The Deceptive Lady Darby (Lost Ladies of London 2)

Rose chuckled. “Good, you can start by sweeping the grate.”

Scotland proved to be the perfect place for a wedding. Not only did it give them the opportunity to put the events in the apothecaries’ garden behind them, but Christian refused to marry in Abberton while Reverend Wilmslow remained there. And, of course, the children thought of it as an exciting adventure.

Even so, when the gates of Everleigh came into view, they all sighed with relief.

Rose clutched his arm. “Oh, it’s so good to be home.”

“I hope Foster’s kept the staff working hard in my absence,” Mrs Hibbet said.

Rose shrugged. “I don’t care if the house is in chaos, with a full complement of staff we’ll soon have everything right again.”

“When are our swimming lessons starting, Papa?” It was the fifth time Alice had asked in the last hour.

“If it’s dry tomorrow, we can take a picnic to the lake.” He glanced at Jacob and raised a brow. “We’ll look for a spot where you can both touch the bed.”

“The bed?” Alice screwed up her nose. “Fish don’t sleep.”

“They do,” Jacob protested. “But they keep their eyes open.”

Rose turned to Christian. “I think you need to hire a governess posthaste.”

Having received the news that their master had married, the servants lined up to greet Rose as mistress of Everleigh. She accompanied Mrs Hibbet on her inspection of the house while Christian settled in the study and sifted through his correspondence. One particular letter caught his attention, and after breaking the seal and scanning the missive, he sent for Rose.

“I’ve received a letter from Vane.”

Rose narrowed her gaze. “Judging by your solemn tone, I assume it’s not good news.”

Christian shook his head. “Lillian is missing.”

“Missing!”

“Vane wants to know if she said anything to you when you met her at the house in Berkeley Square.”

“No.” Rose put her hand on her chest. “She asked a few questions, vaguely touched upon her ruined reputation. Perhaps she went to stay with a friend or other relative. While it’s clear her brother cares for her, his need to protect her must be suffocating.”

Guilt drove Vane to behave as he did. “I’ll ride to London tomorrow and see if there’s anything I can do.”

Rose gave a weak smile. “Of course.”

He handed Rose the letter. She scanned the first few lines and looked up. “But this is dated ten days ago. There’s every chance he’s found her.”

Christian rifled through the rest of the letters littering his desk before finding another written in Vane’s flamboyant script. He tore it open. “This one’s dated a week ago.” The first few words calmed his racing heart. “It’s all right. He knows where she is.”

“Oh, thank heavens. Now I’ve got you all to myself, I can’t bear the thought of you leaving.”

Christian offered a devilish grin. “When I’m done with these perhaps you should come here and sit on the desk, let me admire those new stockings that cost a small fortune.” The letter in his hand shook as he imagined a rather erotic scene. The next few lines wiped the smile off his face.

Christian swallowed as he absorbed the words on the page. “Good Lord!” He fell back in the chair, dragged his hand down his face and reread it.

“What is it?” Rose stepped closer to the desk.

“Surely not?”

“Christian?”

“Sorry. Vane knows where Lillian is because she’s been kidnapped.”

“Kidnapped? By whom?”