Chapter 10
Ten
“You! You are going to put this right or so help me!” Lady Rowen pointed a finger angrily at Warner as she glowered at him from the doorway.
Warner stood in front of his desk frowning as he watched Lady Verity and Lady Cora struggle to hold their friend in the doorway.
Though, their struggle did not stop Lady Verity glaring at him as though he had done her a personal injury.
Lady Cora’s expression was disapproving though Warner could not tell if it was directed at him or her friends. Perhaps all of us.
He glanced past them, expecting to see Lady Adelaide’s familiar messy hair, but there was no sign of her. His heart sunk, and he frowned.
“What exactly am I supposed to have done now? More to the point, how did you get in here? This is my study, and I told Mr. Talbot that I had no wish to be disturbed.” That man will get an earful for this. He half expected him to appear, red-faced and out of breath, but the man did not.
“There is very little that can stop us once we have set our minds to a task. Especially when it concerns someone we care about.” Lady Cora stepped in front of Lady Rowen and then nodded towards the sofa.
“I am old, and I have no desire to berate a man while looking up at him. Let us sit; perhaps then Rowen will not attempt to throttle you.”
“And what makes you think I will just allow you to berate me?” He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes drifting past the women again, looking for the familiar brown eyes of Lady Adele.
“As I said, young man, your choice in the matter is immaterial. Do not look at me like that — you may be a duke, but there are three of us, and I doubt you would raise a hand to a woman.” Lady Cora gave him a wicked smile.
One wild widow was bad enough, but now, I must contend with the other three? But Warner knew that Lady Cora was right. He would never raise a hand against a woman, even in defence.
“Any man who does such a thing is not fit to draw breath, let alone call himself a gentleman.” Warner’s hands curled into fists, eyes narrowed, before he took a deep breath and forced his face into a more neutral expression.
“That does not mean I will not have you escorted from my study; I am not known for welcoming uninvited guests. Either tell me what you want, or get out.”
“Your threats will not work on me. I have faced worse than you, and I will not be cowed.” Lady Rowen took a step towards him, bristling like an angry cat.
Warner stood his ground, straightening so that he towered over her.
Before he could say anything, Lady Cora interrupted from the sofa.
“Rowen, for goodness’ sake, stop behaving like some silly little schoolboy with something to prove.
It will do nothing to help Adele, and it is tiring enough to witness from men. ”
His attention jerked towards Lady Cora, his heart hammering in his chest. “Has something happened to Lady Adele? Is she hurt?”
“So now, you pretend to care about her?” Lady Rowen crossed her arms over her chest.
“I may not approve of her behaviour, but this does not mean I wish her harm. Besides, there is still a killer at large, and if she has… If…” He could not make himself say the words.
His mouth was dry as images of Lady Adele — ashen-faced, eyes wide with terror — filled his mind. He had taken a step towards the door almost before he realised and stopped himself with an effort, forcing himself to look at the women around him.
Do not act on impulse alone; that will help no one. He swallowed and took in a deep breath, fighting to keep his emotions from his face. I will not have them see this weakness. “If she has been hurt, it would suggest a greater threat to my family than I first imagined.”
“Of course, that would be all you care about.” Lady Rowen snorted indelicately, and Lady Verity scowled at him, but a thoughtful expression crossed Lady Cora’s face.
“Lady Adele is my cousin’s widow, Lady Rowen. She is important to me, and I would not see her come to harm.” Warner was relieved that his voice was cold and dispassionate. “What has happened to her?”
“We were hoping you would tell us. After all, none of us have seen her since your altercation on the dance floor the other night.” Lady Cora leaned against the sofa, her voice giving away nothing.
Lady Rowen interjected, “What did you say to her?”
“It is none of your concern,” Warner replied coolly.
He recalled their barbed exchange on the dance floor, the way she had shattered his control.
The way he had wanted to rip and tear the eyes from every man gawking at her.
Did my words truly have such an effect on her?
The thought sat uneasily in him, like a splinter worming its way deeper into the skin.
“It is when it means that my friend has not left her house in nearly a week and has denied all visitors wishing to speak to her.” Lady Verity leaned towards him, the sweetness of her smile at odds with the acid in her tone.
Nearly a week? Warner made a dismissive gesture, ignoring the thumping of his heart against his chest. “And how is that my problem? She is your friend. Besides, she has more than enough staff at her disposal; no doubt they will take care of her every need.”
I will not get involved. He had vowed to stay away. Besides, what business was it of his whether or not some widow shut herself away? At least then she would not be causing trouble. Yet, even as he thought this, the words felt hollow.
“Oh yes, the people who treat her at best with politeness and at worst cold indifference.” Lady Verity shook her head.
“I find that hard to believe. Rothwell paid his staff most handsomely, and unless Lady Adele has docked their pay, I can think of little reason that they would treat her unkindly.” Warner frowned and looked at the papers he had been reading before the women had burst into his office.
His eyes drifted to the row he had circled.
The row that showed that one maid in particular was being paid nearly double the rest of the staff, and more to the point seemed superfluous to requirements.
Why would a bachelor need that many maids?
“Are you implying that Adele is some kind of miser? She has changed nothing in the household, and only a heartless fool would dock servant’s pay in the best of times, let alone when they are new to the household. ” Lady Rowen glared at him.
“I was simply pointing out that I find it hard to believe the servants would be unkind to her.” In truth, Warner found it hard to believe that anyone would be unkind to Lady Adele. Not with those innocent eyes and that heart-warming smile — Stop.
“I told you this was a waste of time, he is every bit the arrogant cad that —” Lady Rowen began, turning on her heel as though to leave but Lady Cora cut her off with a voice sharp as a whip. “Rowen, that is enough. Sit down, now.”
Lady Rowen glowered but did as she was told. Warner perched himself on the edge of his desk. He knew he should sit properly behind it, but he could not make his legs obey him. Restless energy pulsed through him, making him itch to move.
Lady Cora sighed. “Your Grace, we have come to care a great deal for Adele. As she will not see us, we were hoping you might be able to speak to her.”
“And what makes you think she would even see me? After all, she is far more kindly disposed to you than she is to me.” Warner pictured the fury in the woman’s eyes as they had parted on the dance floor.
“Call it an old woman’s intuition. Besides, it is the gentlemanly thing to do — after all, you are the one who has caused this.”
“It was not my intention.”
“If you broke a man’s leg by accident, you would still apologise. The fact that the break was unintentional is fairly immaterial.” Lady Cora made a dismissive motion with her hands, as though she were explaining something to a particularly petulant child.
“Fine, I will write her a letter.” Warner reached for a pen and paper, his mind seizing on the idea while his heart seemed to hammer out a protest.
Lady Verity rolled her eyes. “And you think she would not throw it straight on the fire?”
“If she does that, that is her business. Besides, if she is that angry, no doubt my turning up on her doorstep would make it worse.” Warner shrugged.
“Perhaps. Though, a letter would be far easier to discard. Of course, if you are afraid her ire might be too much for you to handle…” Lady Rowen trailed off meaningfully.
“I am not afraid of her.” Warner scoffed, but the prickle of fear that he felt at the thought of seeing Lady Adele again unnerved him. I am not afraid of her.
It was a part of the truth. His mind turned to her, to the feel of her in his arms. He could smell roses, hear the sound of her laughter. He stood up and realised what he was doing.
He swallowed and turned to the women. “You have delivered your message, and I will consider what you have said. As our business is concluded, I think it is high time you left.”
“I could not agree more.” Lady Cora pushed herself up using her cane and motioned to her two companions. “I am sure you will do the right thing.”
Lady Rowen rolled her eyes, and Lady Verity’s lips thinned so much they were impossible to see. Clearly your companions disagree. Warner ignored them and strode towards the door, holding it open as the women moved towards him.
“I will do what I have to do.” Warner gestured to the hallway.
Lady Cora gave him a small smile that caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end. Her eyes took him in as though measuring him, and her smile said that she knew something that he did not. You are being paranoid.
“Of course, you will.” She moved into the hallway. “Until we meet again your Grace, try not to upset any more of my companions. I am not sure Rowen will be as polite next time.”
In spite of himself, Warner found himself smiling as he closed the door behind them. He paced the room, running a hand across his face. He felt the barest hint of stubble, but the thought of shaving seemed as repugnant as drinking cold sick.
You will do the right thing.
He should stay away from Lady Adele. He had sworn to keep his distance. He looked down — when had he grabbed the doorknob?
“Curse her, and curse her friends.” Warner growled. “Barging in here as if they own the place. What does it matter if she is not seeing them? If she has sequestered herself in Kidlington Hall, that is hardly any business of mine.”
He flung open the door and strode through the hallway. “Do the right thing. The right thing would be to stay away. That is what I should be doing. That is what I need to do.”
He was at the front door now, striding through it and out into the cool air. “I need to leave her alone.”
But I do not want to.
He froze. He looked in front of him then behind him. The door to his estate was still open. The path he was on would lead him to the stables.
Warner looked down at one of the rose bushes his mother had planted. The soft pink petals reminded him of the colour of Lady Adele’s lips, and his fingers grazed against them.
“Damn it. And damn me.” He ran a hand through his hair and gritted his teeth. “And her friends. I suppose I might as well see the woman; it will at the very least keep Lady Rowen from battering down my door again.”
He strode towards the stable, calling out to one of the groomsmen as he approached. “Ready my horse, I have urgent business to attend.”
The stable hand nodded and retreated into the stables, appearing moments later with Storm, Warner’s black stallion. Warner stifled his mounting irritation — how long did it take to ready a horse — and climbed onto Storm’s back.
The stallion snorted as though Warner’s nervous energy was contagious. He could feel Storm’s need to run; it matched his own.
“Curse us both for fools,” Warner muttered as he set off for Kidlington House.
It was a journey he had done more times than he could count, but it seemed to take an impossibly long time and yet no time at all. When he finally found himself outside of Kidlington house, he had leapt from the horse and climbed the steps before he even realised.
His hand was raised as though to knock when the door burst open and a servant hurried past him. Her eyes were streaming with tears. She barely even acknowledged him, one hand clasped on her mouth and the other on her stomach.
Her very round stomach.
Knowledge clicked into place in his mind and the words he heard next confirmed his suspicion.
“Martha!” a familiar voice called from behind him, and he whirled around to see Lady Adele sprinting towards him. The servant who made so much more than all the rest.
Adele’s eyes met his as the picture formed in his imagination. He glanced over his shoulder at the servant, but she was nowhere to be found.
He turned back to Lady Adele. Her face was deathly pale, her eyes wide as they darted between him and the space the servant had left. This is her secret.
“I think you have some explaining to do, Lady Adele.” He walked into the hallway. “And I intend to get some answers.”