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Porter stood and laughed. “You make a lot of threats for someone who is in chains.”

“It’s not my first time chained to a wall, Porter. And I wager it won’t be the last. Somehow, I always turn out on top.”

Without another word, Porter smirked and left the room, locking the door behind him.

If Porter thought that his chains were enough to hold William, he was sadly mistaken.

William had a pin attached to every pair of breeches he wore especially for situations like this. He pulled out the pin and diligently worked on uncuffing himself. It took him longer than usual because his hands were bound apart rather than together, but after about an hour of concentrated effort, he managed to undo all of his chains.

He looked out the window and shuddered. It was a three-story drop, and not a trellis in sight. He rummaged through the trunk and aside from whips and other… recreational aids, he found nothing.

Wiping his hands on his breeches, William tiptoed to the door and pressed his ear against it. No sounds came from the corridor on the other side.

He exited the room and slowly walked down the corridor. He looked down the stairs; a few footmen lined the base of the staircase, and a couple more stood by the main door. He wasn’t going to use the main entrance to escape; that would be too brazen of an act even for him. But he wanted to find out where Porter was.

At that moment, Porter’s voice came from another room, calling for his butler.

Satisfied with this knowledge, William returned to the corridor and looked for avenues of escape.

The layouts of most of the townhouses were extremely similar. So, he walked toward the room that was likely to be Porter’s bedchamber and entered.

He made his way to the window and opened it. The opening was of a decent size, and a trellis ran down the wall.

Perfect.

Before jumping out, another idea crept into William’s mind.

He walked toward Porter’s writing desk and scribbled a note.

I could have killed you. I didn’t. Remember that.

W

He placed it on the bed before escaping through the window.

“Sorry, Porter,” William murmured. “I have places to be.”

* * *

The door to the tower creaked open, and William appeared on the doorstep, dirty, disheveled, and bedraggled. His blond locks were tousled and matted, having lost all their shine, and streaks of dirt smudged his rugged features. The pungent aroma of horse and stale sweat preceded him, making Victoria’s nose twitch.

As soon as he locked the door and turned toward the room, Victoria flew off her chair and flung herself into his arms. She did not care about the grime or the smell… for the most part. She was only happy to see her husband back home, healthy and in one piece. William’s arms closed around her, his nose burrowing in her hair as he inhaled deeply.

As she relaxed in his arms, letting peace wash over her, another feeling fought to escape. Victoria pulled away and thumped his chest in frustration. “Where have you been?” she cried.

“Oof!” William grimaced and rubbed his chest as if she’d hurt him, and Victoria immediately, covered his hand with hers, trying to soothe his pain. “Well, dear, I was abducted by your lover, Porter.”

“What?” Victoria’s shock rapidly shifted from shock to anger and then to annoyance all in the span of a moment. “He is not my lover!”

“I know. I was being hyperbolic.”

“Why did he abduct you? What did he do? What did he want?” Anger reached for the surface again, and it was William’s turn to soothe her. He took her hand in his and squeezed.

“He thinks I am someone I’m not. And he actually thought he could hold me in his room of depravity.”

Victoria frowned. “A room of what?”

“It doesn’t matter.” William waved the issue away.