“Because I’ve seen Aqua Tofana before,” he revealed. “I was acquainted with its symptoms during my time as a Bow Street Runner. Illness that progresses slowly over time but harmless enough to dismiss.”
Lady Sarah’s lips curved faintly—not in cruelty, but in something that almost resembled relief. “Then I suppose it’s for the best that you stopped her from drinking it. I placed two drops in her cup.”
Dominic’s spine went rigid, the blood draining from his face. “That… would have killed her.”
“I know,” Lady Sarah said, a trace of grim satisfaction settling in her eyes. “That was the point.”
Constable Prentice stepped forward with renewed purpose, his expression hardening. “Come along, Lady Sarah,” he ordered, taking her arm. “I haven’t got all day.”
Without protest, Lady Sarah allowed herself to be led away, her cane tapping rhythmically against the floor as she walked. Mrs. Haverleigh followed behind, her features pale with shock.
When the door finally shut behind them, the silence that remained felt deafening.
And Dominic, glancing at the teacup, realized just how close Dorothea had come to dying at the hands of a woman she had admired.
Dorothea stood frozen, still reeling from the truth that had only just come to light—that someone she had once admired, even trusted, had very nearly succeeded in ending her life. Her hands trembled at her sides. The betrayal ran deeper than any blade ever could.
She turned her head and found Dominic watching her. His gaze was steady, full of compassion, and—could it be?—something softer, something achingly close to love. That look undid her. Without a thought to propriety or to the walls she'd so carefully constructed, Dorothea stepped towards him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
He stiffened for a moment before folding her into his embrace with a quiet exhale. His arms enveloped her completely, strong and sure, and a sob slipped from her throat. In his arms, she felt anchored. Safe. Home. And for the first time in days, she didn’t want to run, didn’t want to hide—she just wanted to stay right where she was.
Dominic pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “Are you all right?”
Her voice wavered. “No… yes… I don’t know. Why does it feel like everyone wants me dead?”
He leaned his cheek against her temple, his breath grazing her ear. “It’s over now. I swear it. No one will hurt you again—not while I still draw breath.”
She shifted just enough to look up at him. “How can you promise that?”
“Because I would die before I let anyone touch you again,” he said, his voice edged with fierce conviction.
Her chest constricted, her heart thudding wildly. That one sentence undid her completely. A tear slid down her cheek, and her lips parted before her mind could stop them. “And that’s why I love you?—”
The words were out before she could pull them back. Her breath caught.
Dominic went still. “You… love me?”
Panic bubbled up inside her. She could lie and pretend it was a slip of the tongue, but instead, she drew in a shaky breath and nodded. “I do. I’ve known it for some time.”
His jaw clenched, and he looked away, his voice raw. “How can you love me after everything I’ve done… after everything that’s happened?”
Her answer came without hesitation. “I fell in love with you beside a bloodied cot in a makeshift hospital. You were broken and half-mad from pain, but you still held my hand and begged me not to leave. And I haven’t. My heart chose you long ago.”
He looked down at her, disbelief flickering in his gaze. “But I’m not that man anymore.”
“You’re right,” she said softly. “You’re stronger now. You’re better.”
Dominic’s gaze searched hers as if trying to find the lie but there wasn’t one. Only truth, plain and bold. “Thea… I don’t know what to say, except?—”
“You don’t have to say anything.” She squeezed his hands. “Just know that I want you—all of you. The parts you hide, the burdens you carry, even the nightmares that steal your sleep. You deserve to be loved fully, without condition.”
He drew in a breath. “Are you sure? I need you to be sure. I am not an easy man to love.”
“I have never been more certain of anything in my life,” she replied. “I am not giving up on you—not now, not ever. I love you fiercely, for who you are, not who I want you to be.”
Emotion swelled behind his eyes, and he huffed a laugh, almost disbelieving. “Then you should know that I am ardently in love with you.”
Hope blossomed in her chest at his words. “You are?”
