After his lover dies trying to lend him aid at Salamanca, hopelessness becomes Preston Meacham's only way of life. Despite his best efforts and with no pride left, he sells himself for a pittance at a molly house, the mindless sex giving him his only respite from the horrors he witnessed. The Napoleonic War left Benedict Wilmot haunted by the horrific acts he's forced to commit, as well as torture at the hands of a homophobic superior. As the battle rages around him, a weak and beaten Ben is ordered to kill a fellow redcoat, else face a ghastly death himself. Even in his dreams, he can't escape the memory of the man he killed. When their paths cross, Ben feels an overwhelming need to protect Preston from his dangerous profession, because, as he explains, and "The streets are dangerous for men like us. and "