“She did not,” he replied venomously, believing that with every fiber of his being. “If ye’d bothered to get to know her instead of speaking to her like she was something nasty on yer boot, ye’d know that too.”
Beatrice blinked. “I havenae spoken to her like that.”
“Aye, ye have, and ye still are.” Jeremy shook his head, too infuriated to have her in the room a moment longer. “Get out. I won’t ask ye again.”
“Nay, because I think ye’re bein’ a fool. I think yer judgment is clouded because ye have a… lust for her,” Beatrice shot back.
At that, Jeremy threw back the coverlets and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Taking a second to catch his still-compromised breath, he lurched to his feet and walked straight out of the room. He was in no mood to argue or discuss the possible crimes of an innocent woman, so if Beatrice wouldn’t leave, then he would.
“Where are ye goin’?” Beatrice called after him, her footsteps in pursuit.
“Away from ye, before I say something I might regret,” he shouted back.
He felt bad enough without adding being viciously unkind to his dead brother’s wife to the list. It was better for both of them if they stayed away from each other for a while; the irony wasn’t lost on him.
Breaking through the curtain that still hung over the entrance to Anna’s territory, he came to an abrupt halt. Katherine and her brother were just ahead and seemed to be in the midstof a fervent argument. Rather, they were, until Jeremy had interrupted with his presence.
Just the person I hoped to see… and the one I did not.He had learned that Mr. Miller had intervened and encouraged Anna to venture to London, and had prepared the carriage that had taken her there. Of course, Jeremy couldn’t actually blame the man for mediating the situation before it turned uglier, but that didn’t mean he was happy about what he had done.
“Miss Miller, might I have a word?” Jeremy said.
Katherine took a deep breath, some furious fire still flashing in her eyes. “Of course, Your Grace.”
All too familiar with sibling squabbles and saddened to think he would never argue with his brother again, Jeremy gently took Katherine to the other side of the landing.
“I have a favor to ask,” he began.
The maid had her head bowed, unable to look him in the eyes. “What favor, Your Grace?”
“I hoped ye might agree to go to Anna, and convince her to come back,” he replied. “Ye can borrow the carriage.”
Katherine fidgeted with the cuff of her sleeve, her chin apparently glued to her chest. “I... I don’t know that I’d be able to make much difference, Your Grace. And, with respect, I don’tknow that sheshouldreturn yet.” She paused, as if uncertain whether to continue. “The servants are still talking about her very cruelly. Yours, mostly.”
Anger prickled across Jeremy’s aching chest. “If I contend with that, will ye go to her?”
The maid hesitated. “I thinkyoushould go to her.” She spoke so quietly that it was almost impossible to hear her. “Indeed, I think that would be for the best. You can makeher return; I cannot.”
“Ye’re refusing me request?” Jeremy said coolly.
At last, she lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears that hadn’t yet spilled. “I want her to be safe, Your Grace. She means everything to me. But I… can’t go to London.” She dropped her gaze again. “It has to be you.”
Frustrated though he was, he sensed there was something more to Katherine’s refusal than it seemed. The girl was nervous, her hands trembling, and he could tell it was taking a lot of courage for her to say ‘no’ to him. What he didn’t understand was why.
“Very well,” he grumbled. “I’ll resolve the mutiny here, and then we shallbothgo to London. Let’s hope that when we get there, she’s ready to come back to us.”
She didn’t appear to like that any more than his initial request, but he noted the small nod of her head.
Expelling a great sigh as a cough bubbled up the back of his throat, Jeremy turned his attention to the butler. “Did she reach the townhouse safely? Ye went with her, didn’t ye?”
“I didn’t, Your Grace,” Mr. Miller replied. “I merely put her in the carriage. It wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to travel with her.”
Irritation prickled in Jeremy’s eyes, while worry pinched at his recovering heart. “So, nay one knows if she made it there?”
“The driver returned in the early hours of this morning, while you were sleeping soundly,” Mr. Miller replied with thinly veiled contempt. “He left her where she would be safe. No harm has come to her.”
Jeremy thought about explaining that it hadn’t been his choice to sleep so deeply, but what reason did he have to explain himself to the butler? Indeed, the only reason Mr. Miller was still at Stonebridge at all was that Anna seemed to care for the two siblings. Jeremy didn’t want to do anything that might lessen the chance of her coming home.
“I expect ye both in the ballroom in half an hour,” he commanded. “Tell the rest of the staff.”
