“Myfault?” Evan said, startled. “She was with you, and you let her out of your sight.”
“Oh, no. You know exactly what I mean. You have made her miserable, Evan. I never wanted this marriage for her, but she insisted, and now, look what has happened. You have driven her away.”
A knife twisted inside him at the accusation.
“I knew something was wrong with her though she would not tell us,” Penelope said. “She left to clear her head because of you. And now, she is gone, and you are sitting here unbothered.”
“You dare assume that I am not bothered by this?” Evan’s nostrils flared.
“I think,” Penelope said, stepping closer, “that you do not know what to do with a woman who loves you. And now, when she needs you the most, you are standing here debating with me instead of going out there and finding her.”
“Enough,” Evan stopped her there. He grabbed his coat, already moving toward the door. “I will find her.”
Penelope followed him, her anger now mingled with worry. “You had better because you are the cause of all this.”
With that, they left together. Now was not the time for arguing or issuing blame. Evan could only think of one thing, as all sorts of wayward thoughts begin to enter his mind.
Please be safe.
CHAPTER 25
“Where am I?”
A sharp pain throbbed at the back of Isadora’s head as she stirred, her consciousness creeping back slowly. The smell of damp wood infiltrated her senses.
She blinked, her vision adjusting to what appeared to be a dimly lit chamber, and it was then she realized her hands were bound.
“Is someone here?”
The last thing she remembered was walking on the trail, and then….
“Ah, the prized duchess is awake at last.” The same voice that had taken her away called out from behind her. The words sent a chill down her spine.
Slowly, the figure revealed himself.
“Hartenshire?” Isadora choked.Hewas the one who had brought her here? A sense of panic gripped her at the realization.
“Pleasure to meet you again,Your Grace.” A mocking smile settled on his lips. “You were knocked out for quite a while there. I was worried I might have killed you by accident.”
The words were so nefarious, but he said them so casually. Hartenshire seemed different since the last time she had seen him at the wedding. He looked like a shell of his former self, the disgrace of it all having transformed him into a mad man.
He came to stop just a few paces from where she sat.
“Why have you brought me here?” Isadora clenched her jaw. It was hard not to scream, but she knew that it would not do her any good.
“Come now, Duchess,” he mused, chuckling as if he drew amusement from seeing her so distressed. “Do you truly need me to spell it out for you?”
Her stomach turned, but she refused to break his gaze.
“Is this some sort of payback for not marrying my sister?”
“Oh, to hell with that woman,” he spat. “What your husband did to me was far worse. I have been banished from society, disgraced and discarded with little thought.Howexactly did you expect me to react to that?”
Isadora had not thought of him since the ball. She thought of him as a mere obstacle that had now been put firmly in the past.
“You reap what you sow,” she answered, her hands straining against their binds. “I do not see how bringing me here does anything to restore the reputation that you soiled yourself.”
Even though her tone was even, her heart fluttered against her chest. She didnottrust this man not to hurt her.
