by Fanny Finch
She saw his eyes gazing at her in her mind. She felt an inner peace that told her the Duchess of Corning had to be wrong. The Duke of Lox was not a scoundrel. He was not a rake. He was a good man who had given his heart to Emma. Just as she had given hers to him.
She shook her head. “I do not believe these claims. Mother must be mistaken. It must be another gentleman she is thinking of. It is not the Duke of Lox. I am afraid of you, Lord Carne, you have made me afraid of you. I do not want to be here. I do not want to marry you. I do not love you. I love the Duke of Lox and I plan to be his wife.”
Lord Carne shook his head. “The duchess said you would say as much. But it is simply not going to happen. She has convinced me we must protect you for your own good.”
Emma felt the flicker of anger slide up the back of her neck and into her head. She clenched her jaw. “I cannot and will not let you and Mother do this to me,” she said through clenched teeth.
Lord Carne stood up. Again, she feared he would approach her and try to touch her but he did not. He turned to pick up the tray of food she had left behind. Before he left the room, he turned back to look at her.
“Lady Wentworth, I am only doing what the duchess said needed to be done. Neither of us wants to see you hurt. She has convinced me that the Duke of Lox only considers you another woman to ensnare. I cannot bear to see you end up with a man of that nature.”
Emma shook her head. “You are wrong, Lord Carne. My mother is mistaken. It is not the Duke of Lox who should be feared. It is you. You are the one who has taken me from my family and friends. Do you think the Duke of Corning would allow such a thing to happen to his daughter? He will not permit you to marry me. Bringing me here before he has passed on was a mistake. He will demand to know where I am.”
Lord Carne gave her a sad look that brought back her fear. Her eyes opened wide and she lifted one hand to cover her mouth. “Why do you look at me that way?” she asked breathlessly.
“I am sorry, my lady. The Duke of Corning passed on this morning. I am truly sorry. My deepest condolences. I do hope you will see this is why we must keep you safe from the Duke of Lox.”
He moved to close the door, leaving her alone to drop her head to her hands and sob uncontrollably.
Chapter 36
The Duke of Lox and the Duke of Rabney discussed their next move as they prepared to leave Brisbourne. Their first task was to see Katherine safely home. It took them nearly half an hour to calm her down. Once she stopped weeping, they both escorted her to the Corning carriage which she had brought to get to Brisbourne.
The Duke of Lox and the Duke of Rabney rode their horses alongside the carriage Katherine was sitting in. She was sitting with her back straight, her worried eyes focused ahead of her. If she had been seen alone in the carriage with a man not her relation, it would have severely damaged her reputation. Both the dukes were attempting to establish themselves in the society of the area and did not wish to damage their own reputations, either.
They rode down the street in near silence. She was staring out at the passing landscape with melancholy eyes that had grown puffy and red from her crying. The Duke of Lox could see just how much the young girl was afraid for her sister. It touched his heart while also making him very nervous. If anyone knew the family inside and out, it was Katherine.
She suspected her own mother of wrongdoing. It seemed so unlikely and yet, the Duke of Lox could see it happening. He did not know the duchess well enough to make an established opinion but what he had seen of Lord Carne made him suspicious.
Katherine gasped and her eyes flicked to the Duke of Lox. “Oh my!” she exclaimed.
He frowned, riding up alongside the carriage. “What is it, my lady?”
“I just remembered something that could prove useful and relevant!” Katherine continued as though she could not believe she had forgotten to mention it. “I overheard Mother talking to Lord Carne… it must have been last week or perhaps a fortnight ago. I do not remember where Emma was but she was not here. Father had just taken a turn for the worse. You and the Duke of Rabney were there that morning. You did not stay. You had Lady Christian with you.”
The Duke of Lox nodded. “I remember the day, Miss Katherine.” She was referring to the day that he and the Duke of Rabney had discovered the very muddy, very disheveled Emma and Camilla standing on the side of the road. He glanced at the Duke of Rabney who turned his eyes and twitched his lips. He remembered the day, as well. How could he not?
“It was that day,” Katherine’s voice turned mysterious as she remembered, “that I went into the parlor and sat by the fireplace. There is a vent near the floor there. I could hear Mother talking to Lord Carne but I do not know what room they were in.”
The Duke of Lox leaned forward slightly, urging Katherine to continue with a nod of his head. “What were they saying?”
“Mother was saying that… that there was a problem she needed his help with and that… that he was the only one who could do it. He… his responses were not pleasant. I must say the tone of his voice sounded more angry than compliant. He asked why he should help her in any way. She told him he would get nothing if he did not cooperate.”
“Please continue,” the Duke of Rabney said when she hesitated. The Duke of Lox glanced at him, noticing he was as anxious as he to learn what was going on. She nodded, swallowing visibly and her voice dropped.
“He said he would help her but only because he was required to do so. Why would he say that? Why would he be required to help her with anything?”
The men looked at each other and then back at her, shaking their heads.
“Continue, Miss Katherine,” the Duke of Lox said.
“I did not hear much more. They left the room when Mother said she wanted to check on the duke. But I did catch Emma’s name and… and yours, your grace.” She looked at the Duke of Lox. “She was saying something about… about…” Katherine’s face scrunched up as she searched her memory.
“But I could not hear what she said. It was so low… I… I thought nothing of it at the time because you had brought Emma home and I thought she was referencing that you had rescued someone in that manner before. If she is speaking to Lord Carne about you and my sister and now my sister is gone, it cannot be a good thing. Can it?”
The Duke of Lox was taken by the look on the young girl’s face. She was looking at him as if he was her only hope. He had no doubt she felt he was the only one who could rescue Emma, wherever she was.
“Miss Katherine.” The Duke of Rabney got the girl’s attention. “Tell me what you think is going on. It looks as though you have an idea.”
Katherine flushed prettily. Both men immediately felt sorry for her. “Your Grace, I believe my mother and Lord Carne have taken Emma from Corning Manor. I do not know where they have taken her but… I do believe he is involved in this.”
The Duke of Lox frowned and sighed heavily. Lord Carne was becoming quite a problem. It seemed the man felt behooved to act as Emma’s rescuer under false pretenses. “What could the duchess be thinking?” he mumbled.
Katherine’s eyes grew wide with fear. “Oh, my lord, I do not wish to bring harm to my mother or her reputation. But I do fear she has taken matters into her own hands where Emma is concerned. I cannot… I cannot imagine what she could be thinking. It does not make sense to me.”
“That is because you are a lady, Miss Katherine,” the Duke of Lox replied. “You have a good heart. Like your sister.”
“We are not blood-related, your grace,” Katherine replied. “We are only step-sisters. My father was killed when I was a child, just before my mother married the Duke of Corning.”
The two men looked at each other. This was something neither of them knew. They looked back at Katherine.
“I did not realize that, my lady,” the Duke of Lox said quietly. “I was under the impression the duke was also your father. You are very close in age to Lady Wentworth.”
“Yes, she is only a few years o
lder than me,” Katherine confirmed. “My mother wed him when I was about five. He has always been my father but he is not my real father.”
“I am sorry to hear about your father, Miss Katherine.”
Katherine nodded at the Duke of Rabney. “Thank you, my lord. I do not remember him well. My mother has never given me any details of his death so I cannot tell you what happened. I only know that the Duke of Corning was courting my mother shortly after. And I only know that because he told me about it when he was still a healthy man.”
“How is the Duke of Corning this morning?”
“He is well. He is not a strong man but he is holding on to his life. I believe I know why.”
The Duke of Lox nodded in agreement. “I do, as well. He is waiting to see his child marry someone who will make her happy.”
Katherine nodded. “Those were also my thoughts, my lord. Do you think my mother will try to convince him to let Emma marry Lord Carne?”
The Duke of Lox frowned. “Why would you ask such a thing? Have you heard anything more about that situation?”
“No, sir, I have not heard another thing.”
“How much time do you get to spend with the duke?” the Duke of Rabney asked curiously. “Is he awake more often than he was? Lady Wentworth mentioned that he was taking medications that made him sleepy.”
The look on Katherine’s face initially confused the two men. A very small smile broke through her distraught face and her eyes crinkled at them. “It is my opinion that my father refused to take his medications. Just yesterday. I heard Gertrude mention it to my mother. It is my belief he wanted to have his wits about him to talk to you, your grace.”
The Duke of Lox nodded, understanding the knowing smile Katherine allowed them a peek at. “I believe that may be the only thing about this situation I have heard that makes sense. The duke is not a stupid man. He will continue on until he sees his daughter happily married.”
“I would prefer he continue on until he sees my wedding, as well,” Katherine replied in a voice that implied she was feeling better and had confidence the men were going to make everything all right. “And to see our children.” She lost the smile she’d had and gazed at them, moving her eyes from one to the other. “What do you think will happen to Mother if she has done something to Emma? Surely, she will not harm her.”
The Duke of Lox shook his head. “I am afraid we do not know her as well as you do, Miss Katherine, and you are the one who came to us. If you had not thought something bad was happening, would you have come to us for help? Would you not have simply asked your mother where Lady Wentworth was?”
Katherine turned her eyes to look at the passing scenery once more. “I suppose I would, my lord. Yes, I suppose I would.”
“And tell me, Miss Katherine,” the Duke of Lox continued in a gentle voice. “What do you think has happened? Who do you think is responsible?”
Katherine sighed. She did not want to blame her mother. The Duke of Lox understood that. He thought about his own mother, the Grand Duchess. His mother would be outraged by the Duchess of Corning’s behavior. She would have the woman in chains before the day was out.
“I do not know, your grace. That is why I came to you. I do not believe I am a good judge in this matter.”
The Duke of Lox nodded. He decided the girl had been put through enough questioning and fell silent. He was nervous for Emma. In the six weeks of the season that had already passed, he would never have taken the Duchess of Corning for an evil woman.
When she spoke of Emma the very first night they were introduced, she spoke highly of her. She seemed eager for Emma to meet the right man. She even gave the impression the Duke of Lox was that right man. Or perhaps the Duke of Rabney.
What had happened in those six weeks between Lord Carne and the Duchess of Corning that caused this sudden union of goals?
He moved his eyes back to Katherine. “Miss Katherine, how long has your family known Lord Carne?”
“He has attended nearly all of the events we have for the last three seasons. While I could not give you a personal account of this, as I was not there for my sister’s first two seasons, I am certain that his name has come up in conversation between my parents.”
“In connection to your sister?”
Katherine looked up, thinking about it. “At first, yes. But when it was brought up to Emma, she did not like the idea and chose to only be friends with Lord Carne. He seemed like a nice man. I have danced with him several times. He was always very polite but was quiet to a point. I had no opinion of him and he was very obviously not interested in me.”
The Duke of Lox nodded, moving his eyes away from her. An idea was forming in his mind.
Chapter 37
As much as he detested it, the Duke of Lox knew he would have to enlist the help of the Duke of Corning. It was imperative that he knew as much about Lord Archibald Van D’Obson as he could. It was obvious he could not ask the Duchess of Corning and so it would fall to her husband.
He had his doubts the Duke of Corning would mind helping to find his daughter and ensure her safety.
They rolled up to the front of Corning Manor and the three of them got out of the carriage. Katherine held her skirts as she hopped up the steps and crossed the porch to the front door. Without hesitation, she went in and headed toward the stairs.
“I am going to see if she is here or if Camilla is still here,” she said over her shoulder as she ascended the curving stairs to the second floor where the bedrooms were.
Neither of the men spoke. They both watched her until she was nearly at the top before looking at each other. The Duke of Rabney lifted his eyebrows. “I know that look, Baldwin. You know what to do. Tell me what you are thinking.”
The Duke of Lox nodded. “I believe I know what we can do. But first, we must find out how much the Duke of Corning knows about Lord Carne and his family.”
“Do you believe there is something nefarious going on between Lord Carne and the duchess?”
The Duke of Lox moved down the hallway, shaking his head. “No. Nothing quite nefarious. Mysterious. I believe if we look into Lord Carne’s history and his background, we will find the answer to this. I am hoping it will lead us to Lady Wentworth.”
“You do not believe she will come back with Miss Katherine? Perhaps she did go shopping with the duchess.”
The Duke of Lox looked over his shoulder. “No, Christian. She is not here.”
His friend’s eyebrows shot up. “I wish I knew what to do for you, Baldwin. I truly understand why you are so keen to find her. I will help you however I can.”
The Duke of Lox nodded at him. “I know, Christian. I am grateful.”
They reached the doors to the room where the Duke of Corning would be laying in his comfortable bed, hopefully alert enough to answer their questions.
The Duke of Lox turned the knob and pushed open the doors. He stepped in with the Duke of Rabney on his heels. Gertrude jumped to her feet, her eyes wide in shock.
“Oh!” Her hands flew to her mouth as she attempted to hide her surprise from the two men. “Oh dear, I am sorry, I did not know you were coming. No one told me. I would have been waiting. I am so sorry, my lords.” She curtsied several times as she passed them, going out the door.
She turned to wrap each hand around a doorknob and pull the doors closed behind her. The men watched her leave before turning to the Duke of Corning, who was sitting up higher in bed than he had been the night before and looking even more alert.
A rush of relief ran through the Duke of Lox. He approached the bed.
“My sincerest and deepest apologies for bursting in on you without announcement, my lord,” the Duke of Lox said in a low voice. “But I fear this is an emergency and I need your help… that is Lady Wentworth needs your help.”
The Duke of Corning’s eyes, which had been looking at them curiously, suddenly turned alert and focused. He stared at the Duke of Lox. “What has happened to my Emma?”
&
nbsp; His voice was raspier than the Duke of Lox would have liked but he was completely awake.
The Duke of Lox reached out and grabbed the high-backed chair Gertrude had been sitting on. He dragged it closer to the bed and sat down. The Duke of Rabney came up to stand behind him, placing one hand on the back of the chair the Duke of Lox was sitting in.
He sat forward. “Forgive me, sir. I do not mean to upset you.”
The Duke of Corning shook his head. “No time for that now. I must know what is happening to my daughter.”
“We do not know where she is. I must ask you for some…”
