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Finally, he met Elise’s expectant gaze, seeing in it both the child he had sworn to protect and the young woman who deserved honesty. Trust.

“The truth is,” he began, voice steady despite the thundering of his heart, “Honoria isn’t just confronting someone who hurt her. She’s revealing her true identity, and by doing so, exposing herself to one of the biggest scandals society has seen in years. And if we are anywhere in her vicinity, we will be ruined as well.”

Elise arched an eyebrow. “And what is her true identity?”

* * *

Honoria stood at the top of the stairs at the Duke of Tyrone’s ball.

She and Jacob had planned this moment in advance, before she left his house. He had enlisted the help of his friend—the Mad Duke—who was not afraid of scandal, to assist with her grand reveal.

A few allies would be present tonight, those who supported Jacob and, by extension, would stand by Honoria’s side against the disapproving stares of hundreds.

But Jacob himself would not be there. He had offered as much financial support as he could, but he couldn’t be physically by her side to shield her from the whispers.

She understood why. It had been her decision—her insistence. But at this moment, standing alone above the crowded ballroom, she wished more than anything that he was beside her.

She moved slowly toward the stairs, her eyes scanning the ballroom.

That’s when she saw the Earl of Bradshaw standing in the center of the room.

Alone.

As per Honoria’s instructions, his wife was supposed to be staying home tonight, citing a headache, waiting for Lydia to collect her and spirit her away to safety.

“Lady Aurelia Boyle, the Countess of Bradshaw,” the majordomo announced.

All heads turned toward the top of the staircase where Honoria stood.

She stepped forward, braving the weight of a hundred crushing stares.

But she didn’t flinch.

This time, he would.

Chapter 26

“I can’t believe you!” Elise sprang from her seat, her hands fisted at her sides.

Jacob had just finished explaining Honoria’s past—her troubled marriage to Bradshaw, her dramatic escape, how she came to live with them in Caldwell Manor, how she wanted to stay with them forever but would have been forced to live in hiding.

He tried to explain her decision to confront her husband, to free herself of him, and how that would take years—and those years would be filled with scandal.

Jacob grimaced. Perhaps he hadn’t explained it well. “I know it’s a convoluted story, but—”

“No, not that,” Elise cut in, slicing the air with her hand. “I can’t believe you’re standing here telling me this—our trunks packed in front of the house—while Honoria is about to face the man who nearly killed her, and the wrath of the entire ton, alone!”

Ah. That. He didn’t feel right about it either. He wanted to be with her. He wanted to hold her hand and face the world beside her. And if he were selfish, he would’ve done just that.

But Honoria hadn’t let him. Because this one selfish decision could jeopardize his children’s futures.

“I can’t be by her side, no matter how hard I wish to be. You should understand.”

“I should understand what?” Elise paced furiously, yanking at her skirt each time it snagged on the tea table. “That my guardian—the man I admire—is running instead of standing beside the woman he loves?”

Jacob’s head snapped up. How did she know that? She’d said it casually, as if it were an accepted fact.

Elise stopped a pace away from the table, arms crossed. “Are you really that much of a coward?”