Raucous laughter drew her attention. She turned her head to see a group of young men stumbling along one of the garden paths. She wondered what they’d been doing out in the dark—nothing good that she could imagine. “Hold on, I’ve lost the damned necklace. I’ll never prove I was with her without it.” The men stopped, all of them bending down to search the ground for the lost object.
Amanda’s stomach knotted at the thought of the poor girl they’d likely taken advantage of. Did she know they’d kept her necklace? Amanda fought against her desire to rise from her bench and give the men a set down. She knew they’d only laugh at her, so she slumped lower, making sure they didn’t see her.
“Got it,” one of them called.
“Well, at least that’s one dashed bet I can win.”
“You never stood a chance with the Ice Princess.” Amanda’s heart skipped a beat. Were they talking about her? She didn’t recognize any of their voices.
“No doubt I’d lost as soon as Stanton threw his hat in the ring.” Bile rose into Amanda’s throat. Dear God, no.
Another of the men laughed. “The man’s a legend. We all knew he’d be the one to crack her ice.”
“That he is. Of course he’s the one who lost in the end. He had to marry her.”
“I hardly think that will slow him down. Once he begets an heir on her, he’ll be back to his usual round.”
“Shame. It’d be nice not to have the competition. Let’s get back to the ball. The night is young, and I’m nowhere near satisfied yet.” The others laughed as their feet crunched on the path.
Tears burned at the corners of Amanda’s eyes. Had everything between her and Rhys been a lie? Was she nothing but a prize to him? A prize he intended to discard as soon as
he’d had a sample. She knew things were going too well. She’d allowed herself to believe a man like Rhys could actually fall in love with her when she’d known all along she hadn’t a chance at winning the heart of a rake.
The young men’s words echoed in her mind. We all knew he’d be the one to crack her ice. Could Rhys really have done such a thing? If they’d seen his name in the club book, then surely he had put it there. But even if they were wrong, he could never be the type of husband she wanted, one who’d stay by her side forever.
Her head swam as she stood. She had to leave. Aunt Claire would worry if she disappeared, but she couldn’t go back inside. She would be forced to make idle chatter with countless individuals before she found her aunt or her sister in the throng, and what if she saw Rhys? She would kill him unless her agony made her heart burst first.
She rushed down the path that led to the back gate, not once considering how unsafe it was for any young woman to wander the London streets alone, much less one who been pursued by deadly villains.
Though she was never able to recall the journey, she managed to arrive home. The house was still and quiet—thankfully Rhys must have told the servants not to wait up for them. She raced up the stairs. How long did she have before he came looking for her?
She grabbed a valise and started stuffing it with random personal articles and bits of clothing.
Moments passed before she realized tears were pouring down her cheeks. The quiet tears turned to sobs. She abandoned her packing as they wracked her body. Caitlin, her maid who’d come with her from her aunt’s house, found her thus.
“Madam, whatever is the matter?”
Amanda looked up. She wiped at her tears, ashamed that Caitlin had seen her crying.
“We’ve got to leave.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“Mr. Stanton is not the man I thought he was.” Caitlin cocked her head to one side. “But you already knew that, madam.”
Amanda took a deep breath, pushing her sadness deep inside and forcing her tears to stop. “What I mean is that he’s exactly the man he’s reputed to be, completely incapable of love.”
Caitlin shook her head. “Pardon me for saying so, but I can hardly believe that, seeing the way he looks at you.”
Amanda resisted the urge to scream at the young woman. “Then you can stay with his household. I’m leaving.”
Caitlin took the valise from Amanda’s shaking hands. “My place is with you. How long will we be away and where are we going?” Amanda’s head pounded as she tried to make a decision. She needed to leave London. She could go to Cassandra. She had no doubt her sister would take her in for as long as she wanted to stay. But what she truly wanted was to be alone. Cornwall. She would be welcomed at Rhys’s estate in Cornwall.
The servants there would simply think she’d come down from London early, so she wouldn’t have to explain her presence. For a few days at least, she would be blessedly alone. Rhys would find her there, but she could hardly avoid him forever—she was too practical to believe that. Even after suffering such a shock, she was still sensible to the core. Eventually, they would have to come to an agreement about how to conduct this sham of a marriage.
Chapter Sixteen
“Lady Morgan, have you seen Amanda?”
The older woman frowned. “Now that you mention it, no, not for some time. I’d expected her to be hovering around me constantly, informing me I’m too frail to be on my feet and other such nonsense.”
Rhys smiled. “She only frets because she loves you so much.” Lady Morgan sighed. “I know she does. She loves you too, you know. Whether she says it or not.”
Rhys heart hammered against his chest. He prayed Amanda’s aunt was right, but before he would know for certain, he had to find Amanda. “I’ve been looking for her for quite some time but no one seems to have seen her recently.” Lady Morgan laid a hand on his arm. “Don’t worry. It’s hard to find anyone in this crush. I’m sure she’s fine. Have you looked on the terrace?”
“I told her not to leave the ballroom without me.”
“And you think she would let that stop her if the mood struck her to get some air?” Rhys sighed. “Right you are, Lady Morgan. It’s a delightful rout by the way.”
“Thank you. Now go find my niece and bring her to me when you do. I’d like you to start the procession into dinner.”
Rhys stepped onto the terrace and nearly ran into a party of three young rakes, hanging drunkenly on one another. “Excuse me.”
“Looking for your wife?” The speaker was Lord Tolliver, a despicable young man known for his love of ruining debutantes.
“Yes, actually, please step aside.”
“I saw her in the gardens earlier.”
One of the others, whose name Rhys could not recall, suddenly paled. “You don’t mean she was there when we were searching for the necklace?”
Rhys’s heartbeat accelerated. He grabbed Tolliver by the cravat. “What did you do?” Tolliver had the nerve to smile. “Nothing.”
Rhys looked at the other two. “If you intend to leave the party alive, you’ll tell me what is going on.”
The one who’d spoken before said, “We happened to discuss the bet you placed, the one about seducing Miss Halverston, I mean Mrs. Stanton.” Sick horror twisted Rhys’s insides into a knot. He hadn’t thought of that ridiculous bet in weeks, not since he’d infiltrated d’Eglantine’s secret society. If Amanda had heard them—
He tightened his grip on Tolliver. “What did you say?” Tolliver laughed.
Rhys released him, then punched him so hard, he crashed to the ground. Tolliver lay there, unmoving. Drunk as he was, he wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. Rhys knew all the guests who been taking the air on the terrace were now staring at him, but he didn’t care. All that concerned him was finding Amanda and making things right, if that were even possible now.
“Would either of you like to tell me what he said?” Both men spoke at once.
“You.” Rhys pointed to the man who’d spoken before.
“Tolliver mentioned the bet and said how you’d won but really you’d…”
“I’d what?”
“You’d lost because you had to marry her.”
“Did he say Amanda’s name?”
“He called her the Ice Princess.”
Rhys turned and ran, not caring what anyone thought. Knowing Amanda would have fled the party, he raced through the gardens. He prayed she’d only gone home, but his instincts told him she wouldn’t want to see him, ever again. He didn’t really believe she’d be there when he arrived.
He exited the back gate of the gardens and wove through the dark streets until he arrived at his townhouse. He banged the front door open and took the stairs two at a time.
His instincts had been right. Amanda’s room was a mess. She’d already packed and fled.
*
Rhys knew the driver was pushing the horses to their very limit. As it was, they would reach Devon in record time, but still he wished the carriage could go faster. He might never win Amanda back, but at least if he could see her, he would have a chance.
Doing something was better than this hell of waiting to find her.
He’d gone back to Lady Morgan’s house, entering by scaling the trellis that led to Amanda’s balcony. Thankfully, her room was on the opposite side of the house from the terrace by the ballroom, so he was able to enter undetected.
Not wanting to worry Lady Morgan during her party, he’d sent a servant to find Elise. Explaining the situation to Amanda’s sister hadn’t been easy. His actions sounded so damn foolish when he spoke them out loud, but Elsie had listened, and she seemed to believe he truly cared for her sister.
Elise’s best guess as to where her sister would go was Northamberly Abbey, the home of their older sister, Cassandra, and Rhys’s friend Mark. Elise said Amanda trusted Cassandra more than anyone else.
Rhys had left for Devon that very night.
He replayed the night he’d accepted Mouton’s taunts and signed on to the bet for Amanda’s innocence. He wished to God he’d never gone to his club that day. But no matter how he regretted his actions, he would put his name in the book again if he had to do it over. Any reluctance on his part would have tipped off not only Mouton but the rest of the men that he had real feelings for Amanda. Of course Mouton, or at least d’Eglantine, had seen through his façade anyway. If they could see how he felt, why couldn’t Amanda?
The knot in his stomach tightened even more as he thought of the two villains. It was bad enough Amanda had fled thinking he’d seduced her for nothing more than winning a bet. But she’d taken no one with but her maid and a single footman despite Mouton and d’Eglantine still being at large. If he failed to protect her as he had Therese, he wasn’t sure he would survive the agony.
*
Rhys leapt from the carriage and rushed to the door of Mark and Cassandra’s home.
He’d not yet lifted the knocker when their butler opened the door and bade him enter.
“Mr. and Mrs. Foxwood are expecting you. Shall I show you to them?”
“Expecting me?”
“Yes sir. A letter arrived for you less than an hour ago.”
“And Miss Halverston?”
“What about her, sir?”
“Is she here?”
“No, sir.”
Rhys’s heart pounded as the butler opened the door to the drawing room. He prayed that the letter would inform him of Amanda’s whereabouts.
Mark and Cassandra looked up as he entered. Mark scowled. “What the hell is going on?”
“That’s quite a greeting. Is that the letter that arrived for me?” He gestured to the paper the couple had been reading when he entered.
Mark nodded. “What have you done to Amanda?’
“I’ve done nothing to her. We’ve had a misunderstanding. Why the devil did you think you should be reading my mail?”
Cassandra answered him. “A letter from my youngest sister comes for you at this address when men who wanted the two of you dead have yet to be found. Do you honestly expect us to wait and until we locate you?”
Rhys took a deep breath and shook his head. He would have done the same thing.
“Would you at least tell me what it says?”
Cassandra handed it to him instead.
Mr. Stanton,
A letter has just been delivered saying Amanda has gone to your estate in Cornwall.
She makes no mention of plans to return.
Miss Elise Halverston
She would be there alone, with only a handful of servants, most of them old as the hills. His estate would be one of the first places Mouton or d’Eglantine would look if they learned Amanda was no longer in London.
“I must get to her quickly. Might I borrow a horse?” Cassandra shook her head. “You’re not going anywhere until you explain why my sister left London without you.”
“She overheard some men talking at a party. She believes I seduced her to win a bet.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Then why does she think you did?”
“I signed the book, but only to protect her.” Mark growled. “How could such a thing protect her?’
“Mouton, the man I now believe is truly Walter Linton, suggested the bet. If I’d refused, my regard for Amanda would have been obvious. I had to keep playing the role of the rake.”
Cassandra sighed. “You could have told her what you’d done.”
“I was afraid she wouldn’t understand.”
“Why do men insist on behaving like idiots?”
Rhys smiled for the first time since he’d arrived. “I don’t know, but I love your sister. I had a ring made especially for her. I was going to give it to her the night she ran away, along with a proposal for another ceremony this fall. I’d still like to do so if she will listen to reason.”
Mark snorted. “Good luck with that. The Halverston sisters are not likely to be plied with reason.”
Cassandra scowled at him. “Will she be safe in Cornwall?” Rhys wanted to protect Cassandra, especially in her pregnant state, but she already knew what had happened in London, and he couldn’t lie. “I hope so. Neither Mouton nor d’Eglantine has surfaced. D’Eglantine’s likely smart enough to stay hidden, but Mouton is stupid and bent on revenge.”
Mark frowned. “I’ll go with you.”
Rhys considered accepting Mark’s offer in case Amanda was in trouble, but he couldn’t risk his friend’s life when he was about to become a father. “No, stay with Cassandra. If Mouton is Walter, it’s not inconceivable that he’d come after her as well.
I’ll find Amanda and keep her safe.”
Mark frowned. “Perhaps you’re right.”
“We could all go.”
Both men stared at Cassandra as if she’d grown an extra head.
“Well, I could.”
Mark glowered at her. “Not a chance with you carrying our child.” Cassandra glanced down at her growing belly and tears formed in her eyes. “I want to help Amanda. I need to tell her to listen to Rhys. I don’t want her to make the same mistake I almost made.” Mark kissed his wife, and their obvious love for each other made Rhys’s heart ache.
Rhys assured Cassandra he would give Amanda the message. He wanted Amanda to love him so desperately it hurt. Would Amanda listen to her sister’s words?
Mark pulled the bell and the butler appeared nearly instantaneously. “Please have Thor saddled for Mr. Stanton and provide him with the necessary supplies for a ride to his estate in Cornwall.”
“Yes, sir.” The man bowed and stepped out of the room.
“I’ll send a message as soon as I find her.” Cassandra embraced him before he left. “Find my sister and make her see reason, no matter how she protests. Insufferable as you can be, you’re the right man for her.” Rhys smiled. “I’ll choose to take that as a compliment.”
“Good. Now go find Amanda.”
*
Amanda spread a blanket on the ground and took a deep breath of salt air. As she looked down onto the churning sea from her vantage point on the cliffs, London seemed a million miles away. Her chest still ached from the pain of Rh
ys’s betrayal, but the beauty of the land around her eased that pain. She’d never been happy in London. The country suited her much better.
If only she could stay in Cornwall forever, she might be happy. But sooner or later Rhys would come and she would have to return to London to help her aunt pack up her household. At least the Season was at an end and she could disappear from society for a while. She had no desire to see anyone, not even the few people she considered friends.
The sound of hoof beats drew her attention. Who would be riding this desolate stretch at this hour? Had someone come from the house? When the rider came into view, her heart skipped a beat. She could have guessed his identity by his stoutness and bushy hair but his eye patch made her certain. It was Mouton, or rather Walter Linton, if she and Rhys were right. She looked around for a weapon, fighting the urge to flee. She’d never outrun him while he was on horseback.
She’d thought she was safe away from London. Obviously she’d been a fool. She should never have left the house on her own. Suddenly she longed for Rhys so deeply,
tears came to her eyes. As angry as she was at him, she still loved him. Now she might never see him again.
Mouton dismounted, a sickening smile on his face. “So I’ve found you at last. What did you do to your precious husband to make him leave you all alone for me?”
“He hasn’t left me. He’s at the house now and intent on joining me. It would be wise for you to leave this property at once.”
Mouton took a step closer to her. She clutched the rock she’d picked up. “You lie so prettily, but I know you’re all alone. The villagers were most kind in helping me find my way here.”
Of course the villagers wouldn’t have known to keep her presence a secret or to pretend Rhys was here as well. They thought she’d simply come down early to start the process of opening the house. As far as she knew none of them were aware of the true nature of Rhys’s work or the danger they were in at present.
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