Alaric clenched his hands into fists. Catherine had saved him. Catherine had had doubts about the governess from the start. She had seen clearly while Alaric had been blind to everything.
How could I have let this happen?
“What was in that letter, Alaric?” Catherine gestured to the note in his hand. “How did you know the tea was poisoned?”
“Mrs. Langley’s real name is Marina Ashcroft. She was my father’s mistress and...” Alaric did not have time to finish his sentence before Catherine wheeled around and hurtled from the room, calling out. “I should never have let her in the house.”
He swore loudly, stumbling in his attempt to chase after her. The muscles in his body screamed their protest, but he ignored them.
“Catherine, stop!” he yelled as he nearly collided with a shocked maid coming down the corridor.
If Catherine heard him, she gave no sign. The invisible hand around Alaric’s chest tightened; he felt as though someone had poured icy water over his head.
She is going to get herself killed.
He cursed whatever poison the woman had fed him and forced himself to run after Catherine. The pain gave way to determination.
Every breath felt as though the air had turned to wool around him. He did not care.I have to keep her safe.He drew level with her as they reached the servants’ quarters. He had no breath to call out; instead, he flung himself past her, barreling through the door, ready to meet whatever lay on the other side.
The room in front of him was empty. He ignored the pain spreading through his body as he looked around. The bed was rumpled, and her uniform lay scattered across it. The coat hook had no coat hanging on it, and there was no sign of her bags.
“She is gone.” He turned to Catherine, angry and scared, fighting for control. “What were you thinking? She tried to poison me—what if she had hurt you?”
He saw the same anger and fear in Catherine’s eyes. “I do not care. She tried to kill you!”
“And what do you think she would have done to you if you had confronted her?” Alaric interjected, his blood roaring so loudly through his body that he could scarcely hear his own words. “What would have happened if she had been waiting with a knife or some other weapon? You could have been killed.”
“This is all my fault, Alaric. If I had just listened to my suspicions, she never would have had the chance to do this.” Catherine’s lip trembled as she closed the distance between them.
“I was the one who did not listen to you.” Alaric reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek. “You were the only one who saw through her.”
“And yet I did nothing.” Catherine swallowed and shook her head. “We do not even know where she is. Or how long she has been gone.”
“I will find her, I swear.” He heard the sound of footsteps approaching them, and wrapped his arms around Catherine, moving her deftly behind him as he retreated out of sight.
“Your Graces?” the familiar voice of Mrs. Danvers called.
“What is it, Mrs. Danvers?” Alaric asked as he stepped into the hallway.
Mrs. Danvers wrung her hands, her face pale as a sheet, sweat beading on her brow. Coldness swept over Alaric as he saw the fear in her expression.
He knew what she was about to say before she said it.
“Master Oliver is missing.”
CHAPTER 23
“Master Oliver is missing.”
Time seemed to freeze as the words struck Catherine like a bullet. “And I cannot find Daisy either.”
The blood in her body turned to ice as she looked at the empty room behind her. She looked at Alaric, saw the dark circles under his eyes, the tightness of his jaw.
This is all my fault.
She clenched her hands into fists, trying to force some reason into her sluggish mind. She needed to stay rational and think clearly. She closed her eyes, bringing the facts to the front of her mind. Mrs. Langley—no, Miss Marina Ashcroft—had tried to kill Alaric, and now she was gone.
She was the late Duke’s paramour. The pieces clicked into place in Catherine’s mind, and her eyes flew open. “Miss Marina is Oliver’s mother, is she not?”
