He swept the coverlet away and pushed out of bed. Twenty minutes later, he was entering the morning room, fully, impeccably dressed, a smile to greet the day on his mouth. But the room was empty of Valentina, and everyone else for that matter. He didn’t have a pocket watch to consult, but it only now occurred to him that it might be early morning. The light was still golden, and the air yet held that specific stillness.
A servant carrying a tray of croissants entered. The surprised lift of her eyebrows when she spotted him was all the confirmation Archie needed. He was definitely early to breakfast.
Further, he wasn’t only early.
He was eager, anticipation racing through his veins at the prospect of greeting the new day with Valentina.
He took his customary seat at the table and allowed himself to be served his usual morning meal—pot of piping hot coffee, toast, eggs, tomatoes, and black pudding. He was absolutely ravenous this morning.
A small silver tray bearing a note appeared to his right. He sliced the missive open with a butter knife and scanned its contents. He set the note down, a feeling of satisfaction sweeping through him. Everything was falling into place concerning the swindle of Lord Nestor. Tomorrow, Valentina’s family’s money would be secured. And then…
Well, he would never see her again.
He pushed his plate away, his appetite suddenly vanished.
The sound of chatty voices grew near. He’d just slid the note into the interior pocket of his morning coat when Delilah and Juliet entered the room. Their eyebrows lifted to the coffered ceiling when they noticed him.
“Brother,” said Delilah, sliding into her chair, “you’re up and aboutawfully early.”
“Or are you still awake from last night?” asked Juliet, all wide-eyed innocence and anything but.
“Very amusing,” he said, dry. His gaze flicked toward the doorway.Empty.
Perhaps Valentina was in need of a lie-in.
After last night.
The longer he was awake the more he felt like a rogue. What had he been thinking?
Five…ten…fifteen minutes later, he, Delilah, and Juliet were in the middle of breakfast and a story Delilah had heard about the Marchioness of Wyndham’s wig becoming entangled with a tenacious gooseberry bush during an assignation with a soldier in Regent’s Park.
“No doubt a diverting story, Delilah,” began Archie.
“It is,” said Delilah. “You should wait for the ending. It doesn’t turn out how you’d expect.”
Archie cleared his throat as nonchalantly as possible. “Any news of Miss Hart this morning?”
Two sets of eyebrows lifted in his direction. He hated when Delilah and Juliet did that. Never mind cousins, these two were practically twins.
“Yes,” said Delilah, and left it at that as she speared a sausage.
Juliet, bless her, took pity on him. “She’s gone.”
It was just as well Archie had only picked at his meal, for it all felt ready to come back up. He’d scared Valentina off. That was the long and short of it. He’d never been any good at keeping his desires in check.
And he’d desired Miss Valentina Hart from the instant he’d laid eyes on her. He’d needed to possess her.
And he had.
And now…
Heneeded to find her.
And his sister and cousin knew something more than they were saying. He saw it in their eyes. “Now, Juliet,” he began, thinking she might take pity on him again. “Perhaps you could tell me where.”
Juliet shook her head slowly. “Miss Hart spoke with Delilah.”
“Remember, she said to call her Valentina,” inserted Delilah. Her head canted with mischief. “But perhaps not you, Arch.”
