Lord Edmund Wadsworth was a sight a thousand times more frightening than the body lying at my feet. His expression held more warning than a knife placed against my jugular. “When I agreed to let you court my daughter, I’d no idea you’d think it a proper thing involving her in such… vile and masculine matters. I need someone reining her will in and protecting her, not feeding her dangerous curiosity.”

Shock punched at me from multiple angles. So many questions begged to be asked. How did he find me here? How did he know I’d left the house? But the most pressing one fell from my mouth first.

“What do you mean? Allowed him to court—” Before I finished my thought, I turned on Blackburn. Confusion giving way to pure anger. “You’re the one who’s been asking Father about a courtship, meeting in secret, plotting?”

Then another thought occurred to me, so obvious I almost laughed. “That’s why you want to help Uncle, not because you think he’s innocent, but because you’re devious!”

“Audrey Rose, please,” he started, holding his hand up. “I never meant—”

“Am I wrong?” I demanded.

Blackburn pressed his lips together, shooting a questioning look at my father. It was clear he wouldn’t respond without approval, which was never likely to happen now. I fisted my hands. There was nothing I despised more than finding out I’d missed clues all along. What other secrets were being kept from me?

My anger quickly faded when Father motioned for Blackburn’s silence.

He pointed his finger at me, bending it in a “come here straight away” motion. If he ever let me out of the house again, it would be a miracle sent directly from Heaven.

How dare Blackburn keep such secrets from me. I cast another furious glare at him before obediently moving to Father’s side.

Then, when I thought the surprises were over, my brother skulked over, purposely ignoring the body lying a few feet away from his polished shoes.

He didn’t meet my eyes as he made his way to Father’s other side. Clearly, he’d turned me in to this overprotective madman. Filthy traitor. Of course the police barricade wouldn’t apply to either of my family members. I wondered who they paid for their right to shun the laws or commands of the police.

“Now, then. Let’s be gone from this abysmal scene and get you home where you’ll be safe.” Taking my arm, Father offered me a look only slightly less frightening now that I was under his control. “We’ve much to discuss this evening, Audrey Rose. You cannot involve yourself with such dangers. I hate to do it, but this cannot go unpunished. Consequences come with a high cost, some more than others.”

TWENTY-ONE

THE WRETCHED TRUTH

WADSWORTH RESIDENCE,

BELGRAVE SQUARE

30 SEPTEMBER 1888

The carriage ride home was almost as terrible as bearing witness to one of the mutilated bodies at the double event.

I’d rather be on intestine cleanup duty than suffer through the choking silence sitting miserably with us. By the time we pulled up to our home, I was ready to burst out of my skin simply to escape the anger seeping through my pores.

I was furious with Blackburn for conspiring with my father and not having the decency to mention it, but I was seething over my brother most of all.

How dare he betray me by leading our father to where I was. He had to know how mad it’d make Father, thinking his only daughter was in direct danger.

The East End was rife not only with “improper people” but with disease, which spread quickly because of the deplorable living conditions. What’s more, it was foolish to drag Father to an area known for its opium dens.

Every male in my life felt it necessary to put chains on me, and I despised it. Except for Thomas, I realized. He taunted me into acting and thinking for myself. Before I could race up to my room, Father called out to me. “A word please, Audrey Rose.”

I closed my eyes briefly before turning around. I didn’t want to be scolded or hear about how fragile life was or how foolish it was to place oneself in reckless situations, but saw no way out of it. When Father had something to say, one listened, and that was that. I drifted away from the stairway and the freedom it provided, heading directly toward the den of lecturing.

Aunt Amelia and Liza were out shopping for fabrics to take back to the country with them. Their visit was nearly over, and they’d be leaving first thing in the morning. I was grateful they weren’t here to witness my scolding. Aunt Amelia would say the last couple of weeks had done nothing to save either my soul or reputation. She might even suggest a little country air was exactly what I needed.

Leaning against the wall in the corridor, Nathaniel still wouldn’t meet my glare, enraging me all the more. What a slithering wimp! Father motioned for me to step into the drawing room and have a seat.

With no other choice, I did.

I settled into a chair, as far away from him as possible, while waiting for my guilty verdict to be delivered and my punishment to be swiftly bestowed.

Father was taking his time, however. Calling for a tray of tea and biscuits, sorting through mail near the fireplace. If he was trying to ratchet up my anxiety, it was working. My heart thudded wildly against my ribs, begging to be set free with each new letter he tore into. The only sounds in the room came from the crackling fire and rustling of paper on paper. I sincerely doubted my sloshing blood could be heard, but it was a sinister symphony in my own ears nonetheless.

I watched the careful way he held the letter opener, the sharp blade piercing the envelopes, before he ripped the letters free with one savage swipe after another. Whenever I scared him, he turned into some foreign person. One who was both frightening and frightened at once.

Folding my hands together in my lap, I waited as patiently as I could for him to calm himself enough to speak with me. My dark skirts were an abyss I’d like to sink into. He sealed an envelope, then handed it off to a servant before finally crossing the room.

“I understand you’ve been sneaking out of the house for some time now. Studying forensic sciences with your uncle, is that right?”

Without asking, he poured a cup of tea, then offered it to me. I shook my head, too nervous to even dream of eating or drinking when he was so calm and composed. He paused, waiting for an excuse, but I couldn’t bring myself to respond. Once an animal’s fate had been decided, there was no undoing the crimson necklace they’d wear. It mattered not what I said in my defense, he knew it as plainly as I did.

He sat down, crossing one foot over his knee.

“What, pray tell, did you expect me to do upon finding out? Be pleased? Be… supportive of you potentially throwing your life away?” A flicker of rage showed in his chiseled features. He clenched his jaw, then exhaled slowly. “I cannot allow you to tarnish your reputation by indulging your eccentricities and the debauchery you’re involved with. Pleasant people who abide by polite society do not find themselves in your uncle’s laboratory. Were your mother still alive, it would kill her to see you involved in such… matters.”

I picked at the tiny buttons on the side of my gloves, fighting tears with all my might. I was angry with Father for his words, but most of all hated that he might be correct. Perhaps Mother would despise the work I did. From childhood, she was instructed to stay away from dreadful things owing to her weakened heart. My unbecoming work might very well have broken it had the fever not done so first. But what of her insistence that I could be both strong and beautiful? Surely Father had to be wrong.

Nathaniel moved from the doorway to stand inside the room. I hadn’t noticed him still lingering there but from the stricken expression on his face knew he’d heard every word. I wanted to muster up a decent scowl, but couldn’t find the strength.

My heart ached too much.

“From this point forward you shall live according to society’s rules,” Father continued, satisfied with my obeisance. “You’ll smile and be charming to every suitor I deem acceptable to court you. There’ll be no more talk of science or of your degenerate uncle.” He moved out of the chair and stood before me so swiftly, I couldn’t prevent myself from recoiling. “Should I discover your disobedience once more, you shall be turned out on the streets. I’ll not tolerate you sniffing around this disturbing case any longer. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

I drew my brows together. I could not comprehend what had just happened. Father had been mad before, angry enough to keep me indoors for weeks on end, but he’d never threatened to toss me into the streets.

It went against the very purpose he had for keeping me close all my life. Why bind me to our home, only to throw me from it?

I blinked tears back and kept my attention locked onto the swirling design on the rug, then slowly nodded. I didn’t trust my voice. I refused to sound weak on top of looking the part so well, and knew my voice would crack under the weight of emotion.

Father must have been pleased, because his shadow lifted from before me, then disappeared from the room altogether. I listened as his heavy footsteps faded down the hall. When his study door slammed shut, I allowed myself to exhale.

A single tear snaked down my cheek and I angrily swiped it away. I’d held it together for this long, I would not break in front of Nathaniel. I would not.

Instead of rushing to my side as I expected, Nathaniel stayed planted to his post near the door, craning his neck into the hall. It was hard to tell if he was looking to escape or convincing himself to stay.

“What did Father promise you for your betrayal?” His back stiffened, but he didn’t turn around. I stood, moving closer. “Must have been extraordinary. Something you couldn’t turn down. A new suit? An expensive horse?”

He shook his head, hands twitching at his sides. Any second and he’d grab the comfort of his comb. Stress never looked good on him. I stalked closer, my tone antagonizing. I wanted him to feel my hurt.

“A large estate, then?”

The silver comb flashed in the flickering firelight as my brother ran it through his hair. I went to walk by when he whispered, “Wait.”