Chapter Five
October 8th, 1808
London
Lucas heard the knock on the door, but paid no attention to it. He sat in his armchair, a book unread on his lap, his head in his hands, reliving that dreadful moment in the Brook Street Mews.
His strongest emotion was shame. Shame more intense than any he’d experienced in his life.
How could he have let Tom do it?
But however much he wished it hadn’t happened, it had. He’d allowed it to happen—and now he had to deal with the consequences.
He couldn’t see Tom ever again. He knew it—he was taking steps to ensure it—but the emotion he felt wasn’t relief; it was despair. He and Tom had been best friends since their very first day at Eton. Nineteen years. Nearly twenty. How could he never see Tom again?
A key scraped in the keyhole. The door opened
