She held his gaze one second longer, then inclined her head and moved toward the stairs.
Edward did not move until she had disappeared from sight.
Only then did he turn toward the study.
He crossed to the window and stared out into the darkness beyond Ashford’s grounds.
What did William gain from this?
A ruined reputation. A forced marriage. Leverage.
Or something older—some grievance Edward had yet to uncover.
Even if he proved William’s guilt, the gossip had already taken root. By morning, the story would be embroidered beyond recognition.
Edward pressed his palm against the cold glass.
He did not yet know how he would restore Charlotte’s standing. He did not yet know how he would dismantle William without igniting further scandal.
He knew only this with absolute certainty:
William had declared war.
And Edward would not allow him to win.
Chapter 29
The letter arrived just after breakfast.
Charlotte recognized Beatrice’s handwriting immediately—neat, slightly slanted, always composed. For the briefest moment, relief warmed her chest. Something familiar. Something steady. A tether to the world she had known before Ashford, before scandal, before hope had begun to feel dangerous.
That fragile comfort dissolved the instant she broke the seal.
She remained standing as she read. At first, the words refused to settle, blurring as though the ink itself rejected what it carried. Then they sharpened with cruel precision.
They are saying you pursued him.
That you cornered Lord William in the gardens.
That you placed yourself deliberately where you would be seen.
That you have long intended to secure yourself through marriage and were merely deciding whether a baron or a duke would better suit your ambitions.
That you are clever.
That you are dangerous.
That you are desperate.
The paper trembled in her hands.
Beatrice’s tone had been gentle, apologetic even, but no careful phrasing could soften the substance.
The story had spread quickly. Lady Amelia’s gathering had supplied the spectacle; the ton had supplied the embroidery. By morning, Charlotte had been transformed from victim into strategist.
Some insisted she had orchestrated the encounter to force William into offering marriage. Others claimed she had been playing a longer game, cultivating Edward’s trust while keeping William as a secondary option, waiting to see which man would prove more vulnerable to scandal.
A calculating governess. A fortune-hunter. A schemer.
