Chapter Twenty-Two

Lily stormed into the house and up the stairs, battling tears. Her shoulders were rounded in, pushing out the world—pushing out Adam. He followed hot on her heels, letting the front door close of its own accord as he rushed to intercept her. He caught her on the landing, before she locked herself in her room.

“Lily, this isn’t your fault.”

She wrested her arm away, stepping back, turning her face from his. Her expression gutted him. He wanted to be the person she turned to, the person she relied upon. Now, he felt as though he had failed her.

“That’s the fifth prototype, Adam. The fifth. I can’t do this.”

Adam took her hands in his and held them between their bodies, a solid connection. “Lily, look at me. You do impeccable work. If anything, I’m the one who’s failing you, producing substandard metal for you to mold.”

She pulled away to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes. “It doesn’t matter whose product is of inferior quality. If Reid won’t accept one of them as good enough, what are we to do?”

When she tipped her face up to meet his, Adam’s chest clenched. He swallowed hard, wishing he could eradicate the anguish in her eyes. Chatterley had acted particularly cutting today when dismissing their newest product.

“I can’t do it. And if I can’t…”

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and tucking her head against his shoulder. How many more times would he get to do this? Perhaps, a small part of him had been hoping that this was an impulsive and impossible mission. That they would fail. But now, three weeks had passed and they were no closer—a fact that seemed to incense Chatterley despite their frequent progress reports. Today, he’d accused Lily of being deliberately obtuse, of trying to sabotage her efforts. He’d threatened to turn over the debt that he hung over her head like a noose.

“I won’t let him harm you.”

She pushed away from him, visibly arming herself. He hated to see her vulnerability chipped away and replaced by the cold, hard woman he’d met in her rival’s jewelry store. He wanted to give her solace when she needed it, but if she wouldn’t turn to him…

“We’re running out of time, Adam. We’ll have to steal the artifact and take our chances.”

When he didn’t say anything, his jaw tightening, she looked to the ceiling, blinking her eyes rapidly to rid them of moisture.

“You know I’m right. There’s no way to escape this, no way to avoid the blame. I have to get in contact with Miss Granby and finagle an invitation to the next dinner party.”

“If you attempt to take the relic, you might be caught.”

“That’s my risk to take.” Her eyes, when she settled them upon him, were hard.

Let me help.

Whenever possible, she refused. It was as though a different woman slept next to him at night from the one he interacted with during the day. During the day, she was commanding, the embodiment of control. She accepted his help, but she didn’t open herself to him emotionally. The only peek he had of the vulnerable woman inside that diamond-hard shell came when she lay next to him in bed. And even that he glimpsed less and less as their inevitable parting approached. She was closing herself off to him, and he felt as though she twisted a knife every time she did.

He could help her, if only she would let him in.

“Let me steal it. I have more experience.”

“No. This is my problem, and I’ll be the one to get the invitation. If you came with me, I would still be blamed. So why not do it myself?”

He stepped closer, reaching for her. “Lily…”

She stepped back, pressing up against the door. “No. I’m set on this, Adam. I will perform the theft.”

“You’ll what?”

Adam’s breath hitched at the sound of her younger sister’s voice.

…

Lily’s lungs wrung themselves of air at the sound of Willa’s voice. Her throat constricting, she turned to look behind her. Despite being at home, she hadn’t realized her sister was close enough to hear. She and Adam had been so careful to keep this to themselves… And now, in a fit of frenzy, she’d spilled her secret to the one person in the household who could not keep her mouth closed.

Willa stormed up to them. Her red hair billowed like a flag behind her, a war banner. Out of arm’s reach, she stopped, glaring at them both. “Please tell me I heard wrong. You cannot be discussing the possibility of stealing?”

Lily flinched. “Of course not…”

Willa crossed her arms. “Don’t lie to me. I can tell. I’m your sister.” Her pale blue eyes sparked with fury, her cheeks high with color.

Betrayed, she turned to Adam, then back to Lily. Her gaze was accusatory. “Sophie talks of an investment, but it isn’t true, is it? There is no investment. He stole from you four years ago and now he’s here to do it again.”

Lily gritted her teeth. “Adam is not here to rob us.”

Her sister sneered. “Even if he were, we have nothing left to give. You can’t get blood from a stone.”

Adam flashed her a charming smile, but this time, Willa seemed to see through it.

“You misunderstood, Willa—”

“Don’t talk to me,” she snapped. She turned, pinning Lily with the full force of her temper. “I want to talk to my sister alone.”

He stiffened. Lily felt his gaze hot upon her, but she didn’t dare look at him. Instead, she held herself still as he nodded curtly and moved next door into his room. The moment he shut the door, Willa clenched her fist around Lily’s wrist and hauled her out of earshot. They paused at the landing, Willa’s grip painful.

“Willa, you’re hurting me.”

Her sister dropped her hold. “So is he. Can’t you see it?”

How much could Lily tell her? How much could she trust her? Willa’s tongue was free, particularly when surrounded by potential admirers. If Willa betrayed a whiff of this…

“It isn’t what you think.”

Willa narrowed her gaze. “It had best not be, because I believe I just heard you planning with your thief of a husband to ruin someone else’s life.”

Lily snapped, “If I don’t, our lives will be forfeit.”

Her sister stumbled back, her cheeks blanching. “He’s poisoned you.”

“He hasn’t. I’m doing this to save the family. We’re on the cusp of debtors’ prison, and you know it. You must know it. We have nothing left, despite my best efforts.”

Willa’s eyes widened. “He has poisoned you, hasn’t he? He’s leading you astray.”

Lily gritted her teeth. “He is not. He…”

“A couple months ago, you never would have defended him. You’re different, Lily. Callous, selfish. You used to have integrity.”

“That’s not true…”

Willa’s mouth thinned.

“Isn’t it? When was the last time you sat with Mother? When was the last time you spoke to me or Sophie about the events of our lives? You only care about yourself and your own comfort.”

“I’m doing all of this for you.”

Willa shook her head, backing away. “No, you’re not. If you were, you might have stopped to ask us what we want.”

Lily didn’t ask. She didn’t need to ask— She knew Willa enjoyed life’s luxuries. Dresses, dinner parties, walks in Hyde Park, mingling with the elite. She would have none of it if they were confined to a prison or the streets.

“I want my sister back.” Spitting venom, Willa turned and stormed away, her hair audibly crackling through the air.

“Willa, wait—”

On the staircase, Willa paused and looked over her shoulder. “Don’t worry, I won’t spill your secrets. At least, not yet… If you’re still the sister I know and love, you’ll find another way.”

Lily trembled as her sister stormed down the steps and disappeared. Her stomach fluttered uneasily as she pressed a hand against it.

What if Willa was right— Had Lily changed? The accusations threatened to swallow her whole. Worst of all, she didn’t know whether to trust her sister’s avowal to keep mum. If Willa exposed her, all her careful work and sacrifice would be for nothing.