Page 23 of His Darling Duchess
Unconsciously, Rhys clenched his fist. Paper crumpled, and he smoothed the page out with hands that weren’t quite steady, cursing himself for the hundredth time that he hadn’t reacted that night to detain Grantleigh. He’d been focused on Aurelia, wanting to ensure she was safe and unharmed, and by the time he’d thought to give orders to have Grantleigh secured, his cousin had vanished.
He couldn’t even begin to think of building any sort of marriage with Aurora until Grantleigh was dealt with. The thought of his wife ever having to face her attacker again made his blood boil. No, he would find Grantleigh and offer him the choice; face Rhys across a duelling field, or take ship for the Americas with a hefty fortune to set him up, and never darken England’s shores with his presence again.
“M’lord?”
A tap at the door made Rhys look up, brows raising as he saw one of his men there. “Any news, Hale?” he said, coming to his feet.
“A possible sighting on the Bristol road. I’m leaving now to investigate personally.”
“That would make sense,” Rhys murmured. His cousin’s small estate was a few miles to the south of Bristol, and if Grantleigh hoped to gather resources, that would be the best place to do so without Stowe finding out about it. “I’m planning to leave for Stowe the day after tomorrow, so have any reports sent to me there.”
“And if we find himself?” Hale raised his eyebrows. A former army sergeant, he wasn’t afraid of Grantleigh physically, but arresting a peer could be a tricky business, even with a letter from a duke in your pocket.
“Keep him under observation and send an express rider for me. Who are you taking with you?”
Hale named two other reliable men in the duchy’s employ, and Rhys nodded. “Find him for me, Hale?” he requested. “I want the duchess’ mind set at rest.”
“We all do, sir. ‘Snot right, what Grantleigh tried to do.” Hale’s face darkened. “I didn’t hold no truck with that sort of thing when we was at war.”
“Neither did I, as you well know.” Rhys had ordered men court-martialled for rape, during the war, and had enforced the most severe punishments the army had permitted.
“We’ll find him.” Hale saluted, and Rhys nodded in acknowledgement, opening his desk drawer and taking out a purse.
“For your expenses. Send to me, if you need more, but spend what you need to loosen tongues.” He tossed it to Hale, who snagged it deftly, tucking it away in his coat.
“You take care of your lady wife, m’lord, and leave Grantleigh to us. Enjoy your Christmas.”
“Thank you,” Rhys muttered, feeling guilty as he thought that Hale and his men wouldn’t be spending Christmas with their families. Though he knew Hale wasn’t married, at least, he didn’t know about the other two. If they found Grantleigh, he’d reward them richly, he decided, and whether they did or not, he’d make sure they received time off with pay once the hunt was over.
Returning to his paperwork, he failed to achieve any semblance of concentration and finally threw his pen down in disgust. He was getting nowhere. He’d do better to find his man of business in London and assure all was in readiness for him to leave the capital, as well as check all the paperwork for Aurelia’s marriage settlements had been correctly completed. She had an exceptionally generous dowry of twenty thousand pounds, but Rhys had refused to accept a penny, insisting Lord Lymsey place the money in a trust account with Aurelia’s name alone on it. It was her money to do with as she wished.
Chapter Ten
Anote came forAurelia before dinner that evening, advising that her mother had spoken with Lady Grantleigh and the lady was amenable to travelling to Cornwall with the Lymseys for the holiday. Aurelia thought to share the news with her husband, hoping he would be pleased, but his brow furrowed and he set his knife and fork down on the table.
“Cornwall? That may not be the best idea.”
“But why? I do not hold Lady Grantleigh to blame at all, and this is an excellent way to publicly show my family still holds her in high regard.”
“I understand, and I laud your charity towards my aunt, Aurelia. Many would not be so kind in your situation.” He looked as though he was debating what to tell her, and eventually sighed. “The problem is the location. Grantleigh’s estate is to the south of Bristol, as you probably know. I suspect he may be heading in that direction.” Stowe drummed his fingers on the table briefly before shrugging and picking up his cutleryonce again. “Still, I am confident he means no harm to Lady Grantleigh. I’ll send one or two of my men to travel with your family’s party, just in case.”
His face had drawn into tight, uncompromising lines, and he looked so forbidding Aurelia did not dare ask what was concerning him. The rest of their meal passed in silence, and Stowe excused himself afterwards, saying he had business to see to. Aurelia sat in the blue parlour alone for only a few minutes before deciding she could not bear the silence, and retreating to her bedroom. At least there, she could sit by her cosy fire and do some needlework, or read a book, though she found it difficult to settle to either.
Heavy footsteps sounded outside her door, and she stilled, lifting her head to look at the door expectantly, wondering whether Stowe would come in or not. She wasn’t sure whether she wanted him to, if she was entirely honest with herself, but she felt a distinct sense of disappointment when she heard his door open and close.
Turning a few more pages in her book without really reading them, Aurelia sighed at last and set the book down, reaching for the bell pull.
“I wish to prepare for bed now,” she said when her maid came in.
“Very good, your grace.”
Aurelia stared at her reflection in the dressing-mirror as her hair was carefully brushed out before being braided up neatly. Does Stowe think I’m pretty? She’d been told she was since childhood, and certainly since her coming-out, her beauty had been greatly lauded. Privately, she thought she looked pale and rather bland, especially in the white and pale pastel shades she had been required to wear as a debutante. She was looking forward to ordering some gowns in bolder colours now she wasa married woman, though she supposed she would have to make do with what she already owned until her return to London.
“Will there be anything else, your grace?”
“No, thank you.” Aurelia smiled mechanically as the maid curtsied, rising to her feet and making her way to the bed. A giant, canopied affair, it seemed far too vast for her alone, and she suffered a few pangs of longing for her sisters, who had regularly crept in to share her bed and giggle themselves to sleep. “And please… my lady will be sufficient. Whenever you say your grace, I look around in terror to see which duchess is breathing down my neck.”
A small giggle met her joke, and the maid curtsied again. “As you please, my lady.”
