The duke was waiting just inside the door, and Will jumped as he nearly ran into him.

"Jesus Christ, Kingfield."

"That was shorter than I expected," Theo observed.

"Were you listening?"

"No, of course not." Theo rejected the idea before adding, "It would seem these doors are much too thick."

Kingfield stalked to his vast collection of liquors and poured Will a scotch before rounding on him.

"Is this going to be a celebratory drink, Trotten?"

Will raised an eyebrow at the tone in Kingfield's voice. Almost accusatory.

"Most certainly," Will supplied calmly. "We are celebrating you and Adelaide, of course."

Theo laughed lightly and returned the look Will was giving him. "That is not what I mean, and you know it. Are you to imply that you do not have a question to ask me?"

Will played dumb. "A question, Your Grace?"

Theo rolled his eyes. "We are beyond titles, I think. And yes, you frustrating man, a question regarding my sister."

"Your sister?" Will continued to feign while he took a sip of Theo's lorded scotch. It burned on the way down satisfyingly. Theo ignored his question and walked around his massive desk to sit in his worn leather chair. Will followed suit and sat in one of the cushioned seats facing Theo.

"Enough games, Will."

Will sighed. "I am not going to ask you anything, Theo." Kingfield glared at him over the edge of his glass. To some men, it would likely be intimidating. The Duke of Kingfield was domineering in many conversations, but Will knew it stemmed from his concern for the people he loved. In truth, he likely had the softest heart in the ton.

"Are you not asking me because you have already asked Emilia to marry you, and you do not give a damn what I say about it?" Will could have laughed at the hopefulness in Theo's eyes. How the times had changed. All this was coming from the man who'd spewed that he would never let Will touch Emilia again.

But Will couldn't find it in him to enjoy the humor, dark though it was.

"No," Will said seriously.

Theo narrowed his eyes. "Why?"

"Nothing has changed."

"Bullshit," Theo challenged. "What was all that hustle about when you left here earlier then?"

Will shrugged, not relenting to Theo's questioning.

But Theo would not give in. "Remember that night after Prince George proposed to Adelaide, and you told me that I needed to tell her how I feel?" the duke asked. "You stalked me out into that biting cold wind, telling me that I needed to tell Addie the truth and let her choose for herself. And when I asked you why, what did you say?"

"It is too late for—"

"What did you say, Trotten?" Theo interrupted, repeating his question even louder, glaring at Will as he did.

Will stared into his glass of scotch, swirling it around as he breathed the intoxicating scent. Finally, he mumbled, "I said that I never gave Emilia the chance to choose and that I wished I had.

Theo slammed his own drink down onto his desk. It sloshed over the edges, splashing the wooden surface. "Well, you can do that now. I can see it in her eyes, Will. She would give you a second chance."

In turn, Will slammed his drink into the back of his throat. He felt a slight growl come from within him.

"I know," he finally exclaimed, perhaps a little too loud. He was nearly matching Theo's pitch now. "I know. But she has a chance at a normal life, finally. I cannot promise that to her yet."

Theo scoffed. "Emilia does not want a chance at a normal life. What happened to choice?"

"When I broke our betrothal off, I ruined her. Devastated her," Will spat. "That is what I wish I could take back, giving her the choice of ruin. And I thought maybe, but now..." Will clutched his empty glass so tightly he could see his flattened fingertips from inside the glass. "Now there is someone else who could make her life better. Not worse."

Theo leaned forward. "Someone else? Someone else appeared within the last hour?"

"Lord Trevor," Will admitted through gritted teeth. "He was speaking to her at the funeral," he said sparingly. "And I realized..."

The duke rocked back in his chair again with a laugh. "That toff who was obsessing over her at the Baxley ball? He's not even a man. He is merely a boy who plays at the club with daddy's money."

"Well, that daddy has a lot of money, and he's the Earl of Sommers," Will countered tersely. "As much as it hurts me to admit, Trevor is not a bad man, and he could give her the life she deserves."

"And as much as it hurts me to admit, you are not a bad man either, Trotten."

Will rolled his eyes and then set Theo straight. "All I want is to make Emilia happy. She wishes for a family and a house of her own. And you have to admit that she could be happy with him, a man who does not have the dangers closing in on him like I do."

Theo didn't say anything; he merely stared into his glass. Eventually, he got up to refill the scotch to the halfway mark before whirling back to face him.

"Goddammit, Will. Just tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me everything. Now. Or I shall go to Weston and get it out of him."

Will shrugged. "Fair." Then he dragged his hands through his hair. He took another large swig of the burning alcohol before he began to spill his dirty secrets to Theo. He told him about his father's dealings with the French and how the king had proof. And how the king wanted to use that information to control his father's movements in the House of Lords.

As if Will did not already know how damning it was to be caught aiding Napoleon during the war, Theo's eyes grew wide. Treason was not an act to be taken lightly, after all. It was a betrayal to England that would not go unpunished if discovered.

"And then there was the letter," Will said.

"The letter?" Theo repeated.

"Apparently, my mother also knew about the deal with the French. In fact, for some bloody reason, she signed her name to one of the letters detailing their transactions. Not only that, but that same letter said if anything should happen to Lord or Lady Trotten, the benefits of the deal should be forwarded to their son, Will Graham."

Will shook his head, still not able to believe the stupidity and carelessness his parents had shown. "The king has the letter, naturally. And if I do not do as he says, then he claims he will release it to the public, to Parliament, to everyone. If that should occur, Ernest would have grounds to see my mother and I hung. And I do not trust that any wife of mine would be safe in that regard, either."

Will sighed before adding, "My mother is in Edinburgh, where she has been staying with her sister. It is far enough away that I feel she can do no further harm."

Theo was silent, ruminating on Will's reveal.

"Holy shit, Will," he finally said, blowing a breath out through his lips. That's—" Theo shook his head. "That's bad. Are you certain Lady Trotten is safe in Scotland?"

Will waved the question away. "The king does not truly care about her. She and her dealings are merely a tool to control me. It serves my mother right being sent away from the ton. Being a society matron was all she ever cared for. More than me. More than my father. It is rather satisfying that now she must go without. Anyway," Will continued. "Do not tell Addie. She has enough on her mind right now."

Theo looked upward as if he could see Adelaide in the bedchamber above. "Yes, you are likely right. However, at some point, she could help you, Will."

Will grimaced, and Theo went on to say, "She is our greatest hope of getting rid of Ernest. And if we can do that—"

"No," Will cut in. "While I put great trust in your beloved, Kingfield, Ernest is not the only one who knows of this."

"Who else knows?"

Sighing, Will shook his head. "That is what I have been trying to ascertain. He has simply assured me that it would only take a single word for his advisors to release what they are already aware of."

Kingfield gave a little roll of his eyes. "He is likely lying."

"Possibly," Will agreed. "But I am not going to risk my life on it." He gave Theo a warning look. "And I am not going to risk Emilia's life on it. Do not make me regret telling you this, Kingfield."

Theo threw his hands up in defense. "I shall be good," he insisted. "But there must be something that I can do, at least."

Will shook his head. "No. I do not want you anywhere near this. You, Emilia, and Adelaide have been through enough in the past few months. All I want from you is to take care of them, Theo."

Theo pursed his lips but ultimately gave an emphatic nod in agreement.

"Are you ever going to tell my sister?"

Will pinched the bridge of his nose. "Maybe. Possibly. I am going to do everything I can to make it all disappear. But I cannot hold her back from the possibility of happiness in the meanwhile. So, I suppose it depends on what occurs with Trevor."

Theo took a long sip. "You run the risk of being too late if you do that."

"As long as she's content...I'll survive, Theo. Shouldn't that also be what you want for your sister?"

"Yes," Theo replied slowly. "But I think you and I have different ideas as to what is truly going to make her happy."

Will forced himself to shrug casually and said, "We shall see."