The Price of Temptation

by Williams, Harmony

  Her pulse pounded with accusation. Thief-thief, thief-thief.

  This is nearly complete. She pressed her lips together. The cloying smell of smoke only added to her uneasiness. She examined another item, but she couldn’t concentrate.

  “Mrs. Darling, are you certain you’re well?”

  Lily mustered a wan smile. “I’m afraid I have a headache, my lord. Would you forgive me if I took my leave early?”

  “Of course,” he said, rising. The signal brought the other men in the room to their feet.

  Ears ringing, Lily accepted Adam’s help to stand. She kept her fingers in his, letting him make their excuses and lead her out, where a maid fetched her shawl. The humid night air, smelling of more rain to come, did little to dispel the mantra chipping away at her sanity. By the time Adam found them a hackney cab to take them home, the inner voice was too much to bear. She pressed her lips together, keeping her dinner where it was as the flicker of streetlamps passed in front of her eyes, making her dizzy. On her lap, her bag of tools felt as though it contained boulders.

  When they alighted in front of her townhouse, she numbly accepted his help to disembark. Clutching her case, she led the way into the house. The moment he stepped in after her, Adam shut the door and caught her by the hand. He tugged her away from the stairs.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To bed.” Her voice emerged as a croak.

  Adam stepped in front of her. He pried the case loose from her fingers and set it at her feet. Someone, likely Sophie, had left a rushlight burning on the table next to the door. It highlighted the concern in Adam’s eyes as he bracketed her shoulders with his palms.

  “You can’t retire yet. We aren’t finished. Chatterley expects us in less than two hours.”

  The bitter taste of bile rose in the back of Lily’s throat. If she handed over that stolen artifact…

  “I can’t. I can’t do it.” She pulled away. Tears flooded her eyes. She trembled like a leaf in the wind. More than ever, she craved Adam’s strong arms around her. Instead, forbidding, he stepped away, severing the connection between them with his crossed arms.

  “We’re on the cusp of giving him what he wants. You’ll be free.”

  Would she? Reid had promised that the documents recounting the debts would be turned over, the sum forgiven. But in order to take that weight off of her family’s shoulders, Lily had to cross a line she hadn’t heretofore considered. Reid had cornered her. Now, she seemingly had only one choice.

  It was the wrong choice. “I can’t hand the relic over to him. It’s wrong. It doesn’t belong to him, no matter what he thinks.”

  Adam watched her with dark eyes, his expression impassive. If anything, his composure shoved her over the precipice. Tears dripped down her cheeks, fueling her anger. Anger at herself, at Reid, at Adam.

  “Don’t you think stealing brings no good?”

  The words rang between them, washing off of him like rain on a stone. She swallowed hard, recalling the way they’d met. Recalling what he was, at heart. A confidence man. A thief.

  Quietly, she whispered, “You don’t agree, do you? You are a thief.”

  Adam dropped his arms. Every bit as quiet, he answered, “I’ve stolen. Stolen from many people.”

  She clenched her fists, frustration welling inside her. “Don’t you regret any of it?”

  He raised his eyes to hers, his gaze snapping. “Yes. I regret stealing from you.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  I regret stealing from you.

  He’d known, as he was signing over her dowry to Chatterley, that he would live to regret it. He’d felt as though he was signing over his soul. Not returning to that hotel room had been cowardice and agony rolled into one. He regretted every minute of it.

  Hell and damnation, he was finished hiding his feelings from her. Tears stung his eyes, mirroring the shine in hers as he met her gaze. He had never wanted to hurt her. He’d spent these past two months dreading that he would hurt her again.

  Her bottom lip quivered. He reached out, brushing his thumb along it. “I know I’ve done some horrible things in my life, Lily. Stealing doesn’t begin to describe the atrocities I committed in the name of patriotism. But the thing I regret the most is giving your dowry to that manipulative poltroon.”

  Tears welled in her eyes and for the first time, she didn’t try to shield them. She leaned into his hand, swayed toward him. He ought to push her away, to make a clean break to preserve both of them, but he couldn’t. Not when this might be the last conversation he ever had with her. He didn’t want her to remember him as the blackguard who toyed with her heart and tossed her aside.

  “I still love you with every inch of my heart. I never stopped.”

  Her tears wet his thumb as she sobbed, burrowing her face deeper into his touch. “I love you, too, Adam.”

  For a second, he forgot to breathe. “You do?” His voice was rough, raw. It took every ounce of control in his body not to pull her against him and never let her go.

  “Of course I do, you fool. I fell in love with you for a reason.”

  “I’m not certain I’m the same man now as I was then.” He wiped away her tears but lingered, reluctant to part from her.

  “Perhaps not. I’m not the same woman. But the good things I loved about you then still exist in you now. You’re a better man than most people know.”

  He shifted, uncomfortable. When he dropped his hand, she reached for him, but he stepped back.

  “This is only hurting us both. Chatterley still has me in a noose. I can’t stay here with you. And you won’t leave with me.”

  It was a statement, not a question, though part of him still hoped…

  She shook her head, her hair curling around her cheek. “My family relies on me for our income. I can’t abandon them.”

  He nodded. “If you weren’t such a loyal woman, I probably wouldn’t love you half as much.”

  So what now?

  The question hung in the air between them, unspoken. He braced himself for her to ask, prepared the answer he must give. Their only choice was to give Chatterley the artifact despite her misgivings. At least that way, he would no longer be able to blackmail her.

  “There must be a way to circumvent the evidence Reid has against you.”

  He hadn’t expected her to say that. He looked at her sharply. “Lily, it would endanger you. If he…”

  She shook her head, stepping closer. When she backed him against the wall, her hand pressed against his chest, she asked, “What proof does Reid have that you—that Adam Darling deserted the navy? You mentioned documents.”

  Unable to resist, he laid his hand over hers on his chest. “Chatterley claims to have papers proving my continued existence and desertion. He’s threatened to send them to my former captain should I disobey him.”

  The expression in her eyes turned hard and glinting. “If his only proof is a few papers, let’s find them and burn them.”

  His breath caught in his throat. “After all you know of my past, you still want to save me from that fate? I am guilty of desertion.”

  “Of course I want to save you. I want you here with me, where you belong. I don’t care what your name is. Or your past. I love you. I will do whatever we must to keep you with me. Your family is here now. With me.”

  Adam was lost. He felt as though he’d been waiting his entire life to hear those words. And he didn’t want to squander another second.

  He pulled her against him, kissing her with a fervency he hadn’t known he possessed. His hands roamed over her body, fitting her to him in the most carnal and elemental way possible. She was his wife. He loved her—and she loved him, despite his bruised and bloody past.

  He pulled away, gasping. “I’d love to burn Chatterley’s house to the ground, but we can’t. He’s expecting you to deliver
that artifact at midnight. We haven’t got any time to prepare.”

  A soft-spoken voice from the corridor professed, “Then it sounds as though you’ll need a distraction.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  At the sound of her sister’s voice, Lily gasped. She turned, meeting Sophie’s stare. The rushlight fluttered over her older sister’s determined expression.

  “How long have you been there?”

  “Long enough.” Her shoulders set in her impeccable restraint, Sophie glided forward until she stood nearer. “I don’t think I have the full story, however. Lily? What haven’t you been telling me?”

  Lily looked down to her fingers twined with Adam’s. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

  “I think it’s time you do. Let me fetch Willa and we’ll have this out.”

  Lily’s heart jumped into her throat. She reached out to catch Sophie’s arm as she turned away, but Adam stopped her. He squeezed her hand. “Let her. They are strong women in their own right. Don’t you think they deserve to know what you’ve done for them?”

  No. However guilty she felt at keeping secrets, all of her actions had been to ensure they had a happy future. She could not regret any of it—and if Willa’s censure was any indication, her sisters would try to get her to repent. If they didn’t simply storm out of the room.

  Adam cupped her face. He kissed her sweetly, as if he couldn’t help himself. “You have the family I’ve always wanted. They want to do as much for you as you do for them. Please, lean on them for once in your life.”

  Lily swallowed hard. She was accustomed to doing everything herself. To relying on no one but herself. She’d been doing this for so long—protecting her sisters—that she didn’t know how to stop.

  As if reading her thoughts from her expression, he raised his eyebrows. “Let’s tell them what’s happening. At least that.”

  She swallowed hard, her fingers tightening on his, and nodded.

  Ten minutes later, everyone except Mama gathered in the sitting room. By unspoken agreement, they’d left their mother in peace. Perhaps she had once had the backbone to handle the news, but that strength of character seemed to have died with Papa. Otherwise, wouldn’t she have taken up the mantle for this family, rather than Lily? Lily loved her mother no less for her mourning, but there had been times—so many times—when she’d begged to have the woman who had raised her.

  But her sisters were here now. Did they still support her, after all she’d explained?

  Adam stood with his hands bracketing her shoulders, lending his support and his strength. He didn’t speak, leaving the explanation to her. Willa glared at them, her arms crossed over her slim chest and her lips pressed together hard to restrain from further interruptions. But Sophie… Lily was afraid to look at her, afraid to have lost her good opinion as well.

  Willa shattered the silence first. “Did you do it? Did you steal the item?”

  Her chin wobbling, Lily nodded. “Tonight. In a little more than an hour, I must meet with Reid at my shop to turn it over. He’ll forgive the debt if I do. And Adam will have to leave again.”

  Silence reigned in the sitting room. It smothered Lily. She swallowed hard, trying to call moisture into her mouth.

  Willa reiterated, “There must be another way. Put it back and we’ll take our chances.”

  Sophie snapped, “Don’t be naive.”

  Her mouth dropping open, Lily stared at her older sister. Sophie was everything that was virtuous and kind. She would never condone stealing. But there was no censure in her eyes, only a grim understanding.

  Sophie added, “There may be no other way to repay the debt on the house, but perhaps I could convince him to reconsider. If there exists a shred of the man we used to know…”

  Lily exchanged a glance with Adam. He pressed a kiss to her temple, bringing warmth back into her skin.

  There wasn’t. Lily had seen that, hadn’t she?

  But what if Willa was right and there was another way?

  Sophie shook her head. “He left you for four years without a word. He orchestrated for your husband to leave you with nothing. There is one villain in this, and it is Reid Chatterley. So what are we going to do to rectify it?”

  Tentatively, Adam said, “I think I know where he’s keeping the papers he is holding against me. It won’t solve everything, but if we burned them…”

  Sophie stood, briskly brushing down her dress. “But you need someone to meet him at the shop and keep him busy while you’re away.”

  Lily nodded. “That’s precisely what we need. As for the stolen artifact… At the very least, I can buy us a few more days to think. As long as he doesn’t ruin us in the meantime.”

  Sophie took Willa’s hand and held it tight. They stood in front of Lily, a unified force. “Then leave this to us. We will keep Mr. Chatterley busy.”

  Her upper lip curling, Willa said, “If he thinks he can take advantage of the Bancroft sisters, he is about to discover he is mistaken.”

  …

  Lily held her breath, leaning close. Adam was viscerally aware of her, and not only because she perched next to him in the shadows of a townhouse. They were about to take a dangerous risk.

  And they had only a short window of time before Chatterley returned. Had he brought his valet with him to Lily’s shop? If he hadn’t, their risks grew exponentially. If Lily was caught trespassing with him…

  She volunteered for this. No, she’d insisted upon it. As much as the situation chafed, he had to trust her, especially after he had urged her to accept her sisters’ help. They were partners, for better or worse.

  Adam hoped that after this, they would begin to see the better.

  “I don’t see any movement. Let’s enter through the back.”

  Lily nodded. She followed in his footsteps, keeping watch when he bent over the keyhole. He made short work of the lock and motioned Lily inside first. As he shut the door behind him, extinguishing the light, he caught her hand and threaded their fingers together.

  “I found a loose floorboard in his bedchamber.”

  Her hand tightened on his. “Lead the way.”

  She sounded confident. His chest warmed and tightened in turns as he towed her along the house, searching for signs of movement before entering each junction. Each empty corridor and landing bolstered his courage. He found the room by memory alone, but once inside they had no choice but to light a candle in order to find the papers. He shut the door and tugged a coverlet from the foot of the bed to dampen the crack, so the light didn’t shine through.

  As he straightened, Lily turned to face him, the candle cupped between her hands. “Where?”

  “Over here.” She followed him as he retraced his steps to the loose floorboard. His memory was vague and he took a few precious minutes to feel around on the floor before prying up the loose board. When he pulled up the box from within, she sucked in a breath. Her wide eyes glittered with the reflected light of the candle.

  “Hold it steady.” He opened the box, finding a sheaf of papers within. He thumbed through them. The first few pertained to Lily’s debts. He had half a mind to burn those as well. Don’t. They might be the only proof the debts had been forgiven and were not languishing to other creditors. He set those pages carefully aside and continued to shuffle through the sheaf. At last, he lifted several pages. His brother’s enlistment in the navy, as confirmed by his former captain in a crew roster. A certificate detailing his brother’s death. Correspondence with his former captain, though he didn’t stop to read it thoroughly. And a copy of the record of his and Lily’s marriage, composed of parish records. With these documents, it wouldn’t take much of a leap to find Adam guilty.

  One by one, he held the pages to the flame, beginning with the record of marriage—the proof that Adam Darling was still alive. It hurt viscerally to watch it burn, but he still had the m
arriage certificate he’d been given the day of his wedding. He dropped the first document only when the fire licked at his fingers and all that was left was a tattered corner. He stamped out the fire before it burned the house and held up the next.

  “That’s them, then?”

  He nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The roster went up in flames, then the correspondence with his former captain. Finally, the record of his brother’s death. His eyes filmed over with tears. He blinked hard, his throat thick, as he consigned the document to the flame. Goodbye, brother. He exhaled, ragged, his eyes focusing on the document a moment before the fire consumed it. He dropped the page, but it was already too late. Nothing was left to confirm.

  Had it been a trick of his eyes, or had the clerical work in the certificate been sloppy? And the seal…

  “Is that everything?”

  “Yes.” His voice emerged as a croak. His stomach was tight, the relief he should have felt absent. With jerky movements, he replaced the box in its hole, covered it, and swept away the lingering ash. Whatever he’d thought he had seen, it must have been his imagination. His grief over his brother had blurred the page.

  “Is that it?”

  Adam nodded. His throat still thick, he didn’t trust himself to speak. He ran his fingers over the floorboard, making certain it was seamless. Chatterley might eventually learn of what he’d done, and he would undoubtedly suspect who had done it, but that knowledge would not help him. Adam was…free.

  A door opened and shut below. Lily gasped. The candle flame flickered as her hand trembled.

  “Snuff the candle. We must get home at once.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Despite escaping without detection, Adam felt his heart thunder as the door to Lily’s townhouse swung shut behind them. Safety. He didn’t feel safe. Agitation made his palms sweat. He jumped at every sound.

  Including the sharp patter of Lily’s steps as she dashed inside. Triumph infused her, making her eyes sparkle and her expression radiant. “We did it,” Lily exclaimed as she burst into the sitting room. She embraced each of her sisters in turn, holding them tight enough for Willa to squeak in protest.