“To think Alexandra wanted me to be free ofher. That daft woman. When I find her, I’ll drag her back to Londonand chain her to me.”
The Duke swirled the amber liquid of hisbrandy. “Despite what she said in her letter of not wanting you,Alexandra Elwins, or Lady Sutherland is in love with you, Nicholas.Looks to me like she sacrificed her happiness for what she believedyou wanted most.”
“And how do you know so much?” Nicholasretorted. He was tired and touchy as a bear.
“Your mother was the same.”
Nicholas took a deep swallow. “I made themistake of expecting children. She left because she could notproduce an heir due to a childhood injury and any of yourprotesting about producing an heir, I will not hear. I wantAlexandra.”
“I am not protesting at all. I told you, I’ma different man, Nicholas. Anthony can produce the heir.”
Nicholas exhaled. “I must bedelusional.”
“You are not.”
“I expected you to object, to disinheritme.”
“No, son.”
Nicholas was silent for a few minutes lockedin disbelief. This couldn’t be happening. All this time he’dbelieved what his father had wanted and it caused Alexandra toleave. Now, just like that his need for an heir was gone. The fearthat cut him was eradicated. Gone. But in its place, and even worsefear because Alexandra…for no good reason…was gone. If anythinghappened to her…
The danger Alexandra had mentioned, herstepmother’s desire to have her killed, meant her life could be indanger at this very minute.
Or what if dockworkers grabbed her or anefarious highwayman. She was vulnerable on the streets alone. Hehad to get to her.Now.
Nicholas raked his hand through his hair.Never had he been so scared in his life. If anything happened toher, he’d never forgive himself.
“I want you to ask the King to help her getback her title and lands and whatever is owed to her. And we mustfind a way to ferret out Lady Ursula and Willean and have thempunished for their crimes.”
The Duke went around his desk and sat.Picking up a quill and dipping it in ink, he said, “I will do itimmediately. In addition, I keep a sensitive finger on the pulse ofLondon. I want you to go over everything again about her past. Herconnections. The people who moved her away from the stepmother. Anydetail you can give me to trace Lady Sutherland. We will findher.”
ChapterTwenty
Alexandra reread the paper from four weeksearlier, heralding the miracle of Lord Nicholas Rutland’s returnfrom the Portuguese slaver, theSantanasand with amysterious lady by the name of Alexandra Elwins who had vanished.She sniffed and then wiped at her nose. If that wasn’t enoughsensationalism, the next day’s paper trumpeted the upcomingnuptials between Lord Nicholas and Lady Susannah Tomkins, longseparated and finally reunited. The article detailed the weddingarrangements with all the grandeur and splendor to accompany thehappy event.
She sniffed. “It certainly didn’t take youlong to forget me, did it, Nicholas?”
“What did you say?” said Samuel.
“Nothing,” she mumbled, numb from crying.She had fallen into her adoptive father’s arms upon returning toDeconshire, and begged his forgiveness for running away and nottelling him where she had gone. But his cheerfulness at having herback couldn’t change the enduring misery. Without Nicholas,Deconshire became a prison.
The people of Deconshire had read thepapers, assuming the worst. The Cornett sisters had a holiday oftheir own, spreading their vicious gossip and accusations.
What if Nicholas because of some misplacedreason or guilt used his resources to find her? Guilt had a strangeeffect on some people, but then why would he risk his future wifefinding about her…about their life on the island. No, it was astupid to think that. And even if there were a remote chance, she’dnever mentioned the name of her town, but she had told him Samuel’ssurname and his rank as sea captain. She shook her head. Therecouldn’t be any records that would lead him to Deconshire, couldthere?
Chills ran up her spine. Lady Ursula musthave read the papers. Thank heaven, the journalists didn’t knowwhere she and Samuel lived. But Lady Sutherland had passed Molly onthe streets in London and had her followed to her hotel where shewas murdered. What if Lady Sutherland followed Alexandra’s journeyfrom London to Deconshire? If anything happened to Samuel…
With that thought, her stomach rolled. Sheblew out a breath to make the nausea go away, an affliction she hadpossessed for many weeks. No doubt, an illness she contracted atsea.
She dropped the paper and took a sip of hertea. The familiar cottage she’d grown up in wrapped around her likea warm quilt. Shiny copper pots hung from the ceiling, a slab ofsmoked bacon suspended from a hook on the stone wall, her hat, andcoat hung next to the door, and a savory beef stew she had madeearlier, simmered on the stove. She rubbed the heel of her palmagainst her chest. Everything spoke of Molly.
“Enough,” said Samuel. “Let’s go out and geta spot of air.”
Visiting Molly’s grave had been a dailyevent, an excuse to forget Nicholas. She didn’t blame him forrestarting his life and didn’t hold him to the promises he made onthe island. To leave had been her decision. Lady Susannah Tomkins.She wanted Nicholas to be happy. But knowing Nicholas as she did,she doubted that he’d be happy with Lady Tomkins. He’d have theperfect life, but would he really be happy?
Alexandra had told Samuel about herabduction and life on the island but remained vague about Nicholas.If Samuel understood what really had occurred between the two ofthem, he would have demanded that Nicholas marry her. Neither didshe want Samuel to know how humiliated she was when replaced, oncethey’d reached the shores of England.
Although she had left so Nicholas couldpursue his former life by fulfilling his promise to marry LadySusannah, she should have not been surprised that the woman he wassupposed to walk down the aisle with would show up. It was justthat Alexandra didn’t really expect him to act so quickly. Shefolded her arms around her, holding herself. To assume anythingelse to occur that would include her was dust in the wind.
