you. What has happened to make you speak to me this way?”

“Will your conceit not allow you to believe that I never loved you, but another? I am an excellent actress, Lord Haddon.”

“Enough!” Anger vibrated in the word. “You are lying to me, Millicent. I know what lies between us, and you are not that good an actress.”

“La!” She trilled out a laugh. “Well indeed, I had you fooled, and half of London. But I have realized that the man I love is everything you are not, and that I cannot spend a lifetime faking my love for you.”

“Stop it now! Whatever has happened, I can help you.”

Desperation had Joseph reaching for her again, but she backed away.

“N-no. Please, I am leaving London, and have no wish to speak on the matter further. I will leave the details of how it ends to you. I’m sure both you and your family will wish a minimum of fuss. Goodbye, Lord Haddon.”

Before he could stop her, she had disappeared into the mist, leaving him standing alone, head reeling, body cold, and his heart broken into tiny pieces at his feet.