All he could seem to think about was Caroline. The way she had looked at him over breakfast, as if her trust in him—so carefully won—had cracked.
That wasn’t something he’d ever dreamed could matter to him as much as it did in this moment. But right now, against all odds, he felt as if his world had shattered, and he didn’t quite know what to do.
That ball really can’t come soon enough, he thought.I need the chance to prove to Caroline that I am on her side, and that no matter what the ton may have to say about it, the two of us have every chance to build a future together.
CHAPTER 29
“Your suspicions are true,” Bradley said.
“What do you mean, they’re true?” Levi leaned across the desk and steepled his fingers. “Are you saying that someoneisdeliberately spreading rumors about myself and my wife?”
“That’s right,” Bradley said. “I’ve spoken to many of your tenants, and they’ve confirmed that they see you as a terrible rake, a scoundrel and a cad. And when I asked them why they thought these things—did it reflect some behavior they had seen in you, for example—all of them gave me the same answer.”
“What answer?” Levi’s heart raced.
“They all said they had beentoldthis was the way you were.”
“So, you mean to say—you’re saying that these aren’t opinions they’ve formed about me on their own. Someone is saying it.”
“That’s right. And that tells me there’s someone who has a vested interest in people believing the worst about you, Your Grace.”
“But who could want such a thing? And why? I don’t understand it.”
“I don’t either,” Bradley admitted. “All I know is that we have more questions that need answering now. We need to find out who is saying these things so that we can put a stop to it—that’s all there is to it.”
“I agree,” Levi said. “Will you continue to investigate, Bradley? I need this resolved as quickly as possible, and with as little attention drawn to me as we can manage. And none at all to my wife, if that’s possible. But I’ll say this—it’s one thing if their aim is to do me harm; if they are trying to doherharm, though…well, they have very little chance at receiving my forgiveness. That’s all I can say about that.”
“I quite understand,” Bradley said grimly. “I will try to find out more. My hope is that I can find a tenant who is willing to give a description of the person spreading the rumors.”
“But even if you do find that person, they might not be the one truly to blame,” Levi pointed out. “It’s very likely to be someone else altogether, someone who is merely using a third party to do the dirty work for them.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve thought of it. If we can find the person spreading the rumors, it will be a good first step, and we’ll take things from there.”
Levi nodded. “Very well, then,” he said. “Please return to me when you’ve found out more. And do try to be quick about it. Every day that goes by allows these rumors to take root more deeply. I am not the kind of man who would ever betray my wife like that, and I need that to be known.” He thought of the way Caroline had so recently expressed doubt in him and in their relationship. Surely she couldn’t believe there was anything real about these rumors, could she?
If she did—if someone had caused her to think this way about him—his revenge would be something to behold. He pledged that to himself right there and then.
They would not get away with it.
He returned home after his meeting with Bradley to find the house in an uproar.
Lady Highgate ran up to him the moment he was in the door. “Your Grace,” she gasped. “Where is she? Is she with you?”
“What do you mean?” Levi’s first thought was that Prudence must have run away again, but he looked around and saw her huddled with Bridget in the corner. His heart sank. There was only one other person they could be referring to.
“It’s Caroline,” Lady Highgate said. “I haven’t seen her all day—none of us has. We told ourselves she must have gone out with you, and we just didn’t realize. But she isn’t with you either.”
“No, she isn’t,” Levi murmured, feeling decidedly nervous. “You haven’t seen her at all today?”
“Not at all,” Prudence spoke up. She was a little steadier than her mother, but Levi could see that she was shaken as well. “I thought…well…you know that I used to go…out sometimes.” She flushed, but she didn’t break eye contact with him, and in that moment, she looked so much like her sister that Levi’s heart broke. He had come to care so passionately for Caroline. He couldn’t lose her. Not like this. Where could she be?
He was about to turn around, go right back out, and search for her himself when a familiar voice queried, “What’s going on?”
He turned. She stood in the doorway, clearly having just arrived home. He was on her in an instant, hand around her wrist so that she couldn’t run off again. “What were you doing?” he demanded. “Where have you been?”
“Levi—I was just out! Why are you so angry?”
“Tell me where you were.”
