The viscount stared at her in shock, his voice faltering. "No... You don't mean..."
The viscountess' face turned pale, her eyes lowered to the ground as she nodded slowly. "He... he wants power, control... and he has a taste for what others value most."
The viscount clenched his fists, the thought swirling in his mind as he struggled to comprehend what his wife was suggesting.
"But we can't just... We can't offer him that. Are you saying..." He said as his voice faltered with realization at the terrible truth of her words.
"Yes," the viscountess whispered. "He wants something far more precious than wealth, land, or titles. He wants something... that will break us both."
Her gaze locked with his, the reality of their situation crashing down on them. "And it's the only thing left that might save us."
The viscount's voice trembled, "But wouldn't he understand if we just told him the truth? That we're being framed, that we had no part in this?"
