The route she took through London took her far longer than it should have. Theo's home near Hyde Park should have at most taken her a half hour to walk. But her worry of being recognized alone and unaccompanied kept her to the shadows. Addie knew it was likely unnecessary. People saw what they expected to see. And a pregnant princess dashing through the London haze was not one of them.

London was thick today, the Thames wafting over the city in an unpleasant aroma that, combined with the smell of poisoned tea on her dress, was nearly enough to make Addie retch into the shadows of the streets.

But she swallowed and kept going.

Addie reached the servant's entrance of Kingfield House with shaky limbs, having had the entire journey there to mournfully imagine a whole lifetime without Theo in it. Her hands trembled as they pushed open the door without even bothering to knock. Addie darted through the kitchens ignoring the indignant shouts of "excuse me!" and "who the devil was that?".

Her slippered feet quietly padded through the house to the front entryway with the intent of branching to the left to visit Theo's study when she halted at the sight of a woman pulling her gloves over her long fingers.

"Lady Humphries?" she piqued, breathless.

The countess turned her head, slowly, as if every movement she made was a practiced art. Addie shook her head. Every moment with her was a practiced art. The woman had mastered the appearance of mystery in a way that captivated every audience. And at the moment, Addie was that audience.

Lady Humphries smiled, just as slow. But if she was surprised, she didn't show it. She curtsied. "Your Highness."

Addie had no time for formalities. "Where is His Grace?" she rushed.

"Theo?" she questioned, and Addie kept from throwing her a disgruntled glare from the casual use of his name. "Oh, he left earlier this morning."

Earlier this morning? The countess said the words in a way that indicated she knew firsthand when Theo had left because she had been here. And why would she have been here at such an unfashionably early hour?

Unless of course, she had come last night...and never left.

Addie stiffened while jealousy bloomed in her chest, unable to keep it down even in this moment of life and death. Fear had not stopped her, nor had anxiety or sorrow. But envy had stopped her straight in her tracks, the ugly emotion momentarily blocking her from seeing her real goal.

Addie told herself she had no right to be upset. She had been married to another man, after all. There was no reason for Theo not to engage himself in a relationship with another woman. Lady Humphries was doubtless experienced in the ways of romantic affairs, not to mention stunning in every way. As a match, they made sense.

Addie didn't move or say anything. But the countess still looked on. In the background, the bells began to toll. Moments later, they didn't stop. A full peal of bells, meaning George's death had been discovered.

Seeming to note the tolls, Lady Humphries cleared her throat. "Is there something I can help you with, Your Highness?"

"I need to find the duke," Addie said, her voice harsher than she meant it.

"I do believe he had planned to call on Weston when he left earlier," she said, very matter of fact. "My carriage is just approaching. I would be happy to convey you to Weston's residence. Unless you have brought your own means to do so?" Her eyebrows raised in the smallest show of curiosity as to Addie's current presence. Anyone else would have been gaping by this point at such as sight. Here she was, heaving in anxieties in nothing but her morning dress, fine though it was, and her hair falling out of her pins in a dreadful array of curls. Not to mention, the fact that at this point in time her pregnancy would be difficult to deny.

"Yes, that would be excellent. Thank you," Addie bit out.

"And perhaps there is a cloak of Lady Emilia's here for us to borrow?"

"A great suggestion, my lady," Addie agreed reluctantly, despite the intelligence of it.

Addie couldn't help but notice how quickly Lady Humphries was able to procure the cloak in question, and how familiar she seemed with the staff. Envy continued to act as a mask as she threw the light cloak over herself, hiding her face beneath the hood and her belly within its folds. It was unseasonable attire, but that was hardly the point.

To her credit, Lady Humphries did not pry, which was helpful as Addie did not believe she could speak for a multitude of reasons. Even if she were able to croak out more than a few words at a time through her nervousness, she didn't think it wise to provide the Madame Mischief herself with fuel for her fiery gossip. But honestly, given the nature of her position, Addie would have assumed that the countess would be trying hard to ascertain just that.

As if on cue, Lady Humphries expelled a sigh. "Either something truly dreadful has happened, or you have learned of my ulterior identity. Or perhaps both," she said in a droll voice, especially considering the nature of her words.

"Both," Addie said, the words coming out harsher than she meant them to. Or had they?

"I see," the countess nodded.

She didn't say anything else until the carriage rolled to a stop in front of the duke's steps. As Addie moved to leave, Lady Humphries stayed her with a light grasp on her arm.

"You needn't worry about me. Obviously, I've long been on your side."

Addie wanted to retort that it didn't feel obvious but knew even with what she suspected had occurred between Lady Humphries and Theo, the words would be false. This woman had kept her secrets from the start and the events of today would not change that.

All Addie could supply in response was a perfunctory nod and a tight, "Thank you." She all but ran up the steps to knock relentlessly upon the door. By now, hours had likely gone by since George's death. And she just prayed that didn't mean the same for Theo.

****

Theo had started out that morning feeling greatly relieved that Emilia had moved home when she had. Lady Humphries had paid an early morning visit, reporting that any of the previous gossip regarding her and Will had ceased.

Theo feared, however, that Emilia was not wholly satisfied with her move back home, considering she had been moping around the house and was seemingly displeased by her surroundings for the past several months.

It didn't take much to ascertain that it was due to Lord Trotten in some way, but Emilia had yet to confide in him as to the specifics of the situation. And while he did not wish to pry the information from her, he did very much want to knock down Trotten's door to pry everything from him.

Regardless, Lady Humphries' presence made for a perfect distraction for Emilia. When she had bounded down the stairs in a display of lackluster enthusiasm, Theo was grateful for the opportunity to take his leave, allowing the women to do whatever it was women do.

Emilia had scowled initially at seeing a visitor in the entryway, but Theo figured she would warm to having some company eventually.

Stepping outside his door, he questioned whether or not he should pay a visit to Trotten, but ultimately decided it was too early for bloodshed. Theo instead decided he would call upon Andrew, for no reason other than his home was nowhere near Theo's, a place he decidedly did not want to be at the moment. Besides, Andrew had always been an early riser.

Theo had learned that if the ton did one thing, Andrew most likely strived for the opposite. While the ton slept, Andrew was undoubtedly awake.

But upon arriving, Theo immediately learned one thing. The Duke of Weston was sleeping.

"What do you mean he's sleeping?" Theo accosted the butler.

"His Grace is still abed," the servant repeated as if Theo didn't understand.

"Well, then." Theo considered leaving but now wondered about Andrew's wellbeing. The man was consistently awake. In fact, sometimes it seemed he never slept at all. So instead he said, "Tell His Grace that I am in the library when he should wake."

The older man bowed gracefully, not daring or bothering to redirect a guest such as himself to leave. "Yes, Your Grace."

Theo allowed himself the liberty of walking through the halls to the library by himself. Though it hadn't been uncommon for him to visit Andrew at his home growing up, it was more likely that Andrew would visit him and Emilia at Kingfield House after their parents had passed.

Theo let his fingers drift along the patterned walls before entering the library.

"Hello."

Theo instantly jumped back.

"Weston. What the devil are you doing in here? I thought you were still abed."

Andrew was lounging in a large armchair. "I was waking when you arrived and was told to meet you here."

Theo stared at him, bewildered. "Yes, but...how did you get here before me?"

Andrew only looked around and shrugged, leaving Theo, not for the first time, to ponder the many secrets of Andrew Hayfield. Theo let the matter drop, however.

"Are you feeling well? You usually do not stay abed so late."

"Physically, yes, I am well. However, I did not sleep well."

"How come?"

Andrew only shook his head and then clasped his hands together. "I cannot be certain. Time will tell, I am sure."

As it so happened, that time was only a matter of seconds. Immediately after Andrew had made the claim, a young footman came all but running into the room. Theo drew back, surprised that anyone in the Duke of Weston's household would be running. He watched Andrew for a reaction, expecting him to show some level of anger, but instead, the expression he saw was eagerness. Perhaps nervousness.

"What is it, Charlie?" Andrew asked, barely letting the man catch his breath.

"She's gone," he gasped between breaths.

Andrew leaned forward. "Tell me what you know."

"Eliza came to me. Said she hasn't been seen since—"

The footman, Charlie, was cut off by the sound of bells ringing. And ringing. Charlie glanced at Theo, but Andrew gave a reassuring nod. "It's all right."

"They found Prince George dead," he said over the bell tolls. "This morning."

A moment of slow realization wrapped around Theo. He was talking about Addie. Addie was gone after they found Prince George dead. Oh, God. He approached the footman, ice in his veins.

"Keep talking," Theo demanded.

"There's—there's nothing else to say," Charlie sputtered. "The last they were seen was in the royal library together this morning. A maid said she had brought them tea there. She overheard shouting before she entered the room. When she came to collect the tray, His Highness was...deceased, and Her Highness had vanished. Her lady's maid, Eliza, said she hasn't seen the princess all morning."

"Do we know how the prince died?" Andrew questioned.

Charlie shook his head. "I'm not certain, Your Grace."

Dread filled Theo at the words. He wasn't sure what this would mean for Adelaide, but he was confident it wouldn't bode well.

He swiveled toward Andrew.

"You have spies in the palace?" he asked.

"Not spies, per se. Addie was allowed to bring her own staff along with her. Naturally, I offered her the use of mine. And I made it clear that if anything of consequence should happen, I wanted to know immediately."

"That's a spy, Andrew," Theo said pointedly.

"It doesn't matter what they are called," Andrew responded, thoroughly nonplussed.

"You're right. That isn't what is important right now." Theo turned to leave, his mission Addie.

"Theo, wait."

Andrew dismissed the dutiful footman before facing him. It was one of those rare moments when Andrew looked him in the eye.

"Adelaide is a smart woman. You need to trust her."

"I know she is, and I do. But I can't just sit here, Andrew. I need to help her."

"Theo, sit."

Theo almost didn't. He almost disregarded the man that helped raise him, considered giving him the direct cut. His feet refused to move in either direction. His heart was telling him to walk out of that room, and his head was telling him to sit the fuck down.

Surprising himself, he sat.

"You try to be this protective wall between the people you love and the world. You did it with your mother, you do it with Emilia, and now you are doing it with Adelaide."

Theo grasped his hands in frustration. He didn't have time for this. "My father—"

"I know what your father said. He told you to take care of them," Andrew acknowledged. "But you need to trust these women to find their way in this world. And instead of trying to protect them from it, you need to be there with them in it."

Theo just gaped at Andrew as though he was speaking another language.

"I don't understand the difference."

Andrew got up and began pacing. He pointed to the door. "You were about to charge right out there and search the streets of London until you found her. And once you found her, you would have whisked her away somewhere safe, where no one could ever get to her again."

"I—" Theo couldn't complete the sentence, because everything Andrew had said was the truth. What's more, he couldn't find fault in it. What was the man getting at?

"It's what you did with Emilia after her ruination. But did it help?

Theo couldn't believe this. "Now is hardly the time to talk about Emilia."

"No," Andrew said firmly. "It is. Emilia and Adelaide are both strong, willful women. Women need men in their lives who move with them, not for them."

Theo was silent for a moment.

"You shouldn't spend your whole life trying to be your father, Theo. He was my best friend, but he wasn't a man without his faults. His fierce protectiveness and his controlling, powerful ways were the downfalls of your family in the end. Because once he was gone, none of you were able to stand on your own. Don't make the same mistake as him."

Theo thought he understood what Andrew had to say. He had long been making decisions for the women he had been trying to protect, but even he was willing to admit that those decisions were often erroneous. Even with his mother, he had tried to make decisions for her after his father's death. He had urged her to take their family to the country, hoping the open air would be good for them. But he didn't really know what would have been best. He was only a child. His mother likely would have mourned more peacefully in a place that hadn't been rife with memories of the old duke.

But Theo had trained himself to be in control all his life, lest he should fail his father's memories. He didn't know any other way. "So, what should I do?" he asked Andrew.

"Think," he responded with agility. "Where would Adelaide have gone to if she knew she was in trouble?"

Theo thought.

"I think there are three possibilities," he said after taking a moment to run through the options. "There are very few people that she would trust enough to come to. You. Me. And possibly Emilia."

Andrew nodded, seemingly agreeing with the conclusion.

"Now, Emilia has moved back into Kingfield House, but Adelaide won't know that. So it is possible that she could be coming here, Kingfield House or to Trotten's townhouse. If she were to go to Kingfield House, Emilia should be there to greet her. Lady Humphries was there with her too."

"And what would they do if they should meet her there?"

"Well," Theo considered. "Since Emilia and Lady Humphries know that you and I are both here, I should hope they would come here with her."

Andrew seemed to agree with his assessment.

"But what if she went to Trotten's?" Andrew asked.

There was a rustling sound in the doorway, just as a clear feminine voice rang from behind him.

"I didn't."