“Oh, I think you do, love. This morning I had a rather unexpected visitor. Tell me, does the name Knollys ring any bells?”

Her blood ran cold.

“You’ve gone pale,” he mocked cruelly. “Cat got your tongue? I’ll tell you, then. Mr. Knollys is the turnkey of Newgate prison. A rather revolting character, I’m afraid, but a man who possesses an excellent memory. As luck would have it, Mr. Knollys was present at a cock fight I attended in Blackheath recently. He heard someone shout my name across the pit and recalled another Caversteed he’d dealt with just recently. He decided to pay me a visit. Imagine my surprise when he told me he had some interesting information about you, dear heart.” His sickly grin made Georgie want to retch. “What do you think he told me? Hmmm?”

“I can’t hazard a guess.”

“He made the outrageous claim that you and Wylde are man and wife.” Josiah rounded his eyes in mock horror. “I didn’t believe it, of course, but then he showed me the marriage register from Newgate, and there it was, clear as day: your signature and Wylde’s. Married not five weeks ago.” He shook his head, his expression changing to one of disbelief mingled with fury. “You vindictive little bitch. You did this to spite me, didn’t you?”

His cheeks, already spidered with veins, grew even redder and more mottled. Georgie had never seen him in such a passion. Her heart began to thump in fear but she didn’t bother to deny it. “Yes. I did. Because I’d rather be married to a Newgate felon than to you.”

His laugh was ugly. “You think he doesn’t want your money? Of course he does. I bet you paid him a pretty penny to go along with your plan, didn’t you?” He snorted in disgust. “God, that bastard must have laughed himself silly. You spring him from jail then let him slip between your legs.”

Georgie winced at his crude summation. “What do you want? More money? You won’t get it. I won’t give you another shilling. Benedict was right. You need to take responsibility for your own actions. You’re a grown man, Josiah. Act like one. Now let me go.”

“It’s not about money anymore, you little whore.”

She almost laughed in hysterical disbelief. Josiah not wanting money? The world had gone mad.

“It’s you I want now.”

“Well, you can’t have me,” she snapped.

He tilted his head, and the calculating look in his eye made her shiver. His voice was almost a caress. “Ah, Georgie. I could have understood if it was just business. But to see you whoring yourself out to him? I can’t bear it.”