His expression was cold and impassive as he drifted his gaze up to Oakley. “You seem quite upset,” he remarked mildly, “for a man who should know how to manage his own family. She is your sister… shouldn’t you know where you left her?”
Oakley’s nostrils flared, but before he could respond, the sound of the door opening again drew their attention. Charlotte and Georgina entered, seemingly unperturbed, as though they had just been out for a stroll in the gardens. Charlotte glanced at her husband and frowned as Easton lifted his glass of brandy up to salute her. He winked and lifted his chin toward Oakley in a silent message. One that Charlotte received, and she took her cue from him.
“Oh, good heavens,” Georgina exclaimed, placing her hand over her chest as if she had received a fright. “What on earth is going on in here?” It was easy enough for her to mimic. Georgina was known to be perpetually shy and skittish around those she did not know well.
Charlotte, who stood just behind her, regarded Oakley with feigned surprise. “My lord, what on earth has you in such a state? Surely there is no need for all this noise?” She narrowed her gaze. “Did you lose at billiards?” she asked him. “It is my understanding that His Grace is quite skilled. I’ve been told he rarely loses.”
“He’s losing now,” Foxmoore chimed in. “Oakley here just interrupted us as we were about to make a wager.” He gestured toward Kingston. “Should we settle the terms now?”
Oakley’s eyes darted between the women, his anger still smoldering. He blatantly ignored Foxmoore—his sole focus now on the two women. Kingston did not doubt that Charlotte would be able to handle him. He was more worried about Georgina. If Oakley upset her, Foxmoore would lose his calm demeanor and fast. “Where is she?” Oakley demanded, his voice still thick with frustration. “I know she’s here.”
Charlotte stepped forward, her tone light. “You’ve gone quite mad, my lord. Are you looking for your sister?” she asked. “Is she not resting in her room?”
Georgina nodded in agreement. “You really must calm yourself, Oakley. Shall I go upstairs and check on Jaclyn for you? I assure you she should be perfectly safe. The doctor did say she must rest if she is to recover.”
The tension in the room seemed to dissipate as Oakley’s frustration met the cool, composed demeanor of the two women. His gaze, still dark with suspicion, flicked from one to the other, but neither one of them so much as flinched.
“You are sure she is in her room?” he asked. “How can you be so certain?”
“Well,” Charlotte began. “That is where we left her before we went out to the gardens for a walk.” She frowned. “She was not feeling well so we saw her to her bedchamber before we departed. Though I suppose she could have gone somewhere while we were outside…”
“Did you check her bedchamber?” Georgina asked. “Before you accused these gentlemen of doing something dastardly with her?” She tilted her head to the side. “Are you always this willing to jump to the worst conclusion, my lord?” Her glare was breathtaking to behold. Kingston fought the urge to applaud her acting, and to think he worried her shy nature would prevent her from helping her friend. He should not have been concerned at all. Besides, Oakley did need a good dressing down and Georgina was doing so brilliantly. “It is my understanding your presumptions are what led to Jaclyn’s reputation being ruined. Do you truly wish to tread along this path again?”
Finally, Oakley exhaled sharply, his shoulders sagging slightly in defeat. “Please check her room for me,” he said. “If she is there, I will owe you all an apology.” He frowned. “Is she really that unwell? She seemed perfectly fine when I spoke to her this morning.”
“She’s been gravely ill, my lord,” Georgina said. “She slept for days straight as she fought off the sickness that enveloped her after she nearly died in that pond incident.” She smiled softly. “You should take better care with her. You are her family, and you should be more concerned about her health than her reputation at the moment. If she should take a turn for the worse…” She inhaled sharply and raised her hand to her chest and closed her eyes. “Well,” she said solemnly. “I do not wish to speak the worse possibility into existence, but you do catch my meaning. Do you not?”
“I do,” he said. “I will accompany you to Jaclyn’s room. I wish to see for myself that she is well. You have given me much to consider.”
After they left the room, Charlotte turned toward the others. Once she was certain that Oakley and Georgina were not within eavesdropping distance she said, “Everything went as we planned. She is safe.”
Kingston nodded. “We will not speak further on this until Oakley has vacated the premises.” He frowned. “We cannot allow him to believe, even for one moment, that we know where she is. He will be relentless, as it is, without any proof we aided her.”
“I agree,” Easton said. He gestured toward the open door and met Foxmoore’s gaze. “Will your wife be all right with him? He has quite a volatile nature.”
“Georgina can handle him,” he said confidently. “She is so sweet no one would consider her of doing anything nefarious.” He lifted his stick to take another shot on the billiards table. “Besides, if he harms her in any fashion, I will gladly make him regret breathing the same air she does.”
Kingston’s lips twitched. “Now that is something I’d love to witness.”
“Pray you do not have to,” Foxmoore said. “Because it will mean that bastard did something untoward to my wife.”
Oakley stormed back into the room with Georgina close behind him. “She isn’t in her room,” he nearly shouted at them. “What did you do with her?”
“Jaclyn is gone?” Charlotte met Georgina’s gaze. “You did not find her in her bedchamber?”
Georgina shook her head. “She’s not there. I don’t…” She swallowed hard. “I do not know where she could be.” Her voice shook as she spoke. “He…”
Foxmoore set down his cue stick and strolled over to her. He pulled her into his arms and said some soothing noises to comfort her. He glared at Oakley. “What did you do to upset my wife?”
“Nothing,” Oakley gritted out. “She is fine. It’s not my fault she’s more skittish than a newborn foal.”
No one had time to react as Foxmoore’s fist hit Oakley’s face. “Apologize now,” he demanded. “You had no right to treat her so callously.”
Oakley wiped blood from his nose as he glared at Foxmoore. “You will pay for that,” he promised. “You will all pay for what you have done today. Do not think you have me fooled. This is all one big charade and I’m to be your dupe. Well, you can all think again. I will find my sister and then you will all rue the day that you played with my family as if we mean nothing.” He seemed to realize that no one in the room was going to give him the answers he sought. With one last glance at Kingston, his eyes narrowed. “I will not make any apology,” he muttered, storming out of the room.
As soon as Oakley was gone, Kingston let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. A glance toward Easton confirmed what he had suspected—Oakley would not be so easy to shake. This plan was temporary, and he would have to do something far more permanent to keep Jaclyn safe from her family’s loving embrace. It wasn’t over... far from it. It couldn’t be over until they had secured Jaclyn’s safety, until he could be sure that Oakley wouldn’t tear through the entire estate looking for her.
Charlotte turned to them with a knowing look in her eyes. “That could have gone better,” she said, though there was a slight edge to her voice that hinted at the underlying tension.
