His sister wasn’t going to do anything. The little mouse could barely even speak to the Duke, much less tell him the part she had played in his near-death experience. Besides, if shedidfind some courage and told him the truth, told him that Anna wasn’t at the London townhouse either, it wouldn’t make a difference. Paul would already be ahead, and only he knew where Anna really was.
Satisfied that he could still fix his tattered plan, he left the room and walked straight to the stables. Stealing a horse was nothing compared to what he had already done, and what he would have to do if Anna didn’t make the right choice.
Jeremy looked across the small crowd of servants with the stern disappointment of a schoolmaster. They shifted uncomfortably beneath his cold gaze, half of them probably wondering why they had been summoned, the other half knowing perfectly well. But he couldn’t reprimand the Scottish side without the English side hearing what he had to say, too; he didn’t want further division.
“The duchess of this household,myduchess, has been nothing but welcoming to the lot of ye,” he began, his voice strong despite his aching chest. “She has treated ye with kindness and ensured that none of ye felt like ye had nay place here. As for those who’ve worked for her longer, ye were so loyal to her that ye would have fought me if she asked. Don’t allow that to change.”
Complete silence filled the ballroom, and many heads were downturned in shame.
“Those who turned on her, ye should be ashamed of yerselves,” Jeremy continued. “She did nothing to me. All she did was ask me to be a true husband to her, and I expect we’ll all be needing to apologize when she returns.”
His housekeeper raised her hand. “Are ye goin’ to fetch her, Yer Grace?”
“Aye, just as soon as I’ve heard from all of ye that ye’ll make her feel welcome when she comes back, as she did for ye,” he replied, as his eyes searched the room.
He spotted Katherine near the back, already dressed in a cloak. Ready to depart for London just as soon as Jeremy gave the order.
Yet, he couldn’t see her brother, the butler, anywhere among the crowd. It vexed Jeremy that the man thought he was above the rest of the servants, although he figured he shouldn’t besurprised. Paul Miller had made it clear that he served Anna and Anna alone, so of course, he wouldn’t deign to show his face.
A rumble of agreement moved through the crowd.
“We’re sorry, Yer Grace,” the housekeeper said. “There were so many people talking about what happened to the previous duke. We… let ourselves get carried away.”
Jeremy glanced at the older woman. “Ye don’t need to apologize to me. Save it for when the Duchess is here, and ye’re summoned again.” He gave a nod to Katherine. “Try not to cause any more trouble while I’m gone.”
Wishing he had the time to rest and recuperate first, but knowing it wasn’t possible, Jeremy rubbed slow circles against his chest and made his way out of the ballroom. There was already a carriage waiting; he just hoped that Anna would be in it when they returned from London.
After that, he would deal with Colin. And he would deal with that man the Scottish way.
No mercy.
CHAPTER 32
The city was noisier than Anna preferred. Even at night, it didn’t seem to quiet down, her senses alert to every strange and disruptive sound: carriages rattling over cobblestones, foxes screaming, drunkards shouting, passersby whistling without considering who they might be disturbing.
She had arrived late the night before and still hadn’t slept. She had tried, but the bed was unfamiliar, the room smelled peculiar, the coverlets were scratchy, and her mind was even louder than the constant activity outside.
The townhouse really must be in a terrible condition,she mused as she paused by the parlor window and stared out at the gated grounds of a church. Beautiful, but not at all comforting.
She missed Stonebridge. She missed the little chapel on the edge of the estate. She missed the peace and quiet. She missed the husband that, despite all he had said and done, she knew she loved. She missed home.
Having never been to the townhouse in London, she hadn’t realized that the carriage wasn’t taking her there until the driver stopped outside a whitewashed building. An old woman was there to meet her at the door and showed her up to the modest apartments where she now found herself.
“You’re to stay here until the townhouse can be properly arranged for you,”the woman had told her.“Something about some rot or some damp; I can’t remember rightly.”
Anna would have asked more questions, but the old woman wasn’t particularly forthcoming. And, by that point, Anna had been so exhausted in body and mind that she had just wanted to be alone behind a closed door.
Now, however, as she frowned at a blackbird pecking the church grounds for a juicy worm, she had to wonderwhythe driver had brought her here. How had these apartments been ready for her? Was it another property of Robert’s that she hadn’t known about? How long, exactly, would she be expected to stay here?
Does it matter?She opened the window and inhaled the unfamiliar air, tinged with the aroma of horses and smoke.
The townhouse could stay in a state of disrepair, for she had no real intention of residing there. Once she could muster the motivation, she planned to write to Benedict, to tell him that she would be returning to Pembroke House—her childhood home—and she would not be taking ‘no’ for an answer. After all, she was a proper duchess again. A mere baron had no right to refuse her request.
I shall be at home there again, in that place I used to love so much.She had no doubt that Benedict had changed some things, but the bones of Pembroke House would still be the same. Right now, it was the only place she could think of going, where she might not feel so utterly lost.
Just then, she heard the parlor door open.
Her heart leaped in alarm as she whirled around, but it soon settled again as she looked upon a familiar face.
