Scandal and the Runaway Bride (Heirs to an Empire 1)

She nodded, chewing on her lip even more. She was young, maybe twenty-two or so. And Gabi had abandoned her, too. William might have felt sorry for her except he didn’t have the luxury of sympathy at the moment. A young man hovered just behind her—well, maybe Giulia wasn’t totally alone. She’d brought a plus one with her, though Will couldn’t remember his name.

“Is my sister all right?”

“Did you speak to her this morning?”

Giulia nodded quickly. “Yes, of course. She was nervous, but who isn’t on their wedding day?”

William searched her face for any hint of lying and found nothing. He was generally good at reading people, and he wasn’t sure this sweet young woman had it in her to be manipulative or a liar.

“Come with me,” he said, putting his hand on her arm. “Where we can speak more privately.”

The young man stepped forward, but Giulia gave a quick shake of her head and he halted. Her heels clacked behind William’s black dress shoes as he led her out of the chapel and into the room where he’d found the note. He shut the door behind him and looked her square in the eye. “Your sister isn’t sick. She left a note and ran.”

“Oh, Dio mio!”

William lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a common sentiment at the moment.” So far he’d heard it in three languages.

“Do you know where she is? Oh, no.” Giulia’s hand was now over her mouth, her bouquet dangling from her opposite hand. “I need to go to her...”

While William believed Giulia’s upset was genuine, he wasn’t swayed by her distressed voice. “Actually, I was hoping you might know where I could find her. This is quite a mess. We don’t want news to get out, do we? Did she say anything to you? Anything at all?”

“I don’t understand.” Giulia gave a sniff, and William patiently went to the desk and retrieved a tissue for her.

She dabbed her nose and eyes, and then William started again. “Giulia, your sister and my brother were getting married for appearances only. We both know they are not in love. Marrying Stephen meant that your family’s struggling company would benefit from an alliance with Aurora. Surely you must see how that won’t happen now.”

Her eyes widened and he felt like the world’s biggest heel. He hadn’t said anything that was a lie, but he was being cold and calculating right now. It wasn’t his usual way of doing things. This was what came of having had to do far too much crisis management since his father died.

“But... Mama and Papa...this isn’t their fault.”

He gentled his voice. “No, of course not. But until I find Gabi and we sort this out...” He let the thought hang, and watched as Giulia sorted through the ramifications on her own.

“William...” She said his name hesitantly, as if unsure if she was being too familiar. “Please, I... I do want to help. She is my sister.”

“There are two ways you can help,” he said firmly. “The first is to not breathe a word about this to anyone. If it gets out that she left Stephen at the altar, I promise you there will not be a deal with your family. Ever.”

She nodded quickly.

“The second is to help me find her. Do you know where she might have gone? Is there anyone she would go to or a place that comes to mind?”

She shook her head rapidly, then paused. “London. She’d try to hide in London. She always said that a person could get lost there. We laughed about it. Our city is much smaller.”

“That’s not a lot to go on.”

Giulia met his gaze. “I don’t know. She joked all the time about staying at the Ritz like Julia Roberts in that movie, you know? Where she always used a cartoon character as a fake name?”

William fought the urge to roll his eyes. Yes, Notting Hill. His sister Arabella had watched it often enough.

The Ritz wasn’t a lot to go on, but it was a place to start.

He ripped a corner off the note and grabbed a pen from the vicar’s desk. “If you hear from her or think of anything, please let me know.” He jotted down his mobile number. “I can’t help her if I can’t find her.”

And he did want to help her. Only because that was the singular way to help his family.

And he’d do anything for them.

* * *

Gabriella’s hands trembled as she lifted the demitasse to her lips. If they were at Chatsworth Hall, Stephen would have called for restorative tea. But tea wasn’t for Gabi, not at this moment. What she required was several jolts of espresso so she could make a better plan.