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Her George.

Splayed atop him in the most scandalous fashion imaginable was Lady Victoria, her skirts rucked up to her knees, exposing her stockings and garters. The lady's arms were wound around his neck, and her mouth was pressed passionately to his.

Cordelia stared.

The sight was so wholly at odds with everything she knew, everything she believed, that her mind seemed incapable of accepting it. Only last night, George had held her in his arms and spoken of their engagement. He had kissed her with such tenderness that she had believed herself the most cherished woman in England. He had promised her a future together, and she had trusted him with every secret longing of her heart.

And now…

A terrible tightness seized her chest, making it almost impossible to draw a breath.

Beside her, Katherine gave a soft, distressed gasp.

“Oh, Cori, I am so sorry. They were not in this state when I first saw them. They were merely kissing, and I never imagined they would be so scandalous.” Her voice trembled with emotion. “I know this hurts, but I had to show you, especially after Mama told me earlier that an engagement announcement was imminent.”

Cordelia scarcely heard her.

Her attention remained fixed upon the couple before the fire.

She wanted to believe there was some mistake, that she had somehow misunderstood what was happening. Yet there was Lady Victoria, her clothing in disarray, her body sprawled intimately over the man Cordelia loved.

The man who had only hours ago held her against his heart.

How could he do this?

How could he?

Pain tore through her with such startling violence that she instinctively pressed a hand against her chest.

She had trusted him.

Dear God, she had trusted him with her entire heart. And what a foolish, foolish creature she had been. A small, broken sound escaped her throat. Lady Victoria jerked upright and glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw Cordelia standing in the doorway, and she gave a startled gasp before hurriedly sitting up and dragging her skirts down over her exposed stockings.

Cordelia barely registered the woman's embarrassment.

Her gaze had found George.

He was looking directly at her.

And the expression upon his face…

Oh, how she wished she had not seen it.

There was no tenderness in his eyes, none of the warmth that had made her feel so wonderfully loved. Instead, he regarded her with a distant, almost uncaring expression that struck her with the force of a physical blow.

She had seen that look before.

It was the very same expression he had worn when she discovered him with the countess in his arms. The memory returned with dreadful clarity, and Cordelia felt something inside her begin to crumble.

Had she learned nothing?

Had all his tenderness, his passionate declarations, and his promises merely been another cruel deception?

Tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them.

Her entire body began to shake.

Katherine closed her eyes tightly. “Oh, Cori, I am so sorry.”