Years.

Darius Shaw, Viscount of Adelaide, had spent years wondering how he would exact revenge on the Lord of Herrick or now Lord Alton. Years formulating how he would steal Lord Alton's wife from him and torture her in front of his eyes. Although it seemed that Lord Alton did not love her, it was the best he could do.

And that whore had died the week before was supposed to happen.

Darius sipped his drink, fondling his wife's breast as she slept next to him. The fire in the hearth across their bed, crackled illuminating her pallid features.

Three years after the broken engagement, the Duke, Darius's father had decided he couldn't leave his sole heir unmarried and had sold him off to some Duke's daughter. She was a pretty thing, but timid and did not have the glint in her eyes that Lady Sophia had.

Her name and face caused a sharp hot twang to go through him and he gripped his sheets. His father had tried to find someone that looked similar to Sophia because Darius refused to get married any other way. His wife was a close resemblance but Lady Sophia...her beauty and spark radiated outwards like no other woman. Darius still only thought about her while he bedded his wife.

He was obsessed with something he could not have. Whenever she went to the market, his footmen spies informed him and he would follow her there and watch her from afar. She seemed sadder as the time passed by, her frame growing slighter and the shadows under her eyes darker. Yet, he still wanted her.

That was, of course, until he heard rumors that Lord Alton was coming to court her sister.

Darius slammed the empty glass on the bedside table and his wife stirred next to him, blinking up at him with sleepy eyes.

"What happened, my lord?"

"Nothing. Go back to sleep, Cora. It is nothing."

The nerve of the man. Lord Alton ruined the girl Darius was supposed to marry and was now trying to court her sister. Or was pretending to, last he heard from the servant of the Brightons he had paid to be his spy to watch Sophia.

Darius hissed under his breath and clawed at his neck.

If he did that, Darius would never be able to Sophia his, as his mistress. But if he somehow managed to hurt Lord Alton...maybe he could make Sophia be with him in exchange for his life. And seeing Sophia ripped away from him would surely hurt Lord Alton who he suspected had a lot more desire for Sophia than he had for his life.

Darius would take Lady Sophia right in front of him too.

Yes, yes it was all coming together now. Darius smiled. It seemed like his plan had not been defeated but simply thwarted for now—the rightest time to execute it.

He threaded his fingers through his wife's curls, massaging gently and she gave a soft sigh of pleasure.

Soon that would be Sophia next to him, moaning and sighing. Darius could not wait.

The Earl of Conway scratched his head, gulping down the tavern beer in one continuous large gulp. He belched loudly and wiped at his mouth, beckoning the tavern wench for a refill. He settled into the bench a little more with a large groan.

The room was full of beers slamming down on wooden countertops and raucous laughter that would have seemed cacophonous to anyone. But the Earl had gotten used to it. It was almost harmonious to him.

The large clang of the tavern bell made the Earl grunt. It was an hour to midnight, which meant the possibility of finding a carriage would diminish as the night progressed. It had been days since he went home. It might be nice to change out of these clothes. But after another drink.

Suddenly, someone slammed their palms on the table in front of Lord Conway and he shirked away from the sound. A handsome young gentleman with eyes of steel slid on the bench across from him, his nose scrunched up and lips pressed in disgust.

"Heavens, it smells like a pigsty in here."

The Earl of Conway hoisted himself up and his large beer belly hit the edge of the table. "Damn right it does. It is a tavern after all. Now, how may...may I help you...my lord?"

Even in his drunken stage, he could see it was some high lord sitting in front of him, with fine silk clothes and jacket. Several in the inn were eyeing him, hoping to pick and rob him later.

The man arrogantly cocked his head. "Milord. Do you not remember me?"

When the Earl shot him a confused look, he sighed audibly and hissed. "Lord Darius Shaw. The man who was to marry your daughter, Lady Sophia many years ago?"

Yes, that's why he looked familiar. Lord Conway let out a low throaty chuckle. "Why, yes. Lord Shaw. A pleasure to see you again. Might I offer you a drink?" Lord Conway waved over the bar wench, signaling for his single refill to two glasses but Lord Shaw sent her away.

His gleaming dark grey eyes turned towards him, a stark contrast to Lord Conway's lighter ones. "This isn't a reunion time. I am here on business. Very important business." Lord Shaw placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. "My lord, are you aware that your second daughter is soon to be married?"

The Earl of Conway licked hi lips. "Well, yes. The girl is eighteen now? I presume she is hoping to find a season in her suitor...I mean suitor in this season."

Lord Darius Shaw rolled his eyes. "My lord, I believe she has found a suitor."

"Good. Then the oldest wench did her job after ruining our lives years ago."
Darius smirked. "I wouldn't be so happy, milord, for it is in fact that your second daughter is to marry the very man that ruined Lady Sophia."

The Earl blurted out laughing. "Is this a jest? What is this nonsense?"
Darius flashed his teeth with a wolfish smile. "It is not, my lord. Lord Alton was the one who ruined all of our beauteous plans five years ago. I know it. And now, he is here to court Lady Colette or so he says. Yet, I heard from Jenkins, your servant that Lady Colette and Lord Alton are planning deceit so that Sophia gets married to Alton."

The Earl pressed his lips together and shook his head. "That...that cannot be true."
"It is."

Lord Conway growled. "I told my daughter if I ever found the man who ruined her, ruined me, I would wring him to death with my bare hands. And now...now...now... she had let him into our home to marry Colette and that wench is trying to once again make sure he seduces Sophia? The nerve of all of them!"

"Indeed. I even heard that Lady Sophia wasn't planning to tell you, my lord, until the wedding was over. Lots of plans going on in the house my lord. It's honestly a great web to untangle. It does not matter. All that matters is that your honor is at stake, my lord. We cannot let Lord Alton marry Colette or Sophia or whatever his plan his. We must stop him."

Lord Conway sharply tilted his chin, Darius' words clearing the aftertaste of alcohol in his mind and making his intellect sharper and words a little less slurry. "How, my lord? How do we exact revenge on him? And how come you know this? How come you wish to help?"

"The how of how I know is not relevant and how we will execute this will come forth in due time, milord. As for why I wish to help, Lady Sophia holds a treasured place in my heart. I feel duty-bound as a gentleman to protect her from predators and thieves of maidens like Lord Alton. I, too, wish to see Lord Alton brought to justice." Lord Darius Shaw smirked up at Lord Conway.

The Earl massaged his temples, slowly spiraling into the abyss. The past few years had plunged him further into debt and drink, leaving his only salvation to be his daughter getting married. But now his other whore of a daughter was further digging his own grave. Everything was furthering more and more into the pool of no control. He was losing control once again. The world was against him or maybe it always had been, punishing him every year all the more for what he had done to Lillian, his wife.

But...but he could regain control now. Lord Shaw would help him make sure his daughters were under control again. No more mischief and planning. And he could control what he did with Lord Alton. Make sure he paid for what he cost him.

"So, my lord? Will you help me, because I need your help? We can bring that bastard to justice, feed him what he deserves."

The Early nodded. "Yes, Lord Shaw. Tell me what I must do so I can see the man's bloody face a pulp under my fists."

Darius smiled.

Was she really doing the right thing? Tricking Sophia into marrying Lord Alton?

Colette paced in her room, nervously biting on her nails as she trailed the other hand through her golden hair.

The more she thought about an admittedly genius but also reckless plan, it seemed like it would wrong at any second. And if Sophia found out...it would be disastrous. And was it all worth it, not to mention not a sin, to deceive someone into love and marriage?

No, no. She wasn't deceiving anyone. All Colette was doing was making sure that two people who should belong together were so, but making sure the stubborn and selfless nature of one of them didn't push her to self-sacrifice her own happiness. It had to be done in secret because Sophia would never agree otherwise. This was how Colette could do something for her sister.

But was it the right way...truly? Colette slammed her fists against her dress. She shouldn't worry so much. It was done with the best of intentions. No harm. All Colette was doing was taking the passion that existed between Sophia and Lord Cavendish and making sure it was directed towards each other forever. Both of them wanted to marry each other, unlike herself and Lord Cavendish.

Yet, Sophia was smart. What if she found a way to make sure Colette got married to Lord Cavendish somehow? She could do it.

Wouldn't it be better if she told her now...? No. Then the plan would definitely fail. Now, at least could work. More than anything, Colette believed that true love existed out there in the world, and Sophia and Lord Cavendish had found it in each other. Surely that bond would be enough to make Sophia unable to refuse to marry Lord Cavendish when the plan was finally unveiled. Of course, Colette could tell Sophia the terrible consequences that would follow if Sophia didn't marry Lord Cavendish...but that was not an option unless required.

Colette had to have faith their love would preserve and stop worrying so much! This dramatic monologue inside her head was of no use to anyone. The execution of the plan had started two weeks ago and was going steadily so far. She had to stop stressing.

Colette looked down to see her nails bitten down to the quick, her flesh soft and pink and she groaned. She had to stop doing that too.

A sudden, muffled crash from downstairs made Colette freeze. No one was in the house except her. Sophia had gone to the market and Jeanne had gone to visit her friends and the two servants they had were discreet.

Colette's heart plunged. That meant...that meant that must be her father. She could hear someone swearing loudly and seconds later, the sound of exploding glass thundered through the house.

Over the years, Sophia had made sure Colette and Jeanne stayed out of the way of their father; that is when he actually left the tavern and his room there. When he did come home, Sophia would engage with him. All that Colette ever saw of him was the occasional screaming he would direct towards them when he arrived in the night. Then he would throw up and promptly pass out. By the next morning, he would be gone again.

Yet, he was here. Now. In broad daylight. Colette's breath hitched and she instantly felt clammy all over. It didn't seem like a good sign he was here now.

Minutes went by and no other sounds emerged from downstairs, where her father had probably locked himself in his study. Colette let lose the breath she had been holding. It was going to be all right. It was all going to be all right.

"Lady Colette?" Jenkins rapped at her door.

Something about the awfully smug look on Jenkins' face caused dread to coil like a snake in Colette's stomach. Colette had never liked that man, he reminded her too much of her father but now...it seemed to be even worse. She understood his expression seconds later.

"Your father wishes to speak to you."

Colette didn't like the sound of that one bit.

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