Page 64 of The Duke's Return
Hearing no footsteps after a second, Genevieve frowned and knocked again. He must have been asleep, she decided, since the hour was still somewhat early.
“Julian? Your Grace?” she called quietly with her next knock, hoping there was no one else about who might hear her. Howembarrassing it would be to have someone catch her standing outside her husband’s door like this. Even now, her cheeks heated up as she raised her fist to knock a fourth time.
How long can I knock without being certain he is even here? It doesn’t seem likely he would ignore me in this way. Or would he? After last night, I’m not particularly certain. The man is particularly confounding. It was so much easier when our only communications were by way of his solicitor and banker.
The silence hung heavy on her shoulders as she grudgingly accepted the man was not going to appear at the door. Why she had expected some sort of acknowledgement now, she didn’t particularly understand.
“You deserted me last night,” she muttered at the door in a grimace. “Of course you would do the same this morning. We didn’t exactly make plans for today, I suppose.”
Unless someone shows for tea. Oh, I pray they won’t. Everyone should be visiting Mr. Wilson after his wonderful soiree. But everyone did promise to see us soon…
Pondering this, Genevieve thought she might try again to find the duke. Social visits never lasted particularly long as to not exhaust the host. A grace, she thought, except it meant people could visit several people in a single day. She had best prepare, then, in case anyone came to call.
It didn’t take long to find Mrs. Waverly. The two of them talked about preparing a few items now in case of potential guests who might come calling.
“Oh, and do you know where the duke might be?” she asked as casually as she could muster when they had everything sorted.
The housekeeper blinked. “I’m afraid not. I believe he left for a ride early this morning half past six, Your Grace. Perhaps he is still out in the stables? I can send someone if you like.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Genevieve nodded. “If you could, that would be lovely.”
“What message shall I send him?”
“Only that I hope to have his company should anyone visit us today.”
Mrs. Waverly raised an eyebrow. “If? You’re the duchess and are finally setting up the knocker. Everyone is going to call on you, I expect. Perhaps I’ll have the biscuit recipe doubled just to be certain.”
A hesitant smile slipped over Genevieve’s lips. “Very well. Oh, and can you please have the messenger to the duke return to me to confirm the message?”
“Certainly, Your Grace. Is there anything else?”
She gave a short shake of her head. “No, Mrs. Waverly, but thank you. I’m going to see the parlor now.”
Off to the parlor she went to ensure it was up to standards for hosting guests. Genevieve hummed quietly to herself as she shifted the curtains open a little wider for more sunlight. A few adjustments made it appear much more comfortable to her satisfaction.
“Your Grace?”
One of the footmen, Lyle, stood in the doorway, a cautious expression on his face. She nodded for him to enter.
After he gave a respectful bow, he said, “Mrs. Waverly sent me to find His Grace in the stables, but he wasn’t there. Is there anything more I can do?”
She frowned. “He wasn’t? Do you know where else he might be?”
“His horse is still gone, I believe. The grooms said he took off nearly five hours ago.”
A sharp feeling pierced her chest. That was longer than she had expected. “Are you certain? That cannot be right. Did they say if he was alone when he left this morning?”
Lyle hesitated. “I don’t believe they said anything of the kind. But I did note we had all four stable boys and two grooms within the stables when I was there.”
Resisting the urge to pinch her nose, Genevieve inhaled deeply. “Very well. I need one of the grooms to take off at once to ensure there hasn’t been an accident. Now, send them both. Search the grounds, the woods, as well as the village to be certain. If they don’t find him within three hours’ time, they need to return so I can send out a larger search party.”
The young man nodded hastily and murmured his reassurance before taking off. He moved quickly down the hall, fading away.
I don’t think anything is wrong. Julian does enjoy his morning rides… but it is better to be safe than to lose him for good. I don’t think I could explain that very well to the ton.
Having her husband vanish didn’t stop Genevieve from attending her duties. She checked on the boiling water for tea in the kitchen before returning to her bed chamber for a more proper gown since it sounded from Mrs. Waverly how likely she would be to have guests.
And the housekeeper was too correct.
