Spinning on her heel, Millie hurried out of the office. Lucien trailed behind her.

Evie paced to the fireplace and back. Why was she going to be sorry? What was Millie going to do? Trepidation churned Evie’s stomach.

He returned a few moments later. “I asked Arthur to make sure she left and told him she was no longer a member.” Arthur was the head footman and would spread the information to employees throughout the club.

Nodding, Evie tried to relax. It was futile, however, as she couldn’t forget the threat in Millie’s eyes.

“What do you think she meant?” Evie asked. “About me being sorry.”

“Who knows? We need a drink.” Lucien went to pour two glasses of whisky, which Evie only rarely drank. She supposed this was a whisky occasion if there ever was one.

Except she didn’t want to drink anything, not with her insides in their current state. “None for me,” she said.

Lucien stopped what he was doing and turned toward her. “You sound worried.”

“I am. You saw her. You heard her. She’s never been this awful. And now you’ve cast her out.”

“‘Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.’” Lucien quoted The Mourning Bride.

“She certainly never loved me,” Evie said.

“I don’t think she’s capable of that.” Lucien grunted, clearly still frustrated. “I share your concern.”

“You don’t think she knows about me?” Evie hated that her voice sounded low and vulnerable. She glanced toward the door and noted it was slightly ajar. She didn’t want anyone to overhear this conversation.

“That is highly unlikely. We’ve done an excellent job of keeping your secrets safe for two years.”

Because of the encounter with Arbuthnot, Evie was more nervous now than she’d been in the past two years. Or perhaps it was because in the time she’d spent with Gregory, she realized she’d only been living the life of a shadow, hiding herself and her past. She loved who she was now, the life she led, but Gregory had showed her what she was missing.

What she’d always been missing.

She thought she’d been protecting herself from judgment and disdain, and she had, but she’d also been shielding herself from living her full life, of embracing all she’d been. If not for her past, how could she have found her way here? But to reveal her secrets meant the greatest risk.

She looked at Lucien, fear clogging her throat. “Lucien, I’m afraid I’m going to lose everything.”

He swiftly took her in his arms, holding her close. “I will never let that happen.”

Closing her eyes, Evie let herself sink into his embrace. She’d never loved Lucien romantically, but she loved him as a devoted friend. “Thank you for always protecting me. I love you, Lucien,” she whispered.

“I love you too.”