He fell silent as he thought back to her words last night. No, she hadn’t promised that. He’d heard a promise because he wanted to hear one, but her actual words…
You have my word, Captain, I will leave London immediately.
She’d meant Hadley House. By the time he finished with her she no longer intended to go to Bellwood. It was too close, and she must have known at some point she’d seehimthere.
Julian groped for the mantel to steady himself. Last night when she’d disappeared into her house—God, she’d looked so small as she passed through that cavernous entryway. Hadley House would devour her, swallow her whole.
Devon was watching him. “So you do care about her, West.” His face relaxed ever so slightly. “I wouldn’t have believed it possible.”
“How do you know about this, Lord Devon?” Despite the early hour Cam went to the sideboard and poured a finger of whiskey into each of three glasses, then crossed the room to hand one to Devon and the other to Julian.
Devon tossed his back at once. “I went to her house this morning. I was concerned after last night. When she left, she looked so…unlike herself. Her butler, Nelson, told me she gathered a few things together and was gone not an hour after she arrived home from Lady Elliott’s ball. Her lady’s maid, Sarah, confirmed it. Sarah is under strict orders to pack up Lady Hadley’s things and come to Hampshire at once. Once she’s gone, the servants will close the house.”
“She intends to stay away from London for quite some time, then,” Cam muttered. “This is bad. Hadley House is remote, with no neighbors nearby to speak of.”
Julian gripped his whiskey glass with white fingers. What had Charlotte said about Hadley House?It’s an estate without an end. For her to be there alone, all winter…
Devon slammed his glass down onto a table. “She’s in no state of mind to be alone in that enormous house. No company, no distractions, nothing to keep her mind occupied—she may as well be locked in a tomb.”
Distractions.All at once the truth crashed over Julian, spitting foam and spray in its wake. The scandals, the whorehouse incident, the gaming—they were what kept Charlotte in London. The widows and Devon were part of it—a convenient means by which to achieve an end—but they weren’t the real reason she insisted upon staying in the city. They hadn’t led Charlotte into vice. She’d come to London in search of it, to silence the voices in her head.
And what better place than London to lose oneself?
For the past week he’d chased her from one corner of the city to another, like… How had Cam put it? Like a hound after a very clever fox. But she’d begun to run long before he arrived in London. Didn’t she know it made no difference whether she was in London, at Bellwood, or at Hadley House? No one could run fast enough or hide well enough to escape themselves.
He knew that better than anyone.
“We’ll go after her, of course. Immediately.” Cam turned to Devon. “Did Nelson say what time she left last night?”
“Midnight, or thereabouts.”
“She has an eight hour start on us.Damn it.It’s impossible for us to overtake her before she reaches Hadley House. Even on horseback—”
“I’ll leave at once,” Julian said. “I won’t stop except to change horses. If I make good time she won’t be alone at Hadley House for more than half a day.”
Cam frowned. “No, Jules. I’ll go after her myself. You’ll stay in London.”
Julian felt the refusal like a blow to the stomach. Cam looked away, but not before Julian saw the truth on his face.
His cousin didn’t trust him to go after Charlotte.
Cam turned to Lord Devon with a respectful bow. “I offer you my thanks, my lord. I believe I’ve misjudged you. Perhaps I had reason to, given your questionable behavior with Charlotte over these past months, but it’s clear to me now your intentions were honorable. I beg your pardon.”
Devon looked as if he didn’t quite appreciate this apology, but after a moment the white lines around his mouth eased and he returned Cam’s bow. “I ask you to favor me with a line once you’ve located Lady Hadley. Whatever else may have passed between us, we’re friends.”
Devon didn’t look at Julian again, but turned and left the study.
“Lord Devon. Wait.” Julian followed him into the hallway. “Are you and Lady Hadley simply friends? Or are you betrothed?”
It was a dangerous question, one he had no right to ask. Whether they were betrothed or not could make no difference to him. He was betrothed to Jane Hibbert, and he wouldn’t lose his one chance to make amends to Colin.
But none of this mattered. Nothing mattered as much as his need toknow.
Devon regarded him in silence for a moment, then shook his head. “She accepted my offer, but then last night, in the garden, right before you came upon us…” Devon drew the moment out until Julian’s nerves screamed in protest. “She retracted. Strange, isn’t it? I can’t imagine what could have happened yesterday afternoon to make her change her mind. Can you, Captain West?”
He didn’t wait for an answer, but turned and took his leave.
Julian went back into the study to face Cam, his mind in turmoil. Those stolen moments with Charlotte in the carriage—
