Dating the Duke (The Aristocrat Diaries 2)

“Calm down, son.” She unhooked her robe from behind the door, pulled it on, and stepped out of her room. “Have you been to Adelaide’s room and asked if she’s seen her?”

Adelaide. Of course. “No, I haven’t.”

“Right. You go over there and fetch her, and I’ll gather all the staff to search the house. She rarely ventures outside of our living space, but if the cats went exploring, there’s every chance she’s gotten turned around somewhere. She won’t have run away. She’ll be here somewhere.”

I took a deep breath and nodded. “You’re right. Thank you, Ma.”

“Of course.” She kissed my cheek and headed off in the opposite direction to me.

I rushed through the halls to the wing where Adelaide’s bedroom was and knocked on the door.

Nothing.

I knocked again, this time a little louder. “Adelaide?”

Still nothing.

“Addy!” I banged my fist against the door, but there was still no answer, so I tried the doorknob.

It was unlocked, so I pushed it open and stepped inside. The room was completely empty. Her bed was still made, and there was no sign of the clothes she’d been wearing yesterday on top of her laundry basket. Her phone and bag were gone, too, and my heart jumped into my throat.

They were both gone.

Where the heck were they?

I ran downstairs and almost knocked my mother over. “She’s not there, either. Adelaide isn’t here, and neither is her bag or phone.”

Ma frowned. “Did they go out somewhere?”

“This early?”

“Olympia is an early bird, and Adelaide is usually up by seven. It’s possible.”

I walked to the front door and opened it. “Her car is still here.”

“Then they haven’t gone far, dear, have they?” Ma shut the door. “Peter is looking outside, Boris is searching the east side of the house, and I’m going to take upstairs. Why don’t you take the west side, and we’ll meet back here?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I’d never felt a panic quite like this—my daughter had disappeared without a trace, and so had the woman I could see myself falling in love with.

Their rooms weren’t that far apart.

What if someone had broken in and taken them?

No. I couldn’t think like that. They had to be somewhere in the house.

They just had to be.

“All right,” I said to Ma. “Let’s do that.”

She patted my cheek and headed back up the stairs, and I turned to the west side of the house to start looking.

I searched every room. Every time one turned up empty, a little more terror crept its way into my veins, and by the time I scooped a cat out of the sink in the downstairs toilet, my blood was running cold.

How could they not be here? There was nowhere they could have gone.

I rubbed my hands across my forehead and leaned against the panelled wall. I had to hope now that someone else had come across them, that they knew where at least one of them were.

Preferably Olympia.

I had to know my daughter was safe.

I pushed off the wall and continued searching every room and closet and cupboard. I was on the verge of giving up hope when I saw the door to the study room was ajar and froze.

Were they studying already? Olympia’s lessons weren’t until ten-fifteen.

I pushed open the door, noting that it no longer squeaked, and looked around. My gaze fell on the seating area in the window, and all the panic and fear dissipated.

It was replaced by the biggest sensation of love I’d felt since I’d first laid eyes on Olympia.

She and Adelaide were lying on the sofa all cuddled up, tucked under a blanket, and they were both fast asleep. There was a book on the floor and another pinned beneath Olympia’s arm, and Adelaide’s arm was wrapped around Olympia’s shoulders.

The lamp on the side table was on, and I smiled when I realised they’d fallen asleep while reading.

I had no idea what they were doing down here. Especially Olympia—I’d put her to bed before I’d gone to my office, and since Adelaide’s car had been outside when I’d gone to bed myself, I hadn’t thought anything of it. I’d even checked in on Oly and I could have sworn I’d seen her in bed.

I was going to have to be more thorough in future.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent a text to everyone telling them that I’d found them, then slipped into the room and, after getting a book from the shelves, sat in the empty armchair and looked over at them.

I wasn’t sure if I could cope with seeing the two of them like this. The closer they got, the harder it was all going to be for Olympia when Adelaide had to leave. I liked to think that she wouldn’t, that she’d change her mind on her own and stay, but something told me that wasn’t the case.