Dear Lord Wakefield,

Thank you for your kind reply.

The cat shall return soon, I believe.

Mayhap I will consider caging it.

Sincerely,

Lady Weis

*****

Ysabella was prepared for a long and loud lecture, threats included, when she entered the drawing room, but she was taken aback when she saw her brothers chatting quite amiably about the upcoming hunting game.

Emma stepped beside her, Mrs Beagle in her arms, and said, "Hmm. Do you think they are merely acting?"

Ysabella tipped her head to the side and cleared her throat.

Benedict, Maxwell, Nicholas and Ralph all turned their heads.

"I came back on my own volition," she started with a smile, shoulders squared.

"You do look significantly different from when you were leaving," Nicholas said, narrowing his eyes at her. "How is Wakefield?"

"Ah, don't bother telling us," Ralph interrupted before she even spoke. "We do not wish to know."

Maxwell and Benedict simply stared, faces disinterested.

"I swear Ralph was about to tear Wickhurst apart when he discovered you were gone," Emma whispered beside her. "I warned you, they are up to something!"

"That was a fast talk," Nicholas added, arching an eyebrow.

"He did say the right things," Ysabella said with a shrug. "You cannot go and meet him tonight for he has more important matters to do than receive fists," she added.

When none of them made a move, Ysabella frowned. Turning to look at Emma, her sister shrugged. "I told you, they have been quite quiet after Ralph's outburst."

"We heard that, dear sisters," Nicholas said wryly.

"Then why are you still here?" Ysabella asked.

"Tired of threats?" asked Emma.

Ralph scoffed. Benedict and Maxwell looked amused. Nicholas grinned and said, "Ah, we are simply waiting for someone, see?"

Ysabella went cold. Levi. "You cannot be utterly serious!"

"We received word of his arrival yesterday. I believe we shall be expecting him on the morrow," Ralph offered. "Now that I think of it, I am glad you decided not to go. I do not wish to bore myself at Devonshire and miss the action."

She gasped. "You twit! Is that why you nearly begged me to stay!"

Ralph jumped to his feet in alarm when Ysabella stormed toward him, ready to attack. "I did mean what I said, Ysa, of course, but—bloody hell! Not the bloody face!"

He held up his hands to protect his face from her punches. None of the other siblings moved to stop them.

Benedict allowed the scuffle for nearly a minute before saying, "That is enough," to which both Ysabella and Ralph immediately jumped away from each other.

"Oww, Ysa! Look what you've done! I have scratches all over!"

"Well, they are better than what your lovers give you!" she shot back. "I thought you were being sweet!"

"Well, I was! But you must admit that I was right. You did not truly wish to go, did you?"

"And now you rejoice because you can join the rest of them!" she cried out. Whirling to face Benedict and Maxwell, she asked, "Is there any way you can face him without getting into a fight?"

"It will not be a fight," Nicholas said, "it will be torture."

Ysabella ignored him, staring at Benedict and Maxwell with begging eyes.

"We decided to let Levi decide," Maxwell said. "He is Wakefield's best friend for a long time before now, after all."

She lifted her chin. "Ah, then I could count on Levi to be forgiving. He does owe us, does he not?"

"For matching him with Tori, you mean?" Nicholas asked with a laugh. "You do not know your brother well enough then, Ysa."

She lifted her chin with confidence. "Of course! Levi would not have had Tori if not for us."

"Oh, believe me, sister, he would still have."

"I hate you!" she said to Nicholas. "And you!" she added to Ralph. "You wait until you meet your match and I do pray she has dozens of brothers for you to face!"

Ralph simply shrugged. "They will never be like us if that is to happen."

"Try to make yourself believe so, brother. Did Wakefield ever think he would face all of you for me? He did not, yes? And he has finally been proven wrong." For a moment she saw alarm cross Ralph's eyes but he quickly covered it with a laugh. "For now, I shall go to bed." She walked up to Emma who was waiting for her by the doorway. "And if I am to wake up to a dead fiancé, I shall never forgive all of you! Ever!"

*****

Ysabella woke up quite late that morning as she and Emma spent the night talking and squealing, spending the first two hours talking about the carriage ride and the next in planning wedding dresses and gowns. When she came down for breakfast, her brothers were still in residence much to her disappointment.

Her mother, of course, expressed her excitement over her reunion with Wakefield and she expressed it later that afternoon in the parlour with Margaret, Agatha and Emma.

"I have to call on Lady Hayward soon," her mother said, excitedly making notes for the wedding.

They drank tea, celebrating the many blessings bestowed upon their family while the brothers were in the library, impatiently waiting for Levi's arrival.

To take their mind off the gentlemen, Emma narrated to Margaret how she had managed to succeed in helping Wakefield get into the carriage.

"I had to scribble a fast note to Samuel, of course, giving him instructions to delay Ralph at all cost for as long as he could," she said. "I believe he did a good job."

Margaret and Agatha laughed.

"I was thankful, though, that Maxwell and Nicholas decided to disappear into the parlour. I was afraid Samuel would have a hard time gathering all three men together. He can be a lousy actor, you see." Emma turned to Agatha with a grateful smile. "And of course, Agatha was graceful enough to tag along with my plans, asking for her dear husband's much-needed presence."

"It was quite suspicious, Emma, but well done," said Ysabella. "You might wish to cover the wicked smile on your face next time."

"Oh, dear Lord, I have given birth to she-devils!" Lady Alice said in mock horror. "Although I would have preferred if Emma did wake me up. We could have delayed the time further. Ysa might have gotten back in time before your brothers realized she had been abducted."

The four women threw their heads and laughed.

"By the by, Margaret," Emma said, "I saw you whispering something in Aurora's ear at the Seymour ball. What was it? She looked quite stunned."

Ysabella tried to ignore the pang in her chest at the mention of Aurora. Perhaps she could someday think of the woman without the pain. For now, she had to bear it.

"Oh," Margaret chuckled with a wave of her hand. "I simply told her that Ysa may have five brothers, but she also has four sisters, one of them rumoured to be a witch—and a mother." She said the last word as she turned to their mother with a meaningful look.

It was Lady Alice's chance to laugh out loud.

The library was utterly quiet in contrast to the merry atmosphere in the parlour.

*****

The very moment he arrived back in his estate, Wakefield ordered for the presence of solicitors and his banker.

He sent one of his footmen to watch outside the Gedge residence until late evening.

He made drafts and paid everything that needed to be paid.

Once, Thomas inquired what he was doing when he ought to be with the Everards.

"Cleaning a mess, brother," was his simple reply.

Their mother, not much to his surprise, had decided to call on Lady Alice. He did not worry, of course, for the Everard men would dare not hurt her. Their business was with him, after all.

By late afternoon, Wakefield was tired. He had had no sleep the previous day and even the nights before that. No, in fact, he had not had proper sleep since he arrived from Bertram.

He dozed off in his study until Morris came to his door. He jumped in alarm when he realized that it was already too late in the evening and the footman he sent out to watch the Gedge estate had come back.

The footman gave him the package. He opened it and found the money. It was enough to make someone like Rosa Gimer go away.

"Did you give the servant her money?"

"Yes, milord," the footman said. "She would not stop crying, milord."

"And did the owner of the money return to the place I have guessed?"

"Yes, milord."

With a sigh, Wakefield came to his feet.

A part of him had hoped he was wrong, but it could no longer be helped. He had the evidence and his footman was witness.

All he needed now was her confession. And then it would be over. He could finally set himself free of her.

*****

Aurora was surprised when her butler informed her of Wakefield's presence in her drawing room.

She immediately ran down the stairs to find him and when she did he was already sitting on the chaise.

She stopped halfway into the drawing room, her steps faltering, when she saw the box of letters and the money sitting beside his lap.

Wakefield was wearing a murderous look on his face. Her eyes frantically searched for anything she could use, any weapon she might need to protect herself. It was instinct, really, and she could not help it.

"Tell me the truth, Aurora," his cold voice asked, his blue eyes almost dark. "Why?"

"I—I," she stuttered. What was she to say? She had been caught.

"You and I both know who she is, Aurora. So tell me... why?" his eyes, murderous.

So he knew. And he did not hate Ysabella. She had been right all along. The bastard fell for Ysabella Everard!

Disappointment, anger and desperation rushed through her. "I—I—but she lied to you! She purposely hid the truth from you!"

"And she told me and I did not believe her because you have led me to believe so! You are not even my lover to begin with! You never were!" He came to his feet and she stumbled back.

She had not been anxiously waiting for this. No, this was not part of her plan!

"Is this how you repay me for what I did for you?" he demanded. When she merely managed a whimper, he added, "I am leaving as I should have done months ago."

"I did what I can for—"

"—for yourself and no one else!" he snarled at her. "In your attempt to protect yourself, Aurora, you ruined the only true friend you could have ever had!"

Picking the money from the chaise he threw it at her. The bundle landed on the floor with a thud.

"Where did you get that?"

Her lips quivered. "Adam Nimrod."

"Adam Nimrod," Wakefield said with mocked amusement. "Of course, the desperate bastard who holds a grudge against Ysabella and I. You are proving yourself to be quite resourceful and brilliant indeed, Aurora."

Aurora fell on the floor and started to gasp. She willed her tears to come out. She needed them to come out. It was her last card—the tears. Men were uncomfortable at the sight of a lady in distress.

"Stop the act, Aurora," Wakefield snapped.

She looked up and saw that he was picking up the box of letters. He was leaving. She knew it.

"I took the ribbons back and I hope that you do not mind."

"William—"

"I shall not be coming back, Aurora. You are on your own now." He paused at the door. "I suggest you start finding someone else to protect you from the horrible man who turned you into this." He motioned his head to the tea table where a pile of papers lay. "Your parents' debts are paid. I had the title of the estate transferred to your name. Everything is yours. Do whatever you wish with them and by God, do yourself a favour and learn to love others as much as you love yourself."

Fury rushed inside her. "You are just like them—all of them. You do not know me at all! No one wants me. Not the Everards, not Adam Nimrod, not even you!"

"Adam Nimrod is a cad. Ysabella had always known you were in love with the man, Aurora, but she also knew he was never good enough for you. She wanted you to be with someone you deserve. Try to think the same and mayhap you would find that one person. Do not make me think that I made the biggest mistake of my life by saving you that night."

Aurora's shoulder sagged as she stared at the empty doorway, stunned.

She was not certain how long she had stayed slumped on the floor since she heard Wakefield's carriage drive away outside.

She had been utterly certain she would succeed. Yet how? Where did she fail? The realization, the horror, was dumbfounding.

It was over. Everything she had hoped for was gone.

He left. Where would she go now?

Away. Far, far away.

Panic seeped inside her.

And then she stood up and gathered the money from the floor. She ran to the tea table and picked up all the papers.

She had to go.

Soon.

But as she was making her way out of the drawing room, she found someone else standing there.

She had not heard anyone come in. Where had her butler gone?

For a moment her heart swelled, thinking Wakefield came back. Mayhap he changed his mind!

Heart pounding against her chest, she started to frown when the man stepped into the room.

The features were similar. Same blonde hair, same blue eyes.

But his was not a gentle face—his was dark and dangerous.

With a gasp, Aurora realized who was standing before her. She had seen him in the Theobald party. He was in the opera.

His lips curled into a cold, unnerving smile. "You must be the whore who caused my brother quite some trouble," Thomas Hayward uttered in a deadly voice.