Caroline fumed, wanting nothing more than to chase her down and force her to redact all her cruel words. But she also knew that to do so would only let Modesty feel more important. The best thing she could do would be to allow her rival to simply walk away.
She knew one thing for certain, though. It was more important than ever that they locate Prudence and bring her home quickly. If these were the kind of rumors that were going to be going around—and you could always count on Modesty to spread a rumor—then it was vital that Prudence be here to prove it wasn’t true before her reputation was tarnished beyond saving.
I hope Gregory has come up with some information that will allow us to bring her home quickly. With every passing day, the urgency grows.
Caroline picked up her wine glass and went off in search of her husband.
CHAPTER 19
“Did you enjoy the ball?” Levi asked as the two of them rode home.
Caroline was looking away from him, staring out the window of the carriage. “Did Gregory truly say that he hadn’t found anything out? You weren’t just waiting to tell me more once we got into the carriage?”
“I wish I had better news for you,” Levi said. “I was hoping every bit as much as you were that I would be able to tell you something.”
“But Gregory has never met her,” Caroline said. “He couldn’t give a fitting description of her to the people he asked if they had seen her. Couldn’t that be the reason? Maybe he described her poorly, and that’s why we didn’t get any answers.”
“It’s possible,” Levi had to admit. “But also, I do think Gregory was able to give a fairly apt description. He has metyou, afterall, and even seen you in the sort of clothing she liked to wear. I’m sorry, Caroline. I know you and I both hoped for a better outcome. I wish I had different news I could give you right now. But no one has seen any trace of your sister.”
“You’re not just giving up.”
“Of course not. We simply have to come up with another plan. We have to decide on what we should do next—who we should speak to, where we should look. Asking the men who frequent the London pubs does not seem to have paid dividends. But she’s out there somewhere, and wearegoing to find her. I pledge that to you.”
Caroline didn’t respond. She turned and looked out the window again. Levi frowned, wondering what was on her mind. He wanted to ask her—but it was clear that she was distraught.
When he had come back from talking to Gregory, she hadn’t been where he had left her. He suspected she had been looking for him. He’d taken her back to the dance floor, but the dancing had lost its luster for both of them. The news that Gregory’s search had come up empty had put a damper on the evening, and they had quickly decided to give it up and return home.
The carriage now pulled to a stop in front of Mowbray Manor. Levi helped Caroline out, but she didn’t wait for him—she hurried to the door and went inside. By the time he had recovered from that surprise and reached the foyer, she was nowhere to be seen.
I wonder if something happened at the ball? She certainly seems unhappy.
He decided he would let her have the night to recover her composure, and he hoped their paths would cross tomorrow at breakfast. Then he would ask her what had occurred to leave her so distraught. And if he found that someone had been in any way unkind to her…well, that person would learn the meaning of the worldconsequences, he thought darkly as he made his way to his study for a late-night drink.
As it turned out, though, their confrontation did not have to wait until morning.
He had left his study door slightly cracked, and it was just good fortune that he happened to be looking up at the right moment. A shadow passed in front of the door. Movement. One of the servants?
He couldn’t say how, but he had a feeling it wasn’t.
He rose to his feet, doing his best to make as little noise as possible, and crossed to the door, lingering behind it for just a moment. Then he grabbed the knob and pulled it abruptly open.
There she was, standing frozen in a patch of candlelight, staring at him with a guilty look on her face.
Caroline.
She had dressed in the clothes he had told her to burn—the men’s things. She had her hair pinned up and tucked under a hat. And he understood at once what she was doing, and why.
“No,” he said firmly. “Absolutely not.”
“Levi—”
“You thought I wasn’t going to catch you? Or that I wouldn’t find out about this?”
“I have to?—”
“You don’t have to do anything. Get in here and sit down.”
He turned around and walked back into his study, unable, for a moment, to even look at her. He knew there was a chance she would disregard his instructions and try to leave anyway, but he knew the best way to compel her obedience was to act as if he knew he would be obeyed—as if he simply took it for granted.
