Before He Was Mine (Before Series, Book 2)

Band of Treasonous Aristocrats

Emilia simply stood there, staring at Trevor. Will was in front of her, also gaping.

A sort of emptiness overcame her as she took in Trevor's words and their implications. She searched for somewhere to sit as weariness of the body and mind threatened to topple her. Finding a stiff-backed armchair in the corner, Emilia dropped into it.

Trevor brushed off their reactions, his voice maintaining a calm and unaffected tone. "Lady Trotten told me everything. She told me about how her son had sent her to Scotland because of some blackmail from the king. And then she told me how it was ridiculous and unnecessary. Because Trotten, your mother isn't in danger from the king."

Will had begun pacing the room, his expression taut and afflicted. But at Trevor's statement, he stopped short. "She's not?"

Trevor shook his head quickly. "The king is only threatening you because your mother is aiding him."

Will gawked at Trevor, his mouth open and gaping once more.

"Your mother is a..." Trevor looked to the ceiling in thought. "She is a formidable woman but not entirely pleasant. Demanding would be an appropriate word."

"I know what my mother is like," Will snapped. "I had to grow up with her. And no, it wasn't pleasant."

With Emilia's own parents being complete opposites of Will's, it was hard for her to thoroughly comprehend how anyone's mother could act as Lady Trotten had. And yet, she had met the woman. So she knew Trevor's words to be true.

"I did not relish in working with your mother," Trevor added. "Let me be clear about that."

"But you did," Theo said emphatically, resolutely.

Trevor shrugged. "I needed the money. And honestly, I did enjoy the company of Lady Emilia. I did not see what could go wrong." He raised his brows and mumbled, "Which was a lot, apparently."

Emilia was not comforted by the sympathetic look that he flashed at her until Will growled something beneath his breath, and Trevor's gaze dropped.

"Wait," Emilia interjected. She wasn't even thinking about what Trevor had just said. There was something that Trevor mentioned earlier that pestered her—something that didn't fit into what she knew. "You said that Lady Trotten approached you. How did she do that? I thought she was in Scotland?"

Trevor gave a sad smile and said, "No, my lady. Lady Trotten is not in Scotland any longer. She's in London."

Emilia studied Will for a reaction, but he didn't move. His face had drawn blank as he stood in the middle of the room. Behind him, Theo had a concerned look plastered on his face. For a long moment, the four of them were silent.

And then, a shrill voice announced itself from the study's entrance.

"Lord Trevor. I come to finish what you could not, and here I find you exposing my secrets."

Emilia jumped from her chair as Lady Trotten took a step into the room, glaring at Trevor as she did.

Will jumped in surprise as well, his eyes darting to Lady Trotten.

"Mother?" His previously vacant expression was now one of pure incredulity, whereas Emilia was shocked to her core. She watched as Will threw his hands up and yelled, "Where the bloody hell is Lloyd? How do people keep getting in here?"

Lady Trotten flashed a knowing smile but said nothing. Her appearance was the same as Emilia remembered; everything about her was pristine and clean. Her hair was the same color as her son's, but her curls were pinned in a perfectly precise fashion that seemed to mock Will's disheveled locks. Lady Trotten had always been on the plump side, but she dressed in a way that would fool a person, just as her smile did—her sweet grin did not reach her eyes.