“No. She is not out.” Edward continued toward his brother, who had now moved behind the settee, putting the furniture between them as though it could possibly stop Edward from delivering the thrashing William deserved.
“She is not out, because there are at least three reliable eyewitnesses who saw her and an unknown gentleman attempt to break into Westminster Palace last night.”
The blood drained from William’s face. Edward took bitter satisfaction from his brother’s distress. In all their years of arguing over his scrapes, Will had never looked so apprehensive. Behind him, Charlotte gasped.
“Do you want to tell me, brother, what the hell you and Fiona were doing?” The two of them circled around the settee, William doing his best to keep distance between them.
“It was a terrible decision,” William said.
“Whose decision?”
“The break-ins in general or Westminster Palace?”
Edward stilled, almost stumbling over his brother’s words. “Break-ins? Multiple?”
William swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Her father had stolen her idea and was passing it off as his own. She was on her way to steal it back when I ran into her, so I tagged along.”
Edward’s ears rang, but not loud enough to drown out his thoughts. Fucking Alastair McTavish.
But Fi…She hadn’t trusted him and then she’d outright lied to him. She’d chosen to put herself in danger rather than ask for his help. That blasted stubborn woman.
“You should have stopped her.”
William cocked his head. “Have youmether? Fiona is as bullheaded as you are.”
“Did you try?”
William stared at the back of the settee between them. “No,” he muttered.
“And Westminster Palace?”
William looked up, meeting Edward’s furious stare. Fear, regret, anguish—his expression held all three. “It was my idea.”
Edward’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. Rage engulfed him. He leapt over the settee, colliding with his brother, the two of them tumbling to the floor with a hard thump. William grunted as Edward landed on top of him.
“No,” Charlotte yelled. “Stop it.”
But Edward couldn’t stop. He straddled Will and thumped his brother in the jaw. It had been one blunder after another since William had been in leading strings, and Edward had allowed it to happen, always hoping that each act of rebellion was the last.
Clearly, his brother was not going to learn, and this was the absolute last straw. For Will to put the woman Edward loved in danger—actual, life-ending danger—was unforgivable.
“Enough!” Charlotte grabbed Edward around the shoulders and tried to pull him back. She might as well have been a butterfly trying to move a boulder. After a brief attempt, she released him.
William didn’t fight back. He had his arms up to protect his head, but he made no move to return the blows Edward continued to rain down.
Bigger, stronger arms captured him. Charlotte had called for two footmen to intervene. They grabbed hold of Edward and dragged him backward a few feet, putting William just out of reach.
Chest heaving, Edward sat on the floor, leaning against an armchair. The knuckles on his hand stung and he felt strangely hollow.
William sat up, gingerly pressing fingers against his cheekbone and the swelling that had already begun there. There were tears in his eyes as he looked at Edward. “I’m sorry. It was a stupid lark.”
His apology didn’t matter. They were beyond sorries. “Stupid doesn’t even begin to describe your actions.”
Charlotte went to William, using the hem of her skirt to blot away the blood from a cut to his brow. William flinched under her touch but didn’t shift his gaze from Edward. “I didn’t think anything truly bad would come from it.”
“No. You didn’tthink. You should have protected her. Whatever your feelings for me, you should have been a gentleman and protected her. Even from herself.”
“I’m sorry.” William’s voice cracked. The look Charlotte threw in Edward’s direction was furious.
