“Lady Longhurst begs you come, my lord,” Marissa heard him say. “She’s beside herself, she is. Hy-hysterical.”
Lady Longhurst? The name was enough to send Marissa down the stairs in her bare feet, not caring if it was proper or not. Since she’d come to Abbey Thorne Manor she’d been kicking society’s rules and conventions out of her path like autumn leaves.
“What is happening?” she said, glancing from one to the other.
Morris answered her, his voice stiff and his gaze a little wild.
“It seems that Lady Longhurst has been assaulted, Miss Rotherhild.”
“Assaulted?” Marissa cried. “Is she injured?”
“Aye, me lady,” the lad said, eyes wide, relishing the dramatic situation he found himself in. “A foreigner came and she offered him her—her hospitality and he betrayed it.”
Marissa turned to Valentine, seeking illumination.
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“It seems Von Hautt charmed his way into Lady Longhurst’s house,” he said, troubled anger in his eyes.
The lad interrupted. “She needs you to come at once, me lord. Will you come?”
Morris cleared his throat, his jowls wobbling. “My lord, I don’t think it wise of you to go riding off into the night. You barely know this Lady Longhurst.”
“I know she’s a lady in need of my help, Morris,” Valentine retorted.
“I thought you said you weren’t Sir Lancelot?” Marissa murmured, with a questioning glance. “You are acting very like him.”
“I am behaving like a gentleman,” Valentine retorted, and turned back to Morris. “Get Bartholomew, Pinnock, Nesmith up out of their beds, with whoever else who wants to come, and tell them to ready the horses. I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Make sure there’s a horse for me,” Marissa said briskly. “Lady Longhurst will appreciate a woman’s support in such a delicate situation.”
Valentine opened his mouth to argue, then seemed to think better of it. “Very well,” he said. “You are probably safer with me anyway. I don’t like the thought of Von Hautt wandering around the countryside unrestrained.”
“I am more than a match for the baron,” Marissa assured him.
“Of course she is.” It was George, standing on the stairs and yawning. He rubbed his eyes. “I’ll come, too, just to be on the safe side.”
Valentine gave him a narrowed look. “I thought you were ill in bed, George.”
“I was. I’m better now.”
Marissa left them to it. She wanted to tell Lady Bethany what was happening before she left for Canthorpe, and after a soft knock on her door, opened it a crack and peered in. Her gasp sounded very loud in the silence.
The room was lit by the moonlight coming in the uncovered window so there was no mistaking what she saw. Two people, Lady Bethany and Jasper, lay curled in each other’s arms, their mouths ajar in sleep, the covers tucked around them. They looked remarkably handsome together—which probably had a bit to do with the moonlight—and very peaceful.
Marissa couldn’t decide whether she was outraged or horrified or any of the other things a respectable young lady should be. But the truth was she wasn’t particularly upset; she wasn’t even particularly shocked. She was well aware of her grandmother’s attitude when it came to making the most of her life; she even shared some of her ideals. Marissa could only wish the lovers well.
Gently she closed the door and tiptoed away.
By the time she’d dressed and made her way out to the stable, the men were assembled.
“I don’t want to be uncharitable,” she said in a low voice to Valentine. “Perhaps the lady really is in dire need. But why has she sent for you and not one of her closer neighbors or relatives?”
Valentine gave her a grin. “You’re jealous, minx.”
“I’m suspicious,” she corrected him. It had been obvious to her from the first that Lady Longhurst had set her sights on Valentine, and husband or no husband she was most unhappy when he slipped out of her grasp. Now she’d found a reason to draw him back into her web, and she must have known he would respond to her plea for help—how could Valentine the proper gentleman refuse?
But Marissa was adamant that Valentine was her gentleman and Lady Longhurst was not going to use his more heroic qualities to trap him. If anyone was going to hunt Valentine then it was Marissa.