Page 55 of A Duke's Scandalous Obsession
With each passing moment, his determination only grew stronger, fueled by a sense of duty and desire to prove himself, to make a difference.
***
Catherine’s heart raced with anticipation as she stirred awake the following morning. The memory of the previous night’s kiss managed to weave itself into the tapestry of her dreams, haunting her even in her sleep. She knew that she had to find Dominic and speak to him and demand an explanation as to why he had left so abruptly.
She also knew that it wouldn’t be an easy conversation. Then again, Catherine had never been the one to neglect discussing problems or pretend as if they weren’t there at all. No. She wished to face her troubles head on and sort them out as soon as possible. That was the only way to move forward, which was exactly what she wanted to do with Dominic. She wanted to see if he felt the same way about her as she did about him, and would it be possible for them to be happy together? She wholeheartedly believed that it was.
Before she could gather the tempest of her thoughts, a sharp knock on the door shattered the silence that reigned in her chamber, pulling her from her reverie.
“Come in,” Catherine called out, hoping that it might be Dominic, coming to find her with the same thought in mind.
But when the door opened, a servant girl stood before her, a sense of urgency etched upon her features. “I… I’m sorry, Your Grace, I know it is very early, but Lord Stanhope is here and —”
“Reggie is here?” Catherine gasped. “Did something happen to him?”
She had written to Reginald regarding their return home, but they had not scheduled an exact day for a visit. She was hoping that he would come that same day or the following day, but as it was, something was wrong. It was too early for visits.
She hadn’t even had breakfast yet, and knowing Reginald, he liked to sleep longer than most people, for the simple fact that he stayed up later than most people. That was why she was immediately startled to find out that he had come there, unannounced and at such an early hour.
“No, Your Grace, he seems fine,” the servant girl said apologetically, answering her question. “He just says that he needs to speak to you urgently.”
“All right,” Catherine nodded, realizing that there was no point in wasting time, discussing things with her, when she knew nothing. “Have him wait in the parlor and tell him I shall be downstairs immediately.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” the servant girl curtsied. Then she seemed to remember Catherine’s healing ankle. “Do you need any help getting dressed?”
Catherine threw a quick glance at the bedside. Her cane was there. She was on the verge of not using it any longer, but she promised Doctor Manning that she would walk with its aid for at least another week. In fact, all it did was slow her down. There was no more pain, no more discomfort.
“No, I’ll be fine, thank you,” she said with a reassuring smile. Then, she remembered that Reggie was there, and he demanded to speak to her urgently, and the smile was gone once again.
A million questions started to swarm inside her mind. Had something happened? Did they, perhaps, finally find the man they had been searching for all this time? Despite all common sense, hope found its way into her thoughts, infecting every single one of them with optimism, although she knew better than to rejoice when she didn’t know what his visit was about.
She hastily got dressed, adjusting her hair in a small but perfect bun at the base of her neck. The gown she chose was a simple one, and she grabbed her cane on the way out of her chamber. After all, she did make a promise. And she hated breaking them. She would endure a few more days with that silly thing, and then she would be back to walking normally.
She walked slowly, making sure not to put any pressure on her still healing ankle. At that point, she had almost forgotten what it was like to walk properly. She made a mental note to find a field of wildflowers and run through it as soon as her ankle was healed. The thought made her smile, and it soothed her troubled mind instantly.
She walked down the stairs with additional caution, holding herself firmly, finally reaching the parlor. When she entered it, Reginald was with her back to her. She rushed over to him, her mind desperate to find out what had happened.
“Reggie,” she spoke softly, but as soon as he turned to face her, she could see despair etched along every single line on his face. Itwas as if he had aged ten years in the span of ten days. That was impossible.
His brows were furrowed, lines of tension buried deeply into his forehead. His eyes, usually bright with confidence, now betrayed a shadow of fear and uncertainty, their once vibrant sparkle dulled by the weight of his concern. His hands, usually steady and assured, trembled ever so slightly with the strain of his anxiety. Every fiber of his being seemed to plead for solace, for reassurance in the face of what seemed to be an unthinkable crisis.
She neared him, her hands gripping his shoulders with a desperate urgency. She squeezed gently, but hard enough to bring him back to the present moment, because he seemed lost in time and space.
“What happened?” she demanded, her voice trembling.
Reginald’s eyes met hers, a storm of emotion swirling within their depths. “Annabel and Rosie…” she said, his voice like the embers of a long-extinguished fire, “they are gone…”
Chapter 28
“What do you mean Annabel and Rosie are missing?” Catherine echoed her brother’s words.
She realized that being frantic and unreasonable would get them nowhere. So, she took a steadying breath, then grabbed him by the hand, leading him to a nearby chaise lounge.
“Come,” she told him. “Sit down and tell me everything that happened.”
He listened without any objections, like a small child who was caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to and now he was being punished for it. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at his trembling hands.
“I went to see them this morning,” he started explaining, as Catherine listened intently. “Just like I do every other morning. It is our routine, you see. Rosie wakes up early, so I try to come even before she is up. I… I like to be the first thing she sees when she wakes up. That smile… it just brightens my day when I see it…”
