Chapter 25
“Your Grace, you have an urgent visitor.”
Stephen was surprised by the appearance of his footman.
“Who is it?” he asked, standing up at once. It was not unusual for him to receive visitors, much less urgent ones, but given the conditions in which Maria had left a few days prior, his mind had begun to spiral immediately.
“Duke of Hargrave,” the footman announced, but before any more words could be exchanged, Nicholas came barging in through the door.
“Forgive me, Verwood,” he started, looking as though he had just seen a terrible ghost. “But I had no choice but to intrude. We need to speak urgently.”
“What is the matter?” Stephen felt a lump of anxiety form in the back of his throat.
“She’s gone,” Nicholas blurted. “Maria is missing.”
The world seemed to narrow around Stephen.
“What do you mean missing?” his words came out harsher than he had intended them to.
Nicholas began to pace the length of the room now, worry apparent in his eyes.
“In the crowd,” Nicholas said, “We were at the festival by the river. Violet and I took her for a walk, and she was only a few paces ahead and then...”
He had never seen Nicholas emotional before, nor was something of the sort expected from a man of his stature. But in that moment, his voice cracked.
“Tell me exactly,” Stephen pressed. “Everything that you know.”
“She asked for a few minutes alone. I agreed. We kept her in sight, then the crowd thickened, and I called after her. I saw her hair, and someone turned; I thought she had turned. There was a black carriage in the lane. By the time I reached it, it was gone.”
“How long?”
“Half an hour,” Nicholas said with disdain. “No more.”
“You told the constable?” Stephen
“I came here first. You are her husband.”
“Good. You were right to come,” Stephen nodded. He could not even bear the possibility of being kept in the dark longer than he ought to.
He turned and called for his butler straight away. “My horse now. And send word to the stables, as well, to follow behind us with two mares.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Stephen faced Nicholas again. “We must not waste any time. Do you have any more information that can prove to be helpful? Do you know who took her?”
His heart lurched even as he said it out loud.
“Who would take her? For ransom?” Nicholas said.
“There are men who would try to harm me through her,” he said. “Fools, of course. They do not know that they’re playing with fire.”
“Meaning?” Nicholas stared.
“Meaning that…” Something clicked inside of Stephen’s mind, as if he had just pieced together the puzzle.
His own blood began to boil.
“I think I know who is behind this,” he said through gritted teeth. “In fact, I believe I am quite certain in knowing who it is.”
“Name him,” Nicholas’s hands curled.
“Rondell.”
“That gentleman who...” Nicholas took in the news, “he was interested in courting Maria, was he not?”
“He only had nefarious intentions,” Stephen replied. “But I know that only he has any reason to harm us, for he felt slighted that his schemes did not work on Maria and that he was punished by being excluded from society due to his own actions.”
“Where is he?” Nicholas was already moving.
“He keeps rooms near Holborn,” Stephen said.
Of course, he had done his research on him once he knew what his intentions were.
It was not something that he had ever mentioned to Maria, of course.
But it was proving to be useful at a time like this.
“But he’ll not be fool enough to linger there once he’s touched what is mine. ”
Nicholas was already turning for the door. “We go together.”
“You go to the constables,” Stephen said, stopping him with a hand to the arm. “Tell them a woman was taken by force. A black carriage. Send men to Holborn, and then bring them on to Rondell's place.”
“I’m not sending you alone,” Nicholas said.
Stephen’s expression shifted.
“You are sending me as far ahead as I can ride. Every minute we stand arguing is another minute wasted. We do not know what conditions Maria is being kept under.”
“I’ll follow with the constables,” Nicholas nodded in agreement.
The two men made their way out of the estate mansion. Stephen felt a strange, piercing feeling in his heart as he walked out.
“Nicholas.”
“Yes.”
“If anything happens to me…”
Nicholas’s head snapped up. “Do not say that.”
“If anything happens to me,” Stephen repeated, his voice perfectly calm, “you will not let her believe I fell short of her.”
It was in that moment that Stephen realized that he was willing to die for her, even.
“You will tell her yourself,” Nicholas said.