Page 83 of A Wanton Adventure
Tears stung her eyes.Do not cry,she told herself. She needed to fix this somehow. “Can you take me to the ship he will depart on?”
His eyes widened, and he stared at her as if she’d gone mad. “It is about to leave.”
“Please. You don’t understand, we argued last night.”
“It can’t be that serious,” he said.
She almost confessed everything to him, which would have been scandalous, but she stopped herself. “If you can’t take me, can you tell me where the ship is?”
Monroe studied her. His expression softened. “It must have been quite the fight.”
She nodded. He sighed and then held his hand out. “In the carriage, you go. Maybe we can get there before they depart.”
Diana smiled at him, grateful. Monroe instructed the driver to a pier and joined her inside. The carriage sped through the town, and the captain smiled. “I told him I would pay him extra if he rushed.”
“Thank you.”
“I was surprised that Devons decided to leave with Easton.”
She remained silent, too upset to say anything. He’d left. Diana couldn’t believe it. They rounded a large warehouse, and Monroe let out a curse. Far off the pier was a ship. It was Sebastian’s ship. She would not cry.
“I’m sorry.”
She shook her head. “It’s fine.”
But it wasn’t. She was torn between feeling as if she failed Sebastian somehow and being furious with him for leaving. Only a few hours ago, he wanted to court her. The carriage came to a halt, and Monroe ordered the driver to take them back to the hotel.
“Thank you.”
“If it is any consolation, he appeared just as wrecked as you seem.”
She smiled, doubting that was possible. If it were true, he wouldn’t have left. “May I make one more request?”
He nodded. Then she continued, “Could you not mention this to anyone?”
“Lady Hensley, your secrets are yours. Think nothing of it.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Once they arrived back at the hotel, she went straight to the front desk. The manager stated that the letters had been taken up to her room. She rushed to her room and found the two missives on the floor as if someone had pushed them under the door. One envelope had her name on it and the other was his last Ladies of London missive. She opened the letter addressed to her and read the messy brief words.
Diana,
I lost my head last night. I’m headed out for another adventure. All the best in your future plans.
Sebastian Devons.
She frowned. Monroe said Devons stated that everything would be answered in his letters. It explained nothing. Perhaps he had come to his senses. Pain sliced through her, but she took a deep breath. She had wanted a liaison, a flirtation. She would not hate Sebastian for giving that to her.
She ripped open his Ladies of London letter breaking their rule to not read each other’s missives until they returned home. Diana hoped it revealed more than his hastily written note to her. This letter was neatly written.
To the Ladies of London,
My time on this adventure has ended. I’m traveling to Damascus with the famous explorer Thomas Easton. Have no fear, Lady Hensley will continue to keep you updated on ports during her return. Tuscany is a lovely region that those suffering from homesickness will enjoy. You won’t have to journey far to find another Londoner or a peer on a grand tour.
Now that I have reached the end of my portion of the trip, I must admit Sardinia will always be my favorite location. If I had to guess, I believe it is Lady Hensley’s as well.
Thank you to the Historical Society for Female Curators for allowing me to go on this adventure with them. Any tours the club develops for ladies will be a grand adventure, possibly the trip of a lifetime.
