There was no doubt he would worry if he came in and couldn’t find her. Not only that but she didn’t want to risk interrupting them if they were still talking, so it was clear that going out to look for him could only cause problems.
But she couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. Unsure who else to turn to or where to go, she approached one of the footmen handing out drinks along the edge of the dance floor.
“Excuse me,” she sais. “I don’t suppose you have seen my husband, Duke Ashton recently.”
The man startled. “I believe he has already left the ball for the evening. I had assumed he would have told you.”
“What?” she gasped. “Did he say where he went?”
“He returned home, don’t worry. He only took a horse and left the carriage.”
“I see,” her frown deepened. “How long ago did he leave?”
“I can’t be sure, but it wasn’t long.”
“I see.”
“He didn’t say there was an emergency or that we needed to find you, so I do hope everything is all right, your Grace.”
“I’m sure it is,” she forced a tight smile. “My husband isn’t the most social man. I’m sure he just got overwhelmed by all the activity.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear all is well.”
“Of course he is,” she said, trying to convince herself. “He just needs to get a bit of rest.”
She made a quick farewell then turned and saw the man Christopher had stepped into the garden with, hauled up in a corner. He wasn’t doing anything, wasn’t talking to anyone, just sitting in a large, tall backed chair and glaring at the others.
“Thank you for telling me, now if you excuse me, i have a few things to attend to.”
She marched over to him with a look of grim determination. Her hands clenched into fists as she pushed down the urge to run. When she was directly in front of him, he looked over at her with a sigh.
“Excuse me,” she said slightly firmer than was polite.
He didn’t respond.
So she continued. “I don’t believe we have been properly introduced.”
“Did you stop to wonder if that was by design?”
“I had, but I didn’t have time to worry about that. I have a question for you.”
He didn’t respond.
“I won’t go anywhere until you give me an answer.”
“Then ask and begone.”
She squared her shoulders. “What exactly did you say to my husband?”
For a moment, he just stared at her in annoyance. Then, realization dawned across his face. “You must be Christopher’s wife.”
“Yes, I am. What did you say to my husband?”
He shrugged, turning his attention back to the other party goers. “Nothing that wasn’t true. Nothing he didn’t need to hear,” he added quieter, almost to himself.
She crossed her arms. “Then there shouldn’t be any problem in repeating it for me.”
His gaze snapped back to her, a vicious grin crossing his face. “Do you really want to know?”
