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Chapter One

London, October 1817

Lily awoke to a rough shake on her arht hovered before her face

She winced, and the light quickly receded With caution, she opened her eyes Blinking furiously, Lily strained to , the housekeeper

Good Lord She bolted upright in bed So dreadful had occurred The servants would never shake her awake unless it was a ency

She pressed a hand to her throat "What is it?"

Yellow laetic face "Downstairs,your pardon"

With a nod of assent, Lily rose froht-chilled slippers and accepted assistance in donning a violet silk wrap

Her sense of dread onlywas all too familiar

Nearly five months had passed since the last time she’d been summoned downstairs in the dark No one had needed to wake her then; she’d been unable to sleep for an insistent sense of foreboding Her fears were confir her doorstep--threein common save theirsociety her brother Leo had founded They were the reclusive Duke of Morland, scarred war hero Rhys St Maur, and Julian Bellamy--the London ton’s favorite hell-raiser and Leo’s closest friend

One look at their grave faces that night, and there’d been no need for words Lily had known instantly what they’d come to tell her

Leo was dead

At the age of eight-and-twenty, her twin brother was dead Leo Chatwick, the Marquess of Harcliffe Young, handsome, wealthy, universally admired--beaten to death in a Whitechapel alleyway, the victim of footpads

The last tiht, her existence had been torn in half

Lily’s knees buckled as she reached the foot of the staircase She clutched the banister for support, then drew a shaky breath as a foot thrust her la all her available bravery, Lily moved toward the door and peeked out

As there was no one on the doorstep, her vieent straight to the square The first gray insinuation of daylight hovered over the ely empty, but here and there she saw servants on their way to , she looked down There, on the paveer’s wheelbarrow The wooden cart was heaped with carrots, turnips, vegetable marrows … and the body of an unconscious man

She clutched the doorjamb Oh, no

It was Julian Bellanized the red cuff of his coat before she even saw his face She clapped a pal a cry of alar Leo: the knowledge that she could never endure such a devastating loss again He was her twin, her best friend fro close kin She would never love anyone so dearly as she’d loved him Once Leo had left this world … pain could not touch her now

Or so she’d thought

Staring down at Julian’s senseless form, it was hard to believe she’d ever felt this frantic She sensed her throat e sounds, she feared But she couldn’t make herself stop Even when Leo had died, Julian had been there to stand by her Devilish rake he ht be, he was her brother’s steadfast friend, and hers as well Over the years, they’d come to think of him as family If Julian left her …

She would truly be alone

For the second tiave her arm a shake Lily looked to the housekeeper

"He’s alive," the older wo"

Tears of relief rushed past Lily’s defenses "Bring hi his sprawled body fro it up the steps

"To the kitchen"

They all filed down the narrow corridor, heading for the rear of the house Holling first with her laht up the rear as they descended the short flight of steps to the kitchen

Even at this early hour, the kitchen staff was hard at work A toasty fire warmed the room, and a yeasty aroma filled the air A scullery maid lifted floury hands fro room for the footmen to pass

They placed Julian by the hearth, propping his head on a sack of meal

"Send for the doctor," she said When no one sprang into action, she repeated herself at the top of her lungs "Doctor Now"

With a hasty bow, one of the footmen hurried from the room

Lily knelt at Julian’s side Heavens, he was filthy Dirt streaked his face, and the s to his clothes She put a hand to his forehead, finding it claers flew to his cravat, and she tugged at it, unwinding the starched linen froertips She turned her cheek to his face, rejoicing at the warainst her skin

He suddenly convulsed, as if coughing

She ceased her tussle with his cravat and pulled back to stare at hiht speak

His eyes went in and out of focus as his gaze meandered over her forh her "Julian Are you well?"

He blinked several tiain, slowly Finally he said, "Violet alas your color"

He slumped back, eyes closed

Was he drunk? She leaned forward, sniffing cautiously at his exposed throat No liquor No gutter sled with the ent odor of …

Oh, God

She grabbed his arm, shook it hard "Julian Julian, wake up"