But now the Duke of Stonehelm had turned up, and he was about to throw everything off, and she could not afford another problem.
“Lady Kerrington?” Hannah pressed. “My Lady?”
Sibyl did not trust the Duke, nor the men from the Gilded Key, nor even Edmund. Her husband had left her no note, no explanation of his absence, and no word of his whereabouts.
She was alone in this situation, and she had to ensure her walls remained higher than ever.
Steeling herself, she made her decision: she would find her husband by herself.
Feeling quite in a trance, she placed Rosie in Hannah’s arms. “Please stay in the nursery with Rosie. You may use the bed by the cot, but do not leave her alone. I must go out, but I will be back before dawn. Take what you need and lock the door behind you once you return.”
“Is this to do with the stranger, My Lady? I will not let him anywhere near her.”
“I know,” Sibyl assured hurriedly.
“I will take care of Rosie, My Lady,” Hannah promised.
Sibyl nodded her thanks, then, with a quick kiss to Rosie’s forehead, she left the room and descended the stairs.
But rather than go down the main hallway and past the parlor, she veered to the servants’ quarters. There, she realized just how few servants they had.
Sibyl had believed her husband when he claimed that they did not need a host of footmen and maids, that a handful was plenty enough. Once, he had even argued that it helped the existing servants because they received higher pay.
Now, she wondered if her husband had just not been able to afford hiring more servants.
Finding Mrs. Collier and Banwick, she approached them with as much confidence as she could muster through her panic.
Banwick rose to his feet, ready and protective.
“Please prepare a guest chamber for His Grace immediately,” she instructed. “The Duke of Stonehelm is an important friend of Lord Kerrington’s; his every need must be attended to. He is currently in the parlor. Please make him feel welcome here.”
Mrs. Collier nodded, already moving to make the preparations even at such a late hour.
Sibyl’s confident orders—as though she knew the Duke, and knew exactly what she was doing—felt like ash on her tongue. Still, she turned on her heel and made for the parlor.
When she walked in, she found the Duke pacing back and forth. He was not overturning the furniture or rummaging through drawers, as she had shamefully expected.
But what reason did she have to think otherwise? He was here to collect a debt, just like the other men, even if he told her his intentions were different.
“Your Grace.” Her voice carried through the room, making him look up at her.
His whole demeanor was uninterested,bored, as if he was there because he had to be, but was not interested in wasting time.
“I have requested that a chamber be prepared for you,” she told him. “You may retire to it once it’s ready.”
It was a veiled dismissal, a plea for him to leave so she could sneak out, for if he was invested in her husband’s private matters, then she had a feeling he would not let her leave so easily.
No gentleman would, really, not so late at night.
The Duke fixed her with a knowing look. “No.”
“No?” Sibyl echoed.
“No,” he repeated. “I can’t retire when there are matters to tend to. I do not like having my time wasted.”
“Neither do I,” Sibyl shot back. “Which is why I have instructed the staff to prepare for your stay?—”
“No,” he uttered, cocking his head. “I will wait right here for Lord Kerrington.”
