Julian Hawthorne,he thought. It has to be him.The earl Hugo told me about. The one with the pregnant mistress.
The Duke turned sharply to Victoria, his expression intense. “Where is your sister now?”
Victoria wiped at her tear-stained face with the handkerchief Hugo had given her. “She is leaving for London this afternoon.”
Laurence’s jaw clenched. He exchanged a quick glance with Hugo.
“Then she might still be at the manor, it’s barely afternoon,” Laurence interrupted, already moving toward the door.
“Victoria, come with us,” Hugo said, offering his arm. “Quickly.”
The three of them rushed to the Duke’s carriage. Laurence barked orders at his carriage man as they climbed inside, and the vehicle lurched into motion with enough force to throw them back against the seats.
“Drive fast!” Laurence called up.
The carriage sped through the village and out onto the main road leading toward London. Inside, Victoria gripped the edge of her seat, her face pale but hopeful.
“What will you say to her?” she asked. “She’s so determined to go through with this. She thinks it’s the only way to protect us.”
“I’ll think of something,” Laurence said grimly.
Within twenty minutes, they were pulling up to Fairfax Manor. The horses had barely stopped before Laurence leaped from the carriage, Hugo and Victoria close behind.
Victoria rushed through the front door, breathless. “Joan! Joan, where are you?”
She collided with Sarah, the maid, who stumbled backward in surprise.
“Miss Victoria! I didn’t expect?—”
“Where is my sister?” Victoria demanded. “Is she still here?”
Sarah’s face fell. “I’m sorry, Miss. She left not long ago.”
Laurence stepped forward, his imposing figure making the maid shrink back slightly. “How long ago? Be precise.”
“P-perhaps twenty minutes, Your Grace? Maybe thirty? She was in such a hurry, wouldn’t even take breakfast.”
Laurence was already turning back toward the carriage. Hugo caught Victoria’s arm gently.
“Stay here and wait,” he told her. “We’ll bring her back. I promise.”
Victoria nodded, fresh tears streaming down her face. “Please. Please bring my sister home.”
Hugo squeezed her hand reassuringly, then ran after Laurence.
“The London road!” Laurence shouted to his driver. “Full speed!”
The carriage took off with such violence that Hugo was thrown against the seat as he climbed inside. The horses galloped at a punishing pace, the countryside blurring past the windows.
Laurence sat forward, his hands clenched into white-knuckled fists on his knees. His jaw was set, his scarred face hard with determination.
I don’t care if I have to chase her all the way to London, he thought fiercely. I don’t care if I have to storm that church and physically carry her away.
“There!” Hugo called out suddenly, pointing ahead. “A carriage!”
Laurence leaned out the window. “Block it! Get ahead and block the road!”
His driver cracked the whip, and their carriage surged forward with a burst of speed. They pulled alongside the other vehicle, then cut sharply in front of it, forcing it to slow and stop.
