“The sickness comes and goes more often than I ever knew.” The duke looked up at the ceiling. “I’ve just found out my wife has been hiding that fact from me for weeks now. If not for Rebecca’s help, I now know the wedding might never have taken place today.”
“Your daughter is a skilled hostess,” Adam noted. But then he realized that if the duchess was still ailing, Rebecca would assume her duties again for what remained of the house party, and perhaps beyond that, too. He was disappointed Rebecca might have only a little time for him, and only at night.
“I had hoped to go to London.” The duke rubbed his hand over his face and yawned.
“When?”
The duke pulled out his pocket watch. “In a few hours.”
“That’s sudden, but I’m sure your daughters will be only too happy to keep an eye on her grace.”
“I’m sure they would, but I would be happier if Rebecca were staying,” the duke muttered before turning away to refill a glass.
In doing so, Stapleton missed Adam’s utter shock.
Adam eased to the front of his chair, anxious to hear more. “I never heard that she was leaving tomorrow,” he began evenly enough, but he quickly experienced alarm that his lover had had enough of him.
“No one knows yet that she plans to slip away at dawn. Damn girl drives her poor father to drink,” the duke complained as he downed another glass.
Adam stood and collected his own glass. He sipped slowly, but it didn’t help him feel any better. “Why is she going to London?”
The duke exhaled. “A small inconvenience. Nothi
ng for anyone to worry about.”
But Adam was immediately concerned. First, her brother-in-law drops by unexpectedly, and Rebecca won’t tell him why, and now she is rushing off to London. Something was definitely going on with her—and he would get to the bottom of it before he decided how to confront her, or if he even should. “I’m glad.”
Adam finished his drink and, after a moment of consideration, he poured another for the duke, too, making sure the duke’s glass was fuller than his own.
Adam drank slowly, biding his time until the duke was feeling the effects. Then he carefully posed the questions that would help him discover everything he needed to know about Rebecca’s sudden London trip.
Chapter 14
Lord Rafferty, at last, exited the carriage outside a busy coaching inn on the way to London and left Rebecca in the company of his daughter and her maid. They’d been traveling for hours from Stapleton now, and Rebecca longed to escape the close confines and the tense atmosphere—the result of being nearly abducted by the earl.
Apparently, sometime during last evening, Rafferty had learned of her journey to London and obtained her father’s blessing to convey her there in his own carriage.
Rafferty had not intended to travel to London as of yesterday afternoon. He’d given every indication that he would remain at Stapleton Manor for many more days yet. Rebecca had hoped to complete her London errand and return to Stapleton—and to him, if he was still there waiting.
But now they were traveling together, and he had not questioned her once about her reason for the trip. That was unusual, because Rafferty had taken to questioning everything she did lately. Rebecca was concerned that her father had let something slip last night about her troubles, too. Why else might Rafferty have felt compelled to make a journey that so closely coincided with her own out of the blue?
Rebecca leaned forward and helped Ava return her slippers to her feet. The girl had slept for most of the day, thankfully, and never questioned where her father was taking her. “We must be careful here and stay together,” she warned the girl. Nancy did not need to be told that coaching inns were dangerous places for women on their own. Ava would have her father’s protection, of course, but Ava did not always do as she was told. She had escaped the Stapleton nursery several times on her own, and it was only good luck that Rebecca had come across her.
“I’ll keep my eye on the girl,” Nancy promised. “Tonight, too.”
Rebecca appreciated it, but she worried about that and the other sly comments her maid had uttered along the journey to London. No matter that the earl had kept his head in a book while in the carriage, Nancy seemed to suspect that Rebecca was involved somehow with him. Her servant had glanced between them for the whole of the trip and began to smile as soon as Rafferty announced they would be stopping here overnight.
Rebecca peered out of the carriage at the dusty inn yard. She had never stopped at this particular coaching inn before and trusted that Rafferty had chosen well.
Rafferty returned then, looking a bit rumpled and weary, but he was smiling. He had a groom open the door again and put down the steps. He thrust out his hand to Rebecca. “The accommodations are arranged, madam. Let us go in.”
Rebecca accepted Rafferty’s help gladly but dropped his hand as soon as possible. Eager for a moment alone, she hurried into the building ahead of everyone and was greeted by the innkeeper.
“Lady Rafferty, welcome to our humble establishment,” the man said.
Rebecca nearly choked on hearing the false title tumble from his lips. Lady Rafferty indeed? She forced a smile though.
The man smiled warmly. “Your husband insisted that tea be provided in the private dining room as soon as you’ve refreshed yourself from your journey.”