Page 76 of Their Brazen Countess
“I have been feeling tired lately, no matter how much I sleep. I dare say certain smells are affecting me far more than I am accustomed to.” Amelia pressed a hand to her stomach and drew in a shallow breath. “I’ve learned deep breaths are only for outdoor spaces or private ones.”
Was Amelia with child? It certainly sounded that way. “Have…have you seen a doctor?”
“I plan to. I am trying to find a time to sneak away when Lucifer is occupied. The man is so very protective. If I say a word, he will worry himself into a frenzy.”
Jo laughed. She could see both Arthur and Linc being the same way. “If you need someone to go with you, please don’t hesitate to ask. We could call it a day of shopping and add an extra stop.” She grinned conspiratorially.
“That sounds perfect!” Amelia smiled as they entered the retiring room.
Three hours full of dancing and laughter later, the sumptuous supper she had planned had been served and the dancing resumed. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, as was she. Jo continued to dance with each of her husbands, interspersed by their friends. She was just coming off the dance floor after a gallop with Stone when she saw a footman speaking in a low, hurried voice to Arthur and Linc.
As she walked over, she noted the tightness of their features, and her heart mirrored their tension. “What is wrong?”
Arthur and Linc led her out of the ballroom as Arthur spoke. “Jo, there is an issue upstairs.”
“What is it? Has Matthew fallen ill?” She glanced from one face to the other, worry intruding on the happiness she’d been feeling all night.
They were in the hall now, and she was fighting the urge to run toward the stairs.
When Arthur spoke it was in a quiet, worried voice. “Matthew is missing.”
Jo’s knees abruptly gave out, but between the two men, they kept her upright. “Missing—missing? What do you mean, he is missing? When was he last seen?”
Linc’s voice sounded like it came from a long way away. “I checked on him an hour or so ago and he was fine then, but when I checked just now he was gone—and Nancy is missing as well. The staff have been organized and are searching for him. We are keeping the guests confined to the ballroom for the moment.” Linc’s voice was calm, almost detached, until his voice cracked. “Oh God, Jo, I’m so sorry. All was well when I checked earlier. I swear it.”
“Matthew.” Jo whispered her son’s name and broke into a run as she flew up the stairs. On the second floor, she tore down the gallery and into the nursery but found naught but an empty room. Arthur and Linc appeared just behind her as she cried out, “Does no one know where Nancy is?”
“There has been no sign of her according to Palmer, the footman who came to alert me.” Arthur placed his hands on his hips as he looked helplessly around the room.
“Nancy didn’t take him. I can’t believe she would, she loves Matthew!” Jo let out a small cry of frustration as she ran around the room, opening all the doors to the various cupboards—was he hiding?—but she found nothing.
Halting her frantic search, Jo looked around the space and noticed his blocks were spread out on the floor. Kneeling, she touched one and tried to calm her spinning head. She drew in a deep breath. As her gaze focused on the blocks, she noticed something sparkling on the rug.
Jo reached down and plucked a diamond hair pin from beneath one of the blocks. “Arthur! Linc!”
They rushed over. “What is it?” Linc asked.
“I found a hairpin.” She held up the trinket.
A footman burst into the room. “Nancy has been found. She was bound, gagged, and shoved in a cupboard near the servant’s stairs. She says it was a woman who took Matthew.”
“Which way did she go?” Arthur’s cracked out a demand rather than a question.
“Out the back of the house.” The man pointed in that general direction.
Jo’s heart pounded wildly as she ran from the room, tearing down the stairs and out to the mews. Many of the guests’ carriages were lined up as she ran down the line of vehicles. Arthur and Linc were right on her heels.
They came to the last carriage in the line and Arthur asked the driver, “Did a carriage just leave here?”
“Yes, my lord,” the driver responded, instantly alert.
“Was it a woman with a boy?” Linc jumped in to ask.
“Aye, my lord, and the boy was pitching a fit about going.”
“Did you see which way they went?” Arthur demanded.
“Aye, my lord.”
