"Gram, you said the events would lead to a ton of tragedies. Why? What happened after Osegod's death?" It was Valerie who dared ask while her twin sister merely looked on at their grandparents as if all the answers were there.

It would be very unfair if they did not know how things ended with the Everards and those who had become complicatedly attached to them.

"Osegod got what he deserved," Fiona said, not addressing her granddaughters, but more like talking to herself. "The tragedies started in Emma's story, my dears."

The twins frowned. "The story you wrote told of a story of a woman who delved into conspiracies and discovered secrets of the Town. It talked of a woman who never married."

Fiona Trilby shared a look with her husband who simply raised his brows. "You tell them, dear."

The twins narrowed their eyes. "She married, did she not?" Valerie asked, hopeful. "I have been hoping she and Samuel would end up together, thus my disappointment when I read the last book—when Emma chose herself—when she said she was fine alone."

Fiona looked apologetic as she said, "I am dearly sorry, my dears. I did not mean for anyone to read my stories. I wrote the last book as I imagined how everyone would have been different if the things did not happen the way they did, if they unfolded exactly the way the Everards wanted."

"Then tell us, please. She married? She was caught in bed with Samuel after all!" Violet insistently said, leaning over. "The brothers wouldn't allow for nothing to be done."

Fiona smiled. "Well... wouldn't you want to know?"

"Of course!" they chorused.

Edmund chuckled and slowly rose to his feet. "I will boil more water."

Valerie and Violet continued to expectantly look at their grandmother. Fiona Trilby blinked and sighed. "Very well... where were we?"

*****

"What happened this time, guv!" Ned shouted from above a stone tree as Ralph rushed across the stone forest atop his horse, face filled with intent.

"Your bloody cousin, of course!" he shouted in reply and heard Barto's roaring laughter from another stone tree.

"Kick her arse, we say!" a voice shouted from somewhere above.

"Yer too nice te her, guv!" added another.

Ralph ignored the bandits, even the boy who shouted, "Nancy!" before he crossed the clearing.

Finally reaching the very heart of Meriwether, Ralph was ignored by the people, most of them now used to his constant presence there. He climbed off his horse and allowed a little girl to lead it to the stables and entered his father-in-law's stone cottage where he found his wife, slouching in a winged chair, eating an apple and reading a book.

She ignored him completely despite the loud thumps his boots made as he crossed the room.

Gustav groaned from the kitchen where he was slicing bread fresh from the oven. "Don't make a ruckus, ye two." He muttered something else under his breath but Ralph was too angry to even bother.

He stopped in front of Alex and grabbed the book from her hand. She shot him a sharp look.

"It is time you go home, wife," Ralph said.

She took a big bite from her apple and continued to ignore him, eyes on her father.

"Do not make me haul you over my shoulder, Alex," Ralph warned.

"I'm not comin' home with ye," she snapped. "Not after what ye and yer brothers have done."

Ralph slowly whirled to keep her from seeing how he rolled his eyes. His father-in-law was staring at him with a look that said, 'I did warn ye, didn't I? Ye still married her.' Composing himself, Ralph faced his wife once more.

"No one forced anyone to marry anyone, Alex," he said in an exaggeratedly calm tone. "It was Emma's decision." Alex continued to glare at him, taking a bite from her apple, but Ralph saw that she was surprised. "I did not want a marriage, to be honest. I wanted a burning ritual." When she did not say a word, he sighed. "And they are not married yet. They are merely on a long engagement—a secret long engagement we recommended until they both sort matters on their own."

"If ye didn't force her, then she said yes te protect the man from getting' killed by ye!"

"We have talked about this, Lex. Emma made her choice, one which was not provoked from her by any of us. You know she would not have made the decision if she did not want to. You and I both know that."

His words seemed to finally have sunk into his wife's brain for he saw her shrug. But he knew the fight was far from over. "Then why did ye hide Siege from me! Ye think Emma's the only reason why I left?"

"Ye hid the horse?" Gustav's voice boomed from the kitchen. He, too, was now angry. Ralph groaned and rubbed his face with his hand. "Why did'ye hide me daughter's horse?"

"Because he's bein' mean!" Alex gritted out.

"Bloody hell, Alex, you are with babe! Of course I would hide the horse from you! Do you think me insane to keep the bloody horse at your disposal when you are at such delicate state?"

"She's what?" Gustav asked, surprised.

"Ah, bleedin' hell! I want some quiet!" Alex shouted, jumping to her feet. She threw the apple aside and started toward her bedroom door but her father was already blocking her path, hands on his hips and eyes glaring.

"And yer carryin' me grandchild and ye didn't tell me?"

"I wanted te make it certain." She pointed at Ralph and added, "He's simply guessin'."

"No, I am not!" Ralph insisted, walking up to them.

"How certain are ye?" Gustav asked Ralph.

"Very certain," he replied without hesitation.

He saw Gustav's face lighten and his lips twitch along with his beard. His father-in-law motioned with his head. "Ye take her home now."

"Nae, I'm not goin'—" Alex started but her father cut her off by lifting a hand.

"Ye and yer husband's been a pain in the arse. Tis yer third time runnin' away from Beechworth. The last time, yer mother-in-law thought I abducted ye! Which reminds me—that woman hasn't yet apologized fer the accusation! I won't have 'nother of this. Ye go home." Alex opened her mouth to argue again, but her father pointed a finger and ordered, "Make up yer mind. Ye go home with yer husband or ye stay here without 'im fer good."

Alex scowled, opened her mouth and closed it again, seeing that Gustav was utterly serious. "Why can't he stay here with me?"

"Why can I not stay here with her?" Ralph repeated.

Gustav turned and walked back to the kitchen. "Not until ye give me grandchildren! Now, off ye go and don't come botherin' me with yer useless banters! Tis me last warning, ye two! Me last warnin'!"

*****

"Ye think he was serious?" Alex asked hours later as they rode back home to Beechworth.

"Who?" Ralph asked, eyes closed. He had been traveling all day to get to her. Having quite a vast experience of his wife running away from him in the past, Ralph had made certain that before he rode his horse to Meriwether, a carriage was also on its way to bring them back home.

"'Pa, o'cors," Alex said.

"He wants grandchildren, Lex. That is all he is concerned about. And we are giving him one soon."

She scoffed. "Yer not certain of it."

"I am certain of it," he said, blindly taking her hand. When she did not resist his touch, he asked, "We are chummy again?"

She was silent for a moment and Ralph opened one eye to study her face. She did not appear as angry as she was when he found her in Meriwether. But she did appear thoughtful.

Being married to Alex had been naught but exhausting. Yet it was also exhilarating, filled of life. She had brought too much in Beechworth and into the Everards. Something he and his family had never truly had before—a sense of resilience. Now that they had Meriwether as their own secret extended home, they all could feel freedom even Devonshire or the other estates cannot entirely provide in full essence.

"If ye promise not te beat Sam again, we might be chummy for a long while," his wife said with a sigh, leaning her head against his shoulder with a yawn.

"The bloody bastard deserved what he got."

"Aye, but he's soon te marry Emma." She let the quiet pass for a while. "Ye didn't force her?"

"No, we did not. I swear on the name of all that is holy," he said wryly. "Not an inch of my soul is keen on the idea."

"Then we have te accept her decision." He did not offer a reply, simply clenched his jaw. "And she has te as well."

Ralph opened his eyes and bent his head to look at his wife. "Even you do not believe she is certain."

"I'm her sister-in-law," Alex said, "but I'm her friend first and foremost."

"And you sense she merely did what she did to save us all the trouble," he said the words that had always been on his mind—on everyone's mind. As a gentry man of the Town, Ralph wanted Emma's decision. But as a brother, he was not quite certain his sister did the right thing. "But that is her trouble to face. She did everything she did on her own. She ought to face them with responsibility from now on for she is no longer a child."

"And what would ye do if she changed her mind?" his wife asked.

Ralph sighed and pulled Alex closer. "Why don't we discuss that if it ever happens?"

Alex sighed. "Good luck te Sam then."

Ralph chuckled. "You like him."

"He's yer friend. 'Cors I like 'im."

"Ah, do not remind me of our friendship. It irks me even more."

"You forgave him."

"Not quite. But soon," he said with a smile. "The very moment he proves himself, of course."

Alex chuckled. "You Everard brothers. Ye dally with women and all the while ye think yer sisters are free from men like ye?"

"I do not dally with other women other than you."

"In the past ye did. Ye had lovers who sneaked out of their own homes te be with ye. Don't be a hypocrite. Emma did what she did because yer friend didn't force her. She did what she did because she wanted te." She tipped her head so their eyes met. "As I did with ye, guv."

Ralph had thought of it. Truly, he did. Yet it was his sister they were talking about. But to keep another heated discussion out the window, he simply sighed and said, "Perhaps I will embrace the idea of having Samuel as my brother-in-law soon. But do not force it on me, darling."

Alex smiled. "'Cors, guv."

Ralph bent his head to plant a chaste kiss on her lips. "And ye can't run away from me again, bandit."

"'Cors, guv."

"And nae ridin' horses fer now."

"'Cors, guv."

"And nae Grey's."

She frowned. He gave her a challenging look. She tilted her head and kissed his chin. "'Cors, guv."

Ralph rolled his eyes with a helpless chuckle. "And I know yer lyin'."

Her contained laughter rumbled in her chest. "'Cors, guv."

*****

Vega Trilby was looking directly at Durley, her dark eyes boring into his. "Osegod was keeping a secret for you. What is it?"

Durley shrugged. "It was naught but a bluff, my dear. He said many things to manipulate you." He looked around the room and met Amelia Trilby's eyes. "I have no secrets. And have I not proven my loyalty?"

Vega scoffed. "Pathetic, really, Marcus. You must know we cannot fully trust you. Do not take us for fools like you did with Osegod."

"I know. But in time, you will."

Amelia gave her niece a gentle look, stopping whatever Vega was to say, before she turned to Marcus with a smile. "And your lover? The one Osegod took from you?"

Marcus shrugged. "You know she chose the Everards. I was fond of the chit, but she is not the only one, is she?" he asked, eyes still on Vega who met his cold gaze with a cold smile.

Amelia clasped her hands together and sighed with contentment. "Poor Alan, but he did make things difficult for us by being too engrossed in his own personal battle with the Everards and the League."

Vega turned to her aunt. "He had too many debris behind his tracks, Aunt Amelia. I have told you the same thing, have I not?"

"Yes, you did, dear," Amelia said, voice etched with irritation. She gracefully turned her head to Durley. "What do you suppose is the best thing to do now, Marcus, dear?"

Marcus waved his hand. "You can do whatever you wish, my lady. With Osegod gone, the seat of the Head of the Town Leaders is currently unoccupied. Many aspire to take it and I recommend that you do not waste time."

Amelia nodded. "Fret not. Noah is a current favorite. We simply ought to make certain that big brother does not make a single mistake." She lifted a brow and asked, "And of the League?"

Durley smiled. "I do not know what the League knows for they do not tell me everything." He looked around the study again. "They do suspect you all, of course. And they expect me to provide them with results of everything you are planning to do."

"We ought to infiltrate the League further than they think they have done so with us," Amelia said, her voice now serious, her face determined. "One of the Everards is a Leaguer."

"It would be a challenge to get into the Everards, Amelia," Durley said. "I was never friends with them to begin with because of Osegod. And my former mistress, of course."

Amelia shook her head. "I am not suggesting you, Marcus, dear."

"I can be close to one of the brothers," Vega spoke from her chair, one corner of her lips lifting into a smile.

Durley shook his head with a scoff. "The married ones will be very difficult to seduce, my lady. And if you wish to be killed by a bandit, then be my guest," Durley told her. "The last of them brothers has just been claimed by one."

Vega sighed dramatically. "Then one of us in this room ought to take advantage of his so-called friends."

The three of them turned their heads to look at one man.

"Wynne, dear," Amelia said, addressing her nephew who had been sitting quietly in one corner the entire time. "I believe it is about time you take an assignment of your own."

Wynne sighed, his serious eyes assessing everyone. And then he groaned, his face contorting in discomfort. "I am fine with my current role, Aunt Amelia. Playing a naïve, timid fool is more of my expertise. It is hard enough as it is, if you must know for it does require perfection."

"You have done naught but go about Wickhurst with your horrid clothing, Peter. It is time you stop playing games and join the more serious matters."

The gaze Wynne threw Vega was cold and she saw it before it disappeared, replaced by his usual easy and fun façade. "Call me Wynne, cousin," he said, tone etched with warning, reminding Vega who she was dealing with. "And I am not playing games. I do my job pretty well, covering your arses in the Herald." He stretched his arms and smiled at Durley. "Which reminds me, Marcus, I deserve a rather large pay. I did an amazing article yesterday regarding the Cinderella Ball." His lips curved into a wicked smile. "Did I not? I am not the King of the Gossip Section for nothing. Although, of course, nobody would ever know that, which is a great shame. I deserve as much praise as my dear friend Samuel."

"Samuel Theobald, you say, is marrying into the Everards, yes?" Amelia asked, interrupting Wynne's useless blabber which everyone else in the room believed to be his way to escape whatever his aunt was planning, one he always did in the past.

"Yes. Got himself caught in bed with the chit. Poor bastard, really," said Wynne, shaking his head. "Ah, the gossipmongers would love it. I would love to paint in words how Samuel Theobald went to my doors bleeding and bruised after the Everard brothers had their way with him." Then his face fell and he dramatically dropped his shoulders. "Although I cannot write about it just yet. Poor Wynne Hastings, eh?"

"Why ever not?" asked Vega.

"Why ever yes?" Wynne countered.

Vega's jaw clenched, impatient with her cousin's teasing.

"Not too tight on the face, cousin. The monstrous look does become you, but I heard you will look older faster," Wynne further provoked, pointing at Vega.

"Why can you not write about the engagement of your friend and the Everard girl?" Vega gritted out.

"You lot are no fun. No one is fun around here, as a matter-of-fact." He assumed a bored look. "Secret long engagement," Wynne replied to Vega's question. He shifted in his seat. "Are we done? I wish to return to my boring estate. There are horrible, senseless gossips to write."

"No," Amelia said, her lips curving with excitement. "Leave your gossip-writing to rest for quite a bit, Wynne, dear. You have something else to keep you occupied."

Wynne sighed. "Not another family dinner, please."

Amelia shook her head. "Allow me to rephrase, my boy. You have someone else to keep you occupied."

Wynne frowned and waited for his aunt's next words, his playful demeanor gone.

Amelia looked at Durley, then Vega, and finally at Wynne. "What is the name of the youngest chit?"

Understanding dawned on Wynne and he smiled. "Emma."