Page 120

“We are speculating on whether or not she even has a lover at the moment, so why not on whether or not he knew?”

“She must be somewhere,” Kalina said. “What about her friends? Would Lady Tremaine shelter her?”

“Not if she knows what my mother has done,” Sebastian said.

Mei reached over to slide her fingers through his, and he squeezed her hand. She could not imagine how difficult this was for him, but she could hear the strain in his voice and see it in his face… yet he was determined to find his mother and bring her to justice. That much was clear as well.

“Though she might be willing to let my mother stay with her for a few days, depending on what story my mother spun.”

“Perhaps the best thing to do is return to life as normal—not you, Mei, while you recover,” Astrid said, giving Mei a stern look, as though Mei was going to try to immediately jump back into the ballrooms of the ton. Quite frankly, Mei was relieved to have an excuse not to.

Hopefully, by the time she and Sebastian did return to the social whirl, the gossip about their engagement would have gone round and the furor died down. If such a thing was possible. Mei certainly hoped it was.

“My mother will likely only be able to stay out of the ballrooms for so long,” Tiffany agreed thoughtfully. “That was why she returned to London in the first place. She will not want to miss out on so many activities.”

“You think she will dare show her face after finding out her plans were thwarted?” Sebastian asked sharply, his voice tight. Mei patted his arm, hoping to soothe him, and he took a deep breath. “Sorry, Tiff. I’m… I should not have snapped at you like that.”

His sister’s eyes were full of sympathy.

“I think we need to keep the attempted abduction quiet,” Drake said, although it sounded more like a command than a suggestion. “And not announce that we captured Heywood or Breth either or that we suspect the duchess of any wrongdoing.”

“And why not?” Astrid bristled, glaring at her betrothed as if he’d committed a capital offense. “Why would you want to protect her?”

“It’s not about protecting her; it’s about not alerting the conspiracy that we’re on to them,” Drake retorted. “If we act rashly, we could push her into fleeing the country.”

“Drake’s way would deprive her of information.” Rose looked almost surprised to have spoken up when everyone’s eyes turned to her. “If she hears that Heywood and Breth have been caught, she’ll know they might talk about more than just the attempted kidnapping of Mei. Which means she’ll know the conspiracy is uncovered.”

“She will certainly flee, then,” Christian agreed, tapping his fingers on his chair arm. He’d been remarkably quiet until this point. Mei thought he’d been disturbed to realize that his household had once employed Breth, even if the man no longer worked for him. “But if she does not hear anything…”

“She will assume they got away, and that she is safe.” Rose glanced at Christian, and their gazes caught and held for a moment. For once, they were in agreement on something, and neither of them seemed to quite know what to make of it. “She will be far more likely to attend her usual events if she feels safe.”

“But she will know that I know she tried to kidnap Mei,” Sebastian said, frowning.

“Nothing is perfect.” Rose shrugged. “If you keep things quiet, she might think you are protecting her.”

“I… hm.” Sebastian fell silent and frowned, clearly thinking about it.

“I do not believe she thinks any consequences can ever really touch her,” Tiffany said quietly. “In fact, I would not be surprised if she turned up once the banns are read for the first time, demanding to be part of the wedding planning.”

Everyone scoffed at the notion that she’d be allowed to, but no one contradicted Tiffany’s assertion. The duchess’ arrogance was too well known. As the one who had spent the most time with her, Tiffany was certainly the one who knew the duchess best and would be best able to predict her behavior.

Mei could barely fathom it. Though she did make a mental note to speak with her grandmother on the morrow about this conversation. Her grandmother had called the duchess dangerous, even though she had not been able to predict exactly how that danger would manifest.

“Certainly, I cannot imagine her allowing you to be married without her presence,” Gregory said, rubbing the underside of his chin. “Even if you are marrying without her approval.”

“There is that,” Sebastian muttered. He glanced at Mei, his brow furrowing. “But perhaps we should postpone the wedding until my mother is found. I do not want Mei to be in danger again.”

“Absolutely not,” Mei replied, giving him a steely look. It was likely not as severe as she would have liked, due to her injuries, but she did her best. “Firstly, because I will not let her change our plans. The best way to show her that we will not be manipulated is not to allow her to manipulate us. And secondly, because the best way to get her to show herself in public is for us to have a wedding.”

“A huge one,” Tiffany interjected.

Mei nodded. “Exactly. It will cause talk if your mother does not appear.”

“I do not want to use you as bait.” Sebastian’s jaw clenched.

Mei could practically see thoughts of spanking her dancing in his eyes. Truthfully, she would not hate that, but she also doubted he would do so tonight. Not after the ordeal she’d been through today. His gaze softened as it flitted over her injuries, and she knew she was right.

“You are not. I am using me as bait.” She lifted her hand up to touch his jaw, and his gaze softened even more, revealing some of the pain within them. “I want to start a life with you, and that means moving forward with what we want to do. I promise you, I will always have someone with me. Multiple someones. We will not be caught unawares again.”