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His grandmother gave him a pointed look. “Oh, perhaps I have meddled enough tonight, have I not?” Her voice held a playful hint of regret. “I should have told you about the dinner party, but?—”

“That is a gross understatement,” Frederick snapped, glaring at her.

His irritation toward his grandmother’s unsanctioned dinner party, the unwanted guests roaming his estate, and now this intruder standing in his library, simmered within him.

“None of this would have happened if you had told me what was going on in my own house,” he added.

His grandmother sighed, her amusement fading as she softened her tone. “Be that as it may, this girl does not deserve your ire, Frederick. Look at her—she is clearly desperate, and there is more to this than meets the eye. Why not give her the benefit of the doubt, at least for tonight?”

Frederick scowled, turning his attention back to the woman, who stood trembling slightly, her hands gripping the back of the armchair for support.

Her earlier arrogance had crumbled, leaving behind only fear and uncertainty in its wake.

“I promise I will… I will—oh!” she began to say, but she swayed on her feet, her breath quickening.

“Are you all right, dear?” his grandmother asked.

“I—”

Before Frederick could react, she let out a soft gasp and collapsed.

“Good heavens!” the Dowager exclaimed, rushing forward.

Frederick moved quickly, catching the woman before she hit the floor. Her body was limp in his arms and her face was ashen. He knelt, and lowered her gently onto the rug, his pulse quickening with frustration and something else he didn’t care to examine.

“Is she all right?” she asked, her voice tinged with genuine concern.

Frederick checked her pulse, finding it steady but weak.

“She has fainted,” he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Vivian stood beside him, brushing a hand over Gemma’s forehead with surprising tenderness. “Poor thing. She must be exhausted. We cannot possibly throw her out now.”

Frederick bit back a retort, his mind whirling. He had intended to have this woman escorted off his property immediately, but now she lay unconscious in his arms, and his grandmother was looking at him with reproach and expectation.

He carried her towards the chaise longue nearby and lowered her on the sofa cushions gently, making sure to put a pillow behind her head to keep it elevated.

“This is absurd,” Frederick muttered as he was crouched over the unconscious woman.

Then, he rose to his feet and stepped away from her.

He ran a hand through his hair, glaring at the situation as though it was a personal affront.

His grandmother stood as well and gave him a look that was half-amused, half-serious.

“I know you dislike complications, Frederick, but this girl needs help. Send her out now, and who knows what will become of her? Let her stay the night. You will learn more about who she is in the morning. Perhaps she has quite an interesting story to tell.”

Frederick shot his grandmother a withering look. “You think this is some kind of game, do you?”

Her lips twitched. “Life often is.”

Frederick let out an exasperated breath, knowing he had lost the battle. He couldn’t, in good conscience, turn a woman out into the night when she was in such a state, no matter how much she irritated him.

“Fine,” he said, his voice taut with annoyance. “She stays. But only for tonight.”

Her eyes sparkled with satisfaction, though she merely nodded. “Thank you, dear. I will see to it that she causes no trouble.”

Frederick turned sharply to one of the nearby servants who had entered the room at his earlier call.