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Somerton was engrossed in an ongoing gambling game, a glass of whiskey in his hand.

Hector wasted no time ripping him away from the crowd, pulling him into one of the private rooms, and locking the door.

“Y…Your Grace,” Somerton stammered, looking confused. “I did not know you liked to frequent such places, or else I might have…”

“I was told that you are the one I have been searching for. I have lost count of how much time and effort it has taken to find the perpetrator of my current misfortunes, and yet you have been under my nose this entire time,” Hector glowered.

Somerton laughed, but Hector had seen his jaw twitch slightly. It was a sign of nervousness he’d learned to recognize early to keep Somerton from lying to him.

“I have no idea what you mean, Your Grace,” he said in an earnest tone.

“Is that so? Then I presume that you were in factnotplotting to ruin my wife, destroy my marriage, and jeopardize my reputation and business for the sole purpose of getting your sister to marry me?”

The man paled visibly, and Hector smirked in satisfaction.

“Do not try to lie your way out of this. It was your sister who informed me of your scheme. Unlike you, she is a reliable source. She also told me how you tried to put ideas into my wife’s head that I was being unfaithful to her.”

Knowing there was no longer any need to lie, Somerton’s face took on a dark edge.

“That little wench,” he growled. “After all I have done for her. Ungrateful brat. I shall be sure to teach her a lesson she will not soon forget.”

“You will do no such thing,” Hector said lowly, stepping forward, so he could look down at him. “It is my fault that you believed you could get away with fooling me and trying to do harm to my wife. But my magnanimous nature ends now, you weak,scuttling scoundrel. I will not simply ruin you; I will end all your dreams and aspirations for a rich and easy life. I will leak all of your underhanded schemes too in the scandal sheets, and with your obsession over my sister still fresh in everyone’s mind, no one will doubt the credibility of that information.”

“Your Grace! Please, Islington, I did not mean to…I was forced! Some of your competitors coerced me…”

“I have had enough of your lies, you foul little man. You will leave your sister be. You will allow her to marry the Lord she loves, and then you will provide them with averyhandsome dowry. Additionally, you are to leave London at once. I do not care where you wish to go, so long as you are gone, and I will never have to look at your face again. If you are spotted around London after your sister’s wedding, I will be forced to give you a more lasting reminder of the instructions I have now given you. A broken hand and a dislocated knee might inspire you to do what is necessary, would you not agree??”

For what Hector was willing to wager was no doubt the first time in the Earl’s life, Somerton made a wise decision and nodded. Although Hector was not entirely placated, he had bigger things to worry about and watched with mild disgust as Somerton scurried away like the vermin he was.

Now that the pest had been dealt with, there was only one thing left for Hector to do.

It is time to bring my wife home.

CHAPTER 38

“Juliet…Juliet. Juliet!”

The Duchess of Islington jumped slightly, startled by the voice that had called out to her.

When she looked up, Beatrice’s gentle face was looking down at her.

“Are you all right? I must have already called your name ten times,” the young woman said, her eyes narrowed in concern.

Juliet looked down at the clothes she had been washing, pausing slightly as her vision blurred around the edges. She squeezed her eyes tightly, inhaled deeply, exhaled, and then spoke as she opened her eyes.

“Yes. I am fine, I was merely distracted.”

Beatrice’s frown deepened. “You need to rest, Juliet. There is only so much we can do, and you have already gone above and beyond. You are only compromising your health at this point. Please, rest a little and eat something …”

“I ate earlier,” Juliet lied.

Over the preceding days, she had sacrificed her meals and given them to some of the younger girls to share. They were sick and needed all the sustenance they could get.

Beatrice sensed what she had done but was too kind to accuse Juliet directly, choosing instead to lower her voice to a softer tone.

“Juliet, you are an angel. That does not mean you should take your own health for granted. Aside from all of us here in this sad place, there must be someone out there who cherishes you and wants to see you again. That will not happen if you decide to waste away here.”

Was there such a person? Someone who missed me immensely, who thought about me constantly and prayed for my well-being?