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“Oh, no!” Victoria grimaced. “Please, call me Victoria. After all, we are family.”

Melissa clasped her hands and grinned, obviously glad, but also feeling uncomfortable. Victoria would have lied if she’d said she didn’t feel the same way.

The entire situation was just odd.

“Melissa was just telling the story of how she met William,” Caroline supplied, breaking the charged silence that followed.

“Oh, I would love to hear that,” Victoria said with a genuine smile now, shifting in her seat, and leaning closer to Melissa.

“It happened over seven years ago. I was working at Hades’ Hell,” Melissa said with a slight grimace, “when I found out I was with child. Hades was a very considerate employer, despite his name. He vowed to help me and find me a place to live. He was so kind, and I was emotional, so I told him my entire life story. And when he learned who my father was, he immediately contacted William. Apparently, William had been on a mission to find his siblings for some time. And he had just returned from France. So, I hadn’t heard about him before. Of course, now he is infamous.

“I won’t bore you with all the details. But when I met William, he was nothing like I imagined. He was very guarded but also very kind. He said his life was dangerous, so he didn’t want to keep me close. But he introduced me to this woman, Maggie, who took me in and helped me during my difficult time.”

“Maggie?” Victoria repeated. There were probably hundreds of Maggies in London, but Victoria felt the need to be certain.

“Ah, yes,” Melissa continued in her positive tone. “After that, she continued hosting other women in her house. William had helped her renovate her home just for this purpose. And then Hades and other acquaintances of William’s joined in to help, and, I believe, she now owns a shelter for women dealing with situations similar to mine.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “The women’s shelter in St. Giles?” It was the same Maggie! Oh, William. Why hadn’t he told her any of this?

“That’s correct,” Melissa exclaimed excitedly. “You’ve heard about that place?”

Victoria smiled politely. “Yes, I have.”

“In any case,” Melissa continued. “I was so grateful to William that I let him name my beautiful child. Neville, isn’t it a wonderful name? We haven’t met very often since, but after my house burned down… Well, we reconnected. Leaving me to rely on his generosity once more.”

“Melissa,” Caroline chimed in solemnly. “I don’t know what William has told you about Wolverstone, but he is a very sick man. He won’t hurt you anymore. And had I known about your situation, I would have helped, not harmed, as William seems to think. He does not trust me, understandably so, and the feeling is mutual. But you’re my sister-in-law. And I am quite certain my husband will be glad to get to know you.”

“But doesn’t your husband hate William?” Melissa frowned.

Caroline grimaced. “They have a… complicated relationship. But they’re brothers. He would love a sister. Especially one who hasn’t blackmailed anyone.”

All three women erupted in chuckles, and Neville sidled closer to his mother. “What is blackmail?”

Just at that moment, William entered the house and took in the picture before him. “I see you’re teaching Neville new vocabulary,” he said stonily. “Everything seems in order. We should leave.”

“Oh, but we just started—” Melissa said but was swiftly interrupted by William’s dark tone.

“We should be off now.”

Chapter 26

Silence accompanied their ride home. Silence followed them into their bedchamber and swallowed them whole as they shed their clothing and prepared for bed.

Silence continued to haunt them as Victoria sat by the hearth, brushing out her hair, a thoughtful expression on her face.

But in William’s heart, mind, and soul, there was pure chaos.

He couldn’t sleep in the same bed with her, he wouldn’t be able to relax. Not that sleep was in the cards for him. His thoughts tripped and tumbled over each other. But the one thought that kept screaming louder and flashing bigger than any other was that she didn’t trust him.

Of course, one might say that it was expected when one married a thief, a liar, and a criminal, but what hurt most was that she didn’t trust his love for her. Hadn’t he demonstrated to her time and time again that no matter what he did, he would never hurt her?

He would give her the world if she just asked. He would steal her the moon if that was her wish. He would employ all his talents, connections, and power only to make her happy.

And maybe, in the beginning, he wouldn’t have been hurt by her mistrust. But after weeks of living under the same roof, after all they’d shared, after their passionate nights, and just this morning! He’d expected her to have a little faith in him.

William collected a sheet from the bed, a quilted blanket from the chair, and moved toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Victoria asked. Her voice, after such a long silence, was like a balm, but also a jolt to the heart.