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If only all wounds could be healed so easily. Harriet found herself regretting how she had run off from Sebastian in the park. He had a right to his anger, and perhaps she should have stayed and explained herself. Instead, all her secrets had been a knife stuck in his thigh.

* * *

Sophia grimaced, shaking her head as she looked to her husband. “And then there is Belinda Cooper,” she reminded him.

Sebastian, who had been pressing the bridge of his nose between his fingers, stilled at the name.

Cooper.

A chill ran through him as memory stirred.

He had heard that name before. Recently.

His mind returned to the afternoon Bertram Hargreaves had been waiting for them at Harriet’s house, standing in her painted room with his hands clasped behind his back, his face carved into a mask of barely restrained fury. There had been a cryptic exchange, Harriet had been composed but dismissive, but Hargreaves had been looking for someone.

Cooper.

Then another memory surfaced. The remark about naughty novels that must not be found by a Miss Bélise Coupier, and his mind made the connection. Sebastian lifted his head slowly, his keen eyes locking onto Richard’s.

“You mean to tell me,” he said, “that when Hargreaves came sniffing around Harriet’s house, looking for Cooper, he was unknowingly looking for her lady’s maid?”

Richard hesitated before giving a firm nod.

Sebastian absorbed this revelation, tension thrumming through his veins.

“Explain.”

Richard sighed and leaned forward, rubbing his palms together before speaking.

“I was able to locate an address for Belinda after some effort. Some rooms Lowe kept for her near St. James’s Market,” he admitted. “As soon as Harriet had it, she was determined to visit her.”

Sebastian arched a brow. “Personally?”

Richard gave him a look. “Of course personally.”

Sophia smiled faintly, shaking her head. “Once she sets her mind on something, there is no talking her down.”

Sebastian resisted the urge to curse. That must have been the night he had followed her after visiting the museum, when he had thought perhaps she was meeting with another man. “What exactly did Hargreaves do to this woman?”

Richard’s jaw tightened. “Belinda Cooper was a lady’s maid who was acting as a chaperone for two girls when she met him. He seduced her, promised her security. For years, she was his faithful mistress. By all accounts, she genuinely loved the man.”

Sebastian snorted, crossing his arms. “A rake like Hargreaves? I doubt he returned the sentiment.”

Richard nodded grimly. “Indeed. When she aged beyond his interest, he discarded her without a second thought. But it was not just that.” His voice hardened. “He took back everything. The townhouse he had installed her in, the gifts, the furnishings, all of it. Even reneged on the small settlement he had once promised her. One day, she had been living comfortably, and the next, she was destitute.”

Sebastian exhaled sharply, anger prickling over his skin. He had never had much regard for Bertram Hargreaves, but this …

“What did she do?”

Richard’s mouth pressed into a grim line. “With nowhere to go and no means of support, at her age, and given her reputation, there were not many options open to her. She was with Lord Lowe and one step away from ending up in a bawdy house.”

Sebastian’s stomach turned.

“And Harriet?”

Richard leaned back, running a hand through his hair. “Harriet was outraged. She refused to let it stand. She searched for Belinda relentlessly for weeks, even going so far as to brave her father’s house to demand answers. When I gave her the address, she promptly called on her and offered her an escape. And Belinda chose dignity over despair.”

Sophia’s voice was softer as she added, “That wretch, Lowe, had already laid hands on her, so when Harriet offered her a position as a lady’s maid, she took it.”