Jamie glanced at Giovanni and moved toward the door. Three voices met his ears—Eduardo, Luciano, and Victor.Time to start Wentworth’s dirty work.
“Is a fool.” Eduardo’s voice. Jamie wondered who he meant but had no way to tell.
“A very powerful fool. You must take care.” Victor.Who is the fool, damn it? The count? Their king?
“My father thinks saner influence is the way,” Luciano said.
Victor mumbled something in a derisive tone. Jamie heard footsteps walking away. He turned and made a show of arranging his papers. Two young men entered. Eduardo looked sullen, but Eduardo habitually looked sullen.The conversation meant nothing, Jamie told himself. The thought of reporting it to Wentworth sickened him.
A frustrating hour later in which Luciano looked bored, Giovanni did most of the talking, and Eduardo failed to listen, Jamie had had enough.
“I have no idea,” Eduardo said in response to a direct question.
“Why are you wasting my time?” Jamie snapped.
Eduardo yawned lazily. “Why am I wasting mine?” he asked. “Castellimonte wishes it.”
“That isn’t what I heard,” Jamie replied.
“You heard wrong,” Eduardo sneered. “Why would I want to listen to some English person force his language on me? What use is it if I get sent back to Turin?”
What Jamie might have responded was forestalled when an apparition burst in the door and threw herself at him, followed by an ineffectual footman.
“She’s missing! Oh God, Jamie, she’s missing.”
Jamie unwrapped Nora’s arms from around his neck and took her shoulders in his hands. He glanced at their audience before he spoke. Giovanni had risen from his seat, alarm on his face. Luciano looked worried.
“You misplaced the chit already?” Eduardo asked. “Tsk. That will not do.” He remained seated, and his knowing smirk enraged Jamie, but Jamie had no time to deal with him.
“Deep breath, Nora,” he said. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
“Isabella is gone,” she gulped. “She never made it to Santo Spirito.”
“Didn’t you walk her there?”
Nora avoided his eyes. “Alicia offered to take her. Signora Capello and I had work to plan, and Alicia offered.” She looked up defiantly. “Nursery maids do that! They chaperone children.”
“You sent them alone?” Jamie asked through tight lips.
She nodded. “Wat couldn’t leave just then. He was cleaning out the massive pots in the courtyard.”
“I didn’t hire him to garden,” Jamie growled. “I hired him to keep an eye on you and Isabella.” He gave her a shake and immediately regretted it when her eyes watered up. Awareness of his listeners brought him to his senses.
“Never mind now,” he said. “What happened next?”
“I finished and decided to go over early to get her. I thought I could wait in the garden,” Nora explained. “When I got there, the sister at the gate told me she never came. They never got to Santo Spirito, and they didn’t come home! I ran back, and they weren’t there.”
“We need to retrace their steps,” Jamie said, thinking out loud. He slid his hands down Nora’s arms and squeezed both hands.
“I’ll go to Castellimonte,” Luciano interrupted. “You will need help.”
“I will help,” Giovanni put in abruptly. “No need to concern Castellimonte.”
“Precisely,” Eduardo drawled. “So much fuss over one nursery maid and an infant. Leave Castellimonte to his plots and plans.”
Jamie spun on Eduardo. “Be quiet while you have any remnants of honor left, you fool.” His word may not have quieted the man, but the look on his face certainly did. Eduardo sank back into sullen silence.
“Luciano, I think your friend is correct. Let’s keep this to ourselves for now.” There seemed little point in alarming the count at Nora’s expense until he had more facts. He put a protective arm around her.If we turn up nothing, it will be time enough to tell the old man,he thought.
