When the sharp knock on the door that Colette had been waiting for all morning finally arrived, Colette flew down the stairs. She opened the door before Jenkins could even think to arrive to reveal a disheveled Sophia and a slightly less disheveled Lord Alton who had his hand around her waist. If they were touching like that, then perhaps Colette's mad plan had worked.

But when she glanced down and saw Sophia's bandage leg and the way her hand was around his shoulder, Colette's heart plunged. He was just holding her up.

As gentlemanly as always, Lord Alton upon seeing her, immediately took her hand and kissed it. "Lady Colette."

"Lord Cavendish." Colette smiled and glanced at Sophia who had an unreadable expression on her face.

Sophia then turned her face towards Lord Alton's and gulped. While Sophia and Lord Cavendish's interactions always seemed charged, it appeared now it had reached a whole another plane.

"Lord Alton. Thank you for assisting me. Lady Colette and I will call on you when the time comes."

When the time came for what?

Sophia reached her arms out and Colette immediately draped one around her shoulder and grabbed onto her sister's waist.

Blake tipped his head and gave her a small smile. "Of course, Lady Sophia. My pleasure."

At those words, Sophia's face turned a tad sour and she flushed red. "Goodbye, Lord Alton. Colette. I wish to speak to you. Let us go upstairs." When Sophia used that tone, it broke no argument. Curtsying slightly to Lord Alton, she closed the door as he walked away.

Then the two sisters made their way to the living room where Colette carefully deposited her sister on the chaise as she took a seat opposite her. Once they were both settled, Sophia leaned forward, her blue eyes flashing and seething with anger.

"Colette. Why did you not come to Lord Alton's house last night? You promised you would."

"Soph. I am sorry. Lady Harrington wasn't feeling well. She nearly died from a post-childbirth illness. I had to stay with her."

Sophia pressed her lips into the thing line. "It was in your luck that Lord Alton's mother could not make it either, for then it would have been disastrous."

Colette knew that, of course, but she had to pretend she didn't. "Oh, that is a blessing in disguise. But I am sorry, Sophia. However, if she was not there, what were you doing at Lord Alton's house?"

Colette hated deceiving her sister like this but the note today morning had shaken her to the core at the impossibility of her situation. She was supposed to meet her father at an inn tonight to give him the current state of things between Sophia and Alton. She was under strict orders that everything had to appear as natural as possible---Sophia had to believe she was still organizing Colette's wedding and Blake was organizing his wedding to Sophia and Colette had to act the shocked fiancée in front of Sophia now. More details of the plan would be revealed tonight.

At Colette's question, Sophia turned her abashed face away. "The truth is, Colette, we were waiting for your arrival. During that time, Lord Alton and I talked and played chess. However, when it got late and it was apparent you were not coming, I was going to leave." Sophia sighed and clenched her hands into fists. "Then, Lord Alton asked me to come upstairs to pick out a necklace as a wedding gift. Things got...complicated and I....I..."

Tears started to fall down Sophia's face and she hurriedly wiped them away and tilted her head upwards to prevent more of them from falling.

Colette breathed, "You what?"

"I am sorry, Colette. I lost my virtue to Lord Alton." It all came out in a rush and Sophia stared wide-eyed at Colette. Then she instantly reached out and took Colette's hand in hers. "I am sorry, Colette. It was an accident. It was never meant to happen. We let our desire get the best of each other but I assure you, it's nothing. It was a mistake and I hope I haven't cost you your engagement. Please don't break it. I assure you, Lord Alton used protective measures. I will not beget a child."

"You will not?"

While Colette was overjoyed that Sophia and Lord Cavendish had finally gotten to truly know each other, Colette completely forgot about the concept of contraception. That meant Sophia would not carry Alton's child which was what her father wanted to ensure. Colette's subtle mind manipulation of getting Alton to seduce Sophia had worked, but not to the end her father wanted.

Yet, he needn't know that. Looking around the room, it looked like Jenkins was nowhere in sight either. This was perfect. Colette did not know how this could work in her favor, but at least she had one advantage against her father.

Sophia frowned at her. "You seem almost disappointed I will not carry a child. How are you not angrier? Or more surprised?"

Damn. She had to act naturally. This was not a natural reaction.

Come on, she could do this. Drama had always been in her blood. She had always fancied herself as an excellent actress.

"I am not disappointed; I am disgusted almost. I am also angry but more than that just shocked. You seduced my fiancé. You lost your virtue to him, Sophia. What am I supposed to make of that?"

Colette pulled her hands from under Sophia's, got up, and turned away from Sophia. "I can't believe you would do this. After all those times you said you had approved the marriage between him and I. I even forgave you for that intimate altercation at the fountain when you convinced me that any business of those natures would never happen again. And now? It has."

Colette could hear Sophia's chocked sobs behind her. All she wanted to do was hug her sister tight and scream that she wasn't mad. That she was pretending to protect her. That she wanted her and Lord Alton to be together. But she couldn't.

"I know. I know, Colette. I thought I was more resilient than that but I have failed myself and my promise to you. I understand that you are angry and feel betrayed. What can I do to ease the pain?"

Colette whirled around and her braid was a whip that coiled around her neck. "What can you do? Nothing. Tell me, Sophia, why should I go on with this engagement. Must I look over my back the entire life, wondering when my husband and sister will fall into each other's embraces again?"

Sophia shook her head and looked up at a towering Colette with red-rimmed eyes. "No. No. I promise. It will never ever happen again. Please don't stop the engagement. Please."

Colette took in a deep breath and squinted down at Sophia. "Do you promise?"

Sophia nodded. "Yes. I vowed to myself I would never let you or Jeanne go through what I did and I broke my own vow last night by doing something that you have every right to break an engagement over. I feel like Bla...Lord Cavendish," she corrected herself, "and I had a lot of unresolved conflict between us that manifested in this. It's over now."

"Very well then. I will not end the wedding."

Sophia got up and clapped her hands together before falling back down onto the chaise as her limp leg gave away under her. "Thank you, Colette, for making the right choice even if in your heart, you may not ever forgive me, and you are entitled to that resentment. I understand. But thank you."

Colette just nodded, unable to say anything else.

The thick stench of sewer water cloaked the air in the narrow street which had rubbish littered everywhere. Even though it was nearing twilight and the sun was still high in the sky, the street, or rather an alley was shrouded in the shadows of the closely built buildings. Various shabbily dressed drunken men stumbled around in a stupor, wrapping their arms around the whores of this street whose bosoms threatened to fall out of their dresses. The entire street reeked of alcohol, rubbish, and stale piss and Colette shriveled up her nose in disgust.

Why on earth would her father summon her here?

However, when a den called "The Gambler's Hideout" came sharply into view, Colette understood immediately. Clearly, this was the area was where her father spent some of his time in, squandering away the family fortune—whatever was left of it anyway.

A few men tried to grab her as she walked by. They leered at her with their owlish, red-rimmed eyes and licked her lips as they took her in. Colette shuddered and pulled the cloak tighter around her as she took long strides to reach the den.

The inside of the den was no better. A thin layer of smoke drifted through the air, which made Colette's lungs burn when she inhaled. It was an opium mixed gambling den, the most dangerous and most illegal of them all.

Most of the den was in darkness, poorly lit by only a few lamps. More men leaned against the walls in a drug-consumed haze, smoking more of whatever had gotten them to that state. Colette coughed as her lungs began to fill with a hot, burning fire. Where was her father? She needed to get out of this place soon.

Should she ask someone where he was?

No, that was too dangerous.

As she strutted down the corridor searching for her father, a man suddenly grabbed her by her forearms and pulled her towards him. Colette let out a small yelp.

"Well, what do we have here?" A pair of steel-grey eyes that glinted with malice appeared in front of her through the smoke."It's a woman, Father. What is a woman doing here?" He sniggered and his lips turned into a sneer.

The man who the grey-eyed man called Father appeared out of the gloom. He had salt and pepper hair and cruel black eyes that were twisted with unimaginable darkness. "Get your hands off of her, Darius. She's the Earl of Conway's daughter who we're expecting. Bring her with us. We have business to attend to."

Darius. Where had she heard that name before?

The man called Darius strengthened his grip around her forearm and yanked her along with him. The hood of her clock fell, revealing her golden braid that shone like a beacon in the den. Instantly, a few men turned towards the bright shine and smiled their rotten-teeth grin at her. Colette struggled to keep the contents of her afternoon tea down.

Darius, along with his father, steered her to the main den where many men were gambling, piles of money, and cards were like mountains and hills on the tables. The trio pushed their way through the crowd to the very back corner of the room. When they got there, Colette was pushed down on a chair and shuffled leftward until she touched the wall. Darius slipped in next to her while his father slipped into the seat on the other end of the small booth next to.... her father.

She was completely cornered with nowhere to go.

The Earl of Conway's grey eyes regarded her carefully as he sipped the drink clenched in his knobbed fingers.

"I don't know if you have met my associates, but this Darius Shaw, Viscount of Adelaide and his father, Charles Shaw, The Duke of Cambury. This is my daughter, Colette, who has been aiding us all this while." Lord Conway made the introduction, gesturing to the respective person when he called their name.

Lord Darius Shaw. The man Sophia was supposed to marry all those years ago and who had left her when she was scorned. Of course, he would want revenge on Lord Alton and would, therefore, ally forces with her father. Or perhaps, it was even the other way around.

"Hello there, Lady Colette. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," Darius leaned to the side and whispered in Colette's ear, his voice slippery and snake-like. She immediately squirmed and shifted sideways which just increased the dangerous glint in his eyes. Colette felt sick to her stomach.

"Father, why have you summoned me today?"

"First of all, you answer my questions, not the other way around. I called this meeting and you will answer to me." Lord Conway's nostrils flared in contempt at her insolent behavior and she immediately bowed her head to prevent herself from angering him further.

"Of course, Father."

"Besides, it is Lord Darius who wanted to meet with you and give you orders himself."

Colette looked over at Lord Darius who give her a smug grin that revealed his yellowing, protruding teeth. He then reached across, took a stray lock of Colette's hair and curled it around his finger. Leaning in, he took a large sniff and sighed then let her lock go.

"Jasmine. Wonderful scent. Anyway, your father is right. I convened this meeting for it is I who is in charge of this plan."

So, Colette had been right in the beginning. Her father was just revealing the orders of another. She stowed away this information to use later.

"Now, is everything going according to plan? Have you gotten Sophia and Lord Alton," Darius' lips twisted at the second name, "physically together? Will she be with a child soon?"

Colette schooled her features to remain neutral. "Yes, my lord. They have been together. A child is assured." Every word felt like a knife stab to her heart.

Sophia had always detested Colette's fluent lying capabilities, but if she could see her now, she would be proud.

Darius clapped his hands together and laughed throatily. "Wonderful. I had my reservations about you, my lady, but you have proven yourself worthy." Under the table, he snuck a hand to her thigh and squeezed.

Colette balked but remained quiet.

"Now, both of them still think everything is normal. According to the plans they devised?"

Colette nodded. "No one is suspicious of anything, my lord."

"Good. Now comes the difficult part where we must keep our wits about. When will you be announcing your engagement to Lord Alton, Lady Colette?"

"Tomorrow."

"Wonderful. Now, everything until three days before the wedding, which is when Sophia would find out she is with child approximately, must go as planned. Else you, Lady Colette will make sure she finds out. Sophia must think she is organizing your wedding and Alton must think he is still set to marry Sophia. Two days before the marriage when everything is chaotic about who will marry who," Darius pointed to the Earl, "the Earl will suddenly hear about the engagement of Lord Alton and Lady Colette. Shocking!"

Darius dramatically spread his arms, gesturing to the whole room. "He will make it apparent to all of London he disapproves of the marriage and had never been consulted. The news will at least two days to spread and reach this couple's ears. At this time, you must reveal your plans to get Sophia and Lord Alton all along and that now it was all coming to light, they should get married on the wedding date initially set."

Darius smirked. "Of course, by the time the wedding day comes, all the churches in London would have heard about Lord Conway and his disapproval. Sophia and Alton will not be able to get married here. So, they must elope to Scotland where they may marry quickly, which you will encourage them to do, Lady Colette. With a child on the way, neither of them can leave another, and yet, they must marry. Once they elope, the Earl will say that Lady Colette, wishing not go against her father's wishes broke off the engagement. In his anger, Lord Alton kidnapped and raped Lady Sophia and eloped with her instead. Duty-bound to save his daughter's honor, Lord Conway, along with the honorable gentlemen the Duke of Cambury and his son, would pursue them and put an end to his ravishing of innocent women." He banged the table to dramatically finish off his declaration.

Colette stared at him, her mouth agape. Lord Darius Shaw was insane.

"No one would believe that," Colette breathed out.

"That is why you will convince the ton and you will do it well."

When Colette started shaking her head, Lord Darius Shaw grabbed her face and pressed her cheeks. "You do not have a choice, my lady."

He let her go and nodded his head towards her father who was sitting sullenly, listening to the entire plan. At Darius' signal, Lord Conway produced a chunk of strawberry-red hair tied together by a string from his coat and lay it on the table.

Darius pointed to it, smirking. "That, my lady, is your sister Jeanne's hair, cut from her head when she was asleep. Don't think we can't get to her when we can. We are so very close to the end."

Colette's red-lipped mouth dropped open and she let out a small gasp. Jeanne. Poor little Jeanne. Colette's hand started to tremble and she couldn't seem to make it stop.

"I understand, my lord. I will do my duty."

Darius' entire plan rested on the simple fact that Sophia and Lord Alton had to get married because of their child and would, therefore, elope with each other. But when there was no child? They could go their separate ways. Nothing would happen. She could save everyone. Colette hid her sigh of relief. All she had to do was pretend until the last moment and then reveal it somehow without her father and his associates knowing.

"Good. Now be a good little whoremonger and go do what you're bid." 

A/N: Ooh. What do you think of the plan? Will it work? Or will Colette prevail and save everyone?

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