Both children nodded, their eyes wide with fright.
“How do you know?” Malcolm asked.
“She yelled at us this morning.” James hiccupped a sob. “She called me and Lizzy mean names again. Our mama loves us and would not do that. We tried to find her, but she is gone.”
Malcolm’s blood turned to ice, chilling every inch of his body. Kat was still alive… and had returned? What had that woman done with Camilla? He knew Kat had never been in her right mind, but if she were still alive, would she cause her sister harm?
He leaned over and kissed James’s head, then Lizzy’s. “No need to fear. I shall find her.”
“Promise?” James asked.
“Yes.” He stood. “I will also get rid of that mean woman.”
Smiles crossed his children’s puffy faces, and his heart melted, yet it still felt heavy from Camilla’s loss. Panic surged through him, more powerful than it had when he heard of Broderick’s arrest.
The first place he looked for Kat was at the stable, but she hadn’t returned from her ride. Impatient, he stormed back inside the house, waiting for her return.
In the next hour, he gathered his trusted servants and instructed them to search everywhere for his wife. Malcolm even bribed them with an incentive for getting a bonus.
He paced the parlor, each step increasing his anger. He fisted his hands at his sides, eager to take his frustration out on somebody. Anybody. Kat hadn’t returned, and it had been three hours since the children told him about the switch. When did it happen? And why hadn’t he detected it?
He stopped at the window, looking toward the stable. The switch must have happened last night at the jail. When she’d climbed into the carriage and kissed him, it felt different. And her attitude once they walked inside the house was off, too.
Strange how his children would know the difference between the two women. They never once mentioned they knew Camilla was a different woman, and even if they didn’t fully understand now, they knew enough to warn him.
Off in the distance, a rider approached. He gritted his teeth and scowled. It was Kat. Even from here, he recognized the haughty tilt of her chin, the straight edge to her back, as she slowed the horse to a stop. She jumped down, and the holier-than-thou way she tossed the reins to Hyrum confirmed his suspicions.
Kat had indeed returned. But not for long, if he had his way.
Exhaling the contained anger in one gust, he ran his fingers through his hair. The echo of her boots outside the front hall had him hurrying to the parlor door to catch her as she passed. The clinging red riding habit was not the one Camilla usually wore, but the one Kat had liked to taunt him with. The first time she had purchased it, he compared her to a fancy-dressed strumpet. Holding her head high, she told him it fit her true nature.
But he mustn’t let Kat know he suspected. Not yet.
“There you are, my dear.” He stepped out of the parlor and into her path.
Her sudden stop caught her off balance, and she reached out to grasp his shoulders. When she righted herself, she yanked her hands away as if she had been burned. The smile she gave him looked forced. Kat’s eyes had never twinkled like her sister’s.
“Oh, you startled me.” She chuckled. “What are you about this afternoon?”
He stepped closer, closing the space between them as he slid his arms around her waist. She stiffened, just as he knew she would. “I missed holding you last night. I thought we could rectify that situation.”
The laugh she forced out grated on his nerves, and all he wanted to do was shake her senseless and demand she tell him where Camilla was. But he wouldn’t get aggressive. Not yet.
“But… but… right now?” she stammered.
“Yes.”
“Um, what about the children?”
“They are with Jane.”
Her gaze darted around the hall. “But what about Broderick?” Her focus returned to his eyes. “I thought you were going to devise a plan to rescue him.”
“Others are working on that at this very moment. Right now, I need to hold my wife, since I missed doing so last night.” Heleaned in and buried his face in her neck. Another man’s scent clung to her skin, and his stomach lurched. Lifting his head before vomiting, he growled and hoped it didn’t emphasize his anger. He swept her in his arms. “Come, my love, for I cannot wait another moment.”
Panic slashed across her face, making her eyes wide, her face pale. But he tightened his hold and rushed up the stairs to their room. After entering, he kicked the door closed then dumped her on the bed. Taking his time, he yanked off his over-jacket and waistcoat. She scooted back toward the headboard.
She placed her hands over her bosom as if to protect herself. The shining gold ring he had given Camilla glimmered as the sun’s rays hit it.That’s not Kat’s ring!Anger tore through him once again, but he tried to maintain his composure.
