The stench of blood was overwhelming. Lily, or who appeared to be Lily, was strung up in the center of the small room to a chandelier. Her arms were bound over her head, stretching her naked body taut. Her toes barely touched the frayed oriental rug at her feet. She swung freely, her head lolled to the side.

But, it was the sight of Lily's back as her body slowly rotated before Lucas that made his stomach churn. Deep lacerations crisscrossed the length down to her buttocks. Rivulets of blood seeped from the wounds, dripping down her legs, creating a dark puddle on the rug.

Lucas heard Edwina gasp out in surprise behind him, shaking him out of his stunned state. He moved into the room with purpose.

"We must cut her down," Lucas said, setting aside his valise. He removed his waistcoat and tossed it aside. "Hot water. Clean linens. Now."

A flurry of movement arose at the doorway as some of the gaping prostitutes ran to do his bidding. Lucas moved closer to Lily, reaching out gently to stop the slow rotation of her body. Her skin felt ice cold under his touch. Lily's eyes were closed, her head tilted forward toward her chest.

"Is she alive?" Edwina asked in a shocked whisper, her brown eyes wide with disbelief.

Lucas reached up and touched the base of Lily's throat lightly. He felt her heartbeat, low and thready. They needed to hurry.

"Yes."

Edwina exhaled. One of the prostitutes, whom Lucas recognized as Rose from his earlier visits to The Hothouse, returned with a basin of clean water from the kitchen. Another, Pansy, followed with clean linens. Both women were in a state of dishabille, dressed only in their chemises and their disheveled hair falling down to their waists. They moved quickly, accustomed to Lucas’s routine, as he had treated both prostitutes in the past. Pansy began to set a fire in Lily’s hearth and hung a small pot above it. He would need it to sterilize the needles.

"Line the bed with the linens. Edwina, wash your hands." Lucas rolled up his shirtsleeves and tossed Edwina a bar of lye soap from his valise. He felt his temper rising. "Where is Blachet? Brutus?"

"Madame is gone for the evening. We do not know where. Brutus was here. When he saw what happened to Lily, he got sick and disappeared to the privy,” Pansy, the rough-hewn faced woman said, as she violently began tearing pieces of linen into strips to be used as bandages. There was a look of disgust on her face when she mentioned the guard Blachet employed to keep out unwanted guests.

"Someone go fetch him. I will need his assistance cutting Lily down."

Pansy nodded sharply and disappeared out the door. She returned shortly with a pasty-faced Brutus trailing behind her. The hulking man stood warily outside in the hallway as if afraid to enter the room. His gaze fixed anywhere but on Lily's mutilated body.

Lucas washed his hands and arms thoroughly and waved Brutus in. The man reluctantly entered, having to duck his head to get through the doorway. "What the hell happened here?" Lucas demanded.

"I...I don't know, guv," Brutus blubbered. It was strange to see the giant near tears, not out of pity for Lily, but, as Lucas peered closer at the man's chalky face, from terror.

"Who did this?"

Brutus just shook his head slowly, his eyes darting away from Lucas's piercing gaze. It landed on Lily and Brutus winced before turning his attention to his feet. "I...I don't know."

Lucas ground his teeth. The man was lying. "Did you not hear her scream?"

Brutus swallowed thickly several times and Lucas understood then that the man had heard Lily scream out in pain, but did nothing to stop the customer from brutalizing the young prostitute. He wouldn’t be surprised that if he searched Brutus, he would find a thick stack of pound notes tucked away in the man’s pocket.

Lucas shook his head with disgust. "Help me cut her down."

Brutus's eyes widened, his jaw going slack, as he unconsciously stumbled back away from Lily's dangling body. "No...no..." The larger man shook his head from side to side, before he turned on his heel and scrambled out the door, throwing the small cluster of prostitutes aside as he went. The women yelped out in protest, shouting curses at Brutus's back as he fled down the stairs. Lucas heard a slam of a door.

"Fucking coward," Rose, a prostitute with a mop of red hair, spat out.

"I'll help you," Edwina said in a low murmur. Her words were so quiet that Lucas nearly did not hear her.

He turned to find Edwina standing poised and ready beside him. She had removed his coat and set it aside on a chair and stood only in her white tunic. She had run her fingers through her hair and secured it in a loose bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were resolute, though he could see the distress hidden within.

"I'll help you cut her down."

***

Edwina willed herself not to be sick as she washed her hands in the basin of steaming water. She blinked back hot tears, taking in short, shallow breaths through her trembling lips. If she breathed through her nose, she knew she would retch at the smell of Lily's blood and that was the last thing Lucas needed from her now.

Swallowing the rising bile in her throat, Edwina dried her hands hastily on one of the clean linens. Her hands shook uncontrollably. For the first time in weeks, ever since she began her studies under Lucas, Edwina felt the wavering sense of doubt.

Could she do this? Could she help this poor girl?

Lucas was talking to a large man that had entered the room. She couldn't hear him over the thundering of her heart, but could tell that Lucas was coldly furious. Edwina had never seen Lucas so angry.

She watched Lily swinging idly behind the men. Who could commit such an evil act?

The large man fled the room, fear stark on his face. It was then that Edwina realized that Lucas needed assistance cutting Lily down from the ceiling.

"I'll help you," she said, her voice unsteady. No, that will not do. She cleared her throat and started again. "I will help you cut her down."

The look of anger and frustration passed from Lucas's face to surprised gratitude. "Thank you."

"What do you need me to do?"

"Hold her steady," Lucas went to his valise and withdrew the leather satchel containing the thin sharp knives he had shown her before. He retrieved one of the larger blades before returning to her. "You will need to hold her tight lest she collapses and worsens her injuries."

Edwina wrapped her arms around Lily from the side, taking care to not touch her opened wounds even though it was an impossible task. The girl's back was torn to pieces and Edwina felt Lily’s warm blood seeping into her tunic.

"Are you ready?"

Edwina nodded sharply, widening her stance to brace herself.

Lucas stepped before Lily and reached up to cut her bonds loose. Before he was able, Lily's eyes flew open and one look at Lucas, she let out a blood-curdling scream. She thrashed wildly, kicking him hard in the chest, causing him to stumble back in surprise.

Edwina tried desperately to hold onto the girl but Lily bucked Edwina off, sending her splaying to the ground.

"Lily, it's Dr. Blakeley," Lucas said soothingly. The young prostitute's green eyes went wide at the knife in Lucas's hand and she screamed again.

"Don't...don't kill me. I'll do whatever you want. Just don't kill me," the girl weeped.

"I won't." Lucas put down the scalpel and reached out for Lily. She flailed against his touch, crying, and whimpering about promises to be a good girl and to do whatever he wished. She soon became incoherent but continued to twist away from Lucas’s touch as if he burned her. Confusion masked Lucas’s face as he stepped back from the distraught prostitute. Only when he was halfway across the small room did Lily begin to calm.

"Edwina, the ether."

Edwina scrambled off the ground and moved quickly to Lucas's valise, her fingers fumbling over the different bottles until she pulled one free. She double-checked the label written in Lucas's spindly hand before passing him the bottle. He took one of the clean linens and doused it liberally with the bottle's contents before approaching Lily as if he were trying to subdue a great beast.

Lily began thrashing again the minute Lucas closed the distance to where her kicks would land. He dodged them with some effort, before suddenly coming on quick and pressing the damp cloth across her face. She shrieked out in fear, struggling to pull her face away. The prostitutes in the hallway gasped out Lily’s renewed cries. Edwina felt tears burn in her eyes as she watched the young woman crying out, her heart lodged solidly in her throat.

Soon, Lily's kicks began to weaken and her eyes fell closed as if against their will. A few more tears spilled from her closed eyes, down her bruised cheeks, until they dropped off her chin and onto the bloodstained rug below. Edwina swallowed, willing herself not to cry.

Lucas set aside the ether-drenched linen and tapped Lily lightly across the cheek. There was no reaction. The girl was unconscious. "Come, help me get her down.”

Edwina gripped onto Lily's limp body, steadying her to make it easier for Lucas as he reached up and sliced her bonds free from the chandelier. She fell backwards as the weight of Lily's body collapsed against her and both women fell toward the floor.

Lucas caught Edwina's arm with one hand and grabbed Lily's body with the other. He hoisted both women upwards until Edwina found herself standing on her own two feet again. Lucas laid Lily on her small bed facedown.

"We will need to move quickly." Lucas drenched a few of the clean linens in the hot water and passed them to Edwina. She watched as he set two needles into the pot of boiling water over the hearth, sterilizing them for the stitching ahead.

Edwina wiped the dampened linens across Lily's back, washing away the sticky blood. She moved deliberately over the opened wounds, but her hands shook uncontrollably.

Someone did this to Lily. Someone beat her so terribly that she would carry scars with her for the rest of her life. Someone that Edwina possibly knew, who moved in her same circles. Someone she chatted with over a glass of punch. Walked arm and arm down a path through Hyde Park. Danced a waltz under the soft glow of candlelight.

The sharp sliver of fear stabbed her body and her hands shook harder. Edwina bit her lip, hard enough to draw blood, and willed herself to breathe.

And now, Lily’s life was in her hands. The same hands that would not stop shaking no matter how much she willed them to stop. Lily’s wounds were already red, inflamed. It was too late. Infection was setting in. Death to follow swiftly. And, there was nothing Edwina could do. All she had been doing these past weeks was to play make-believe. She wasn’t a real surgeon. She was naive. A fool.

"I can't do this."

Lucas looked up sharply from across the room where he prepared the two needles for stitching. She swallowed a sob, dropping the blood-soaked piece of linen from her limp hands. "My God, I cannot do this. I was wrong."

Lucas closed the distance between them and knelt down beside her, his dark eyes searching hers. Edwina gasped out a sob and quickly clenched her jaw to prevent more from escaping. She was near tears and knew if she just gave herself the chance to succumb to despair, she would lose all control.

"Edwina. Look at me."

When she didn't, Lucas reached out and tipped her chin up until their eyes met. He held her gaze, his eyes a little sad and tired, but there was not a hint of doubt within. "Do you know why I believe in you?" he said, as Edwina watched him undo the buttons on his waistcoat and the silk shirt underneath.

She shook her head, confused.

"You can do this. You showed true courage the night we were attacked by footpads. You were brave when you did this." He took her hand in his own and placed it on the scar from his knife wound. The one that she diligently sutured while he laid incoherent from the ingestion of laudanum. His skin felt warm under her touch, a sharp contrast to Lily's own cold and clammy skin, and she ran her fingers along the clean, smooth scar. It shone slightly in the candlelight, a pale line against even paler skin. She could tell that he had removed the stitches recently. Lucas continued, "You will be brave again, for Lily, but mainly for yourself. Can you do that?"

She felt the waves of anxiety wash away as Lucas held her gaze. Instead of remonstrating her for her moment of weakness, Lucas knew what she needed to hear. He knew what to say to remind her that she was meant to be a surgeon, despite society's expectations for her. He saw her as an equal and a warmness filled her chest.

"Yes," Edwina whispered, surprised at the steadiness of her own voice. Lucas pressed a kiss against Edwina's lips and helped her to her feet. She returned to the basin to wash her hands again. “What do you need me to do?”

***

They were alone. Rose and Pansy removed the soiled linens and water to be cleaned elsewhere. The crowd of prostitutes drifted away one by one as the hours passed, back to their rooms and their forgotten clients.

Lucas could not stop the rise of dreadful premonition as if Lily’s prone and mutilated form was a message meant for him. As he and Edwina leaned over Lily’s torn back, their heads bowed toward one another as if in prayer as they carefully stitched up each gash, he wondered who could commit such an atrocity and swallowed tightly when a face appeared out of the shadows in his mind.

But, that wasn’t possible, was it? That man was safely across an entire ocean. Or, in all probability, dead and gone from Lucas’s life forever.

Lucas shifted his thoughts toward Edwina, who was attentively cleaning out another wound. He had told her earlier to remove all the foreign material from Lily’s skin in order to prevent infection. They spent the first hour pulling free thin leather fibers from Lily’s torn flesh. When Edwina asked what could have caused the wounds, Lucas told her it was likely a bullwhip. Only the sharp tip of a bullwhip could make such fine lacerations deep into the skin. Edwina’s face shuttered and Lucas regretted telling her the truth.

Edwina dealt with much in a single evening, especially for a young lady of the ton . No other lady would find themselves on their knees in a backroom of a brothel, their gown drenched in blood, while working tirelessly to save a whore’s life. No lady would think to use a needle outside of embroidering the initials of their lover on a handkerchief instead of using it to stitch close human skin.

Lucas glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Edwina’s brows were furrowed and her lips pressed tightly in concentration. The color had returned to her face. Earlier, when she began to question her capabilities, all Lucas wanted to do was to gather her into his arms and soothe away her anxieties. Instead of succumbing to the panic, Lucas watched as she gathered her resolve while tracing her fingers lightly over the scar on his chest. He identified the precise moment when Edwina collected herself, her eyes hard with determination.

She was an extraordinary woman.

And, Lumley was a lucky man.

Lucas knew that Lumley was intent on making Edwina his wife before the end of the Season. He interrupted not one, but two proposal attempts, the last being just earlier in the evening at the Hastings Ball. If Lumley was a smart man, he would marry Edwina by special license the minute he had her assent.

That’s what he would do in Lumley’s place.

Lucas stilled at the thought, freezing mid-stitch.

The lack of movement caught Edwina’s eye. “Are you well?”

“Yes.” Lucas blinked. “Of course.”

Edwina looked at him dubiously for a moment longer before returning her focus back on Lily. It wasn’t the time to think about Lumley and Edwina and how so little time Lucas had left with her. He planned to leave for Leighton Castle in a few hours. By the time he returned to London in a few weeks, Edwina would be safely married to Lumley. As it should be, he reminded himself, setting down his needle and cutting the thread decisively. If only extricating himself from Edwina’s life would be as easy as using a pair of scissors to cut the ties that bound them.

So, why did the thought of leaving Edwina to Lumley’s affections fill him with despair? It was the right choice. It had to be. Otherwise, it meant he was entertaining thoughts of marrying Edwina himself. No, not simply entertaining them. Lucas wanted her. Wanted her more than he's ever wanted anything else. Marriage by special license. He was an earl and had the power and means to procure one this very night. He wouldn’t need Lord Bridgerton’s consent. He only needed Edwina to say yes.

But, Edwina deserved to be loved by her husband. And Lucas could not love her. It was too great of a risk.

Edwina finished off her last stitch with a relieved sigh. She arched her back as she stood, shaking out the stiffness in her limbs, the movement breaking Lucas’s internal debate. “The ointment?”

Lucas nodded and grimaced at the haphazard tracks of black stitches lining Lily’s back. The ointment would help to prevent infection, but do nothing to reduce the scarring that will forever haunt Lily of this harrowing night.

They moved in silence, in unison, as they slathered ointment on each wound before wrapping up Lily’s torso with linen bandages. Lucas tucked the end tightly, securing the long strip, before turning to Rose who entered the room with another basin of hot water.

“For cleaning up,” she said as she set it down on the small table.

“Thank you,” Edwina said, before washing the blood from her hands.

Lucas withdrew a bottle from his valise and handed it to Rose. The older prostitute looked up at him inquiringly. “Laudanum. When Lily wakes, dose her with a spoonful preferably with some water or beef tea. If she can stomach food, try to feed her some boiled oats or rice.” Lucas reached for his waistcoat and pulled out a purse heavy with coin. He gave the entire purse to Rose. “For you and Pansy for assisting us tonight, but also give the remainder to Blachet for Lily’s board for the next two weeks. She is not to be moved until the wounds begin to close.”

Rose nodded, tucking the purse down the front of her dress. “I’ll see that Madame gets the blunt.”

“If the man who did this to Lily returns, send a note to me immediately. Do not let him come near her.”

“I’ll cut the bastard’s bollocks off myself before he steps a foot through the door,” Rose said viciously.

***

To Edwina’s surprise, Lucas drew her into his lap when they returned to his carriage. He leaned back heavily, his legs propped up against the seat opposite, and cuddled her against his broad chest. She tucked her head under his chin and breathed him in as one of his arms held her tightly against her waist and the other hand stroked up and down her arm absentmindedly as he gazed out the carriage window lost in thought. It was late in the evening, or early in the morning, depending on how one saw the gradual lighting of the sky in the distance.

Exhaustion weighed down on her. Sleep flickered at the edges of her mind, but she felt restless. After a moment of silence, Edwina whispered, “Will Lily survive?”

Lucas pulled his gaze away from the passing buildings. "She lost a lot of blood, even before we arrived. I cannot say..."

"Lucas, do not shield the truth from me. Will she die?" Tears welled in her eyes. Before she could stop them, they began to fall down her cheeks. Lucas brushed a tear away with the pad of his thumb. The heat of embarrassment burned her face. “I am sorry.”

Lucas shook his head slowly, his eyes tracing each tear as they fell as if mesmerized by her display of emotion. “It is not a weakness to cry. It is human.” His voice sounded distant as if he was trapped in a faraway memory.

“I am sure you have never cried like this.”

“You’d be surprised.” Lucas blinked, breaking the spell and drew her tighter against him in an embrace. His lips nearly brushed hers. Her breath caught as he said in a low hush, “The human will is a powerful instrument. If used properly, it can completely change one’s fate. Lily, if her will is strong, will find a way to recover, to move past this trauma, to find some happiness in the end.”

Edwina knew what Lucas meant. They did the best they could for Lily, the rest was up to her, but she could not help but ask, “And, if not?”

“She will,” he replied in his typical confident manner. “She is formidable, like you. She will find a way.”

Lucas tilted his head down, his eyes darkening with unspoken words. His hands reached up, cupping Edwina’s face as his thumbs caressed her cheeks. She shivered under this touch, astounded by the need she saw in his eyes. It was deeper than desire. It was intangible. Edwina clasped her arms around his neck, pressing her body closer to his chest, never wanting to let go.

Lucas pressed fluttering kisses along her forehead, over her closed eyelids, and down the bridge of her nose until they landed on her lips. It felt as if he was treasuring every touch, memorizing her with his lips, and leaving a trail of warm yearning behind.

The kisses were gentle, small brushes of their lips tentatively exploring one another. It wasn’t like their previous kisses, ones filled with throbbing impatient desire. It put into Edwina’s mind their very first kiss, the one where Lucas woke from this laudanum-induced state, and kissed Edwina so reverently that it made Edwina feel like a goddess.

He made her feel cherished, worshiped.

Lucas deepened the kiss and a moan escaped from her lips, but he kept up the languid, exploratory pace. She felt his tongue against hers, moving in slow and sensual strokes. His hands moved away from her face and held her firmly at her waist. She felt his desire for her press rigidly against the back of her thighs. Edwina did not push him to move faster, despite feeling a warm sensation begin to throb at the apex between her legs.

She could taste the love on his lips, in his kiss. She wanted it to last forever.

“Edwina, I–”

Before he could say more, the carriage turned toward Bridgerton House and Edwina looked beyond Lucas and saw that the house was all aglow. It was as if every candle was lit within. Footmen rushed in and out of the front door carrying torches to awaiting hackneys.

"What is happening?" Edwina asked as Lucas’s carriage slowed to a stop.

Lucas gave her a grim look as he pulled her off his lap and sat her beside him on the seat. "It appears we have been found out."