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Caroline chuckled wryly. “Exactly. Pembroke is very aware of his surroundings. I am not sure if anyone would be able to steal anything from him. They’d have to be the best thief in the world.”

Victoria frowned in thought and then both women exchanged a knowing look. “Good thing I am married to him.”

* * *

Giddy for two distinctly different reasons, Victoria went in search of William. The first reason was that she could help her friend!

And the second reason, well, she finally had a reason to talk to her husband. She had a plan for what she would say, and he couldn’t just ignore her, or at least, she hoped so.

Victoria found him talking to Lord Norfolk and caught him by the sleeve before he could leave. “May I speak with you for a moment?”

William looked around as if looking for avenues of escape. Then he bowed politely toward Norfolk and turned to Victoria. “Very well. What would you like to speak to me about?” His demeanor was just as cold as usual, and though it would have deterred her before, now she had a mission to accomplish so she persisted.

“I am actually here to ask for a favor. Not for me,” she hastened to add. “It’s for Caroline.” She grimaced. “I know you dislike her. And I know you don’t owe me or Caroline any favors—”

He interrupted her with a scoff. “I will do anything for you, you know that.” Her cheeks flooded with heat, and her heart melted. Had he truly just said that? It meant not all was lost.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked gruffly, a scowl on his face.

“We should talk privately,” Victoria murmured and raised her brows.

He nodded, took her by the hand, and led her out of the ballroom.

Victoria held onto him tightly, not willing to let go. It felt so good to be by his side again. And the ice around him seemed to shift, replaced by worry.

He still cared about her. And that gave her hope.

They hid in a small parlor two doors away from the ballroom, and William leaned against the door, his arms crossed over his chest, listening to Victoria describe the predicament.

Victoria briefly explained about the journal, the safe, and the key that rested over Pembroke’s heart.

When she was done, William frowned. “I am not certain that’s what’s best for Caroline.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “She was right,” she whispered. “You do know the truth.”

William nodded. “And finding it out is not going to put her mind at ease.”

Victoria frowned. “What is the truth? And how do you know?”

William sucked in a breath, then crossed his arms over his chest. “I am going to tell you something, but you have to promise me not to react, no matter what I tell you.”

“Not react? What do you mean?”

He grimaced. “At least not until I finish the entire story. It’s something I do not like talking about.”

Victoria nodded. “I will try my best.”

He looked away, his jaw clenched. “I told you how I started stealing when I was little. But after my mother died, I ended up on the streets, alone, hungry, with nowhere to go. Well, somehow, I ended up in a brothel.”

Victoria’s eyes widened. “D-doing—”

William raised a hand in a staying motion. “I asked you not to react.”

Victoria clamped her lips shut, while on the inside, she was screaming.

“I don’t know how I ended up there. For the longest time, I thought my father was the one who brought me there, and it could be true. But I don’t remember. It wasn’t pleasant there, as you probably surmised. But I was wily for a little boy. I escaped at least four or five times. Every time, they would find me and bring me back.”

Bile rose to her throat, and Victoria wanted him to stop. But she’d asked for it. And he’d asked her not to react, so she wouldn’t. Even if it killed her.