Page 83 of An Unlikely Debutante

‘Shut your mouth. You always did have too high an opinion of yourself.’

Lina wriggled, seeing if she could get free, but Tom’s grip on her was surprisingly strong.

‘What do you want, Tom?’ Lina spat.

‘I came to tell you you’re not welcome back home. We don’t take kindly to those who betray their families, especially those who whore themselves out to toffs.’

Lina rolled her eyes. ‘You travelled all the way here to tell me that?’

‘Don’t come back home.’

‘I doubt you’ll be there anyway.’

‘I mean it, Lina. You’re not welcome.’

With a shove, he sent her careening away, grabbing her small case as he did so.

‘Give it back, Tom!’ Lina cried, grabbing out with her hand. The case only contained the three dresses and pair of gloves; the jewellery and the small amount of money Lina had was secreted in a small purse underneath her dress, but still she didn’t want to lose the clothing.

He pushed her roughly away again and Lina felt her body slam into the iron railings for a second time. She was just about to launch another attack when the front door to the house was flung open and Alex came barrelling down the steps. He threw himself in between Lina and Tom, deflecting the fist of the older man before advancing on him and manoeuvring Tom’s arms behind his back to hold him still.

‘Are you hurt?’ Alex asked, looking back over his shoulder.

Lina shook her head.

‘Come inside.’ Alex pushed Tom up the steps in front of him and into the house, where she could hear him instructing the footmen to take control of her uncle.

For a second Lina hesitated. It would be all too easy to follow Alex inside, to succumb to his embrace. No doubt in a few months’ time she would realise she’d become everything she promised herself she wouldn’t ever be.

Quickly she grabbed the handle of her case, and with a final look at the inviting open door, she ran off down the street.

* * *

Alex spun around, expecting to see Lina making her way in through the open door, but it remained empty. With a sinking feeling he stepped outside and looked up and down the street. Lina was nowhere to be seen. He cursed loudly and repeatedly, then leaped down the steps in one bound, landing with his knees slightly bent, all the better to push off immediately into a sprint. Without a clue as to Lina’s direction or destination, Alex veered left, hoping his superior speed would be on his side. Street after street he crossed, ever vigilant for a flash of multicoloured skirt or her dark, flowing hair.

The streets were more or less empty, with the odd merchant or servant hustling quickly to their daily place of work, but even the few people he stopped to ask if they’d seen Lina shook their heads before continuing on their way.

After thirty minutes of searching Alex had to admit defeat, returning to the house to dress properly before starting the search anew. When he’d been woken by the voices outside his window he’d quickly thrown on a shirt and breeches and pulled on his boots, but if he were to chase Lina farther afield, he would need to be better presented.

‘Let me go!’ a loud voice shouted as Alex entered through the front door. Making a quick detour into his study, where two footmen were restraining Lina’s uncle, Alex glowered at the older man so fiercely he immediately fell silent.

‘Where has she gone?’ Alex asked.

The man laughed cruelly. ‘Not home, that’s for sure. I told her she wasn’t welcome there.’

‘Where else would she go?’

Silence. Alex resisted the urge to punch Lina’s uncle squarely on the jaw and instead motioned for the footmen to let him go. He had much more important things to worry about without this scoundrel in his house.

Quickly he ran upstairs, dressed properly and instructed a footman to relay a message to the stables to ready his horse. Within five minutes he was back on the streets, ready to search for Lina until nightfall if that was what it took.

As he rode, Alex cursed his stupidity. Last night he had decided he couldn’t live without Lina—that he didn’t want her as his mistress, but as his wife, his lifelong companion. Stupid fool that he was, he hadn’t told her, somehow expecting her to know his change of heart without him ever uttering the words. When she’d given herself to him willingly, he’d thought she had understood. Then he’d even allowed them to fall asleep with the words unspoken, thinking that there was plenty of time today to declare his love and plan their future.

Love.Even just the word made him nervous, but that was the only way to describe the deep-seated feelings that had developed these last few weeks.

‘I won’t lose her,’ Alex vowed, knowing he would not stop searching until she was safely back in his arms.

He rode through all the major London streets that morning, visiting various coach stops and inns. As he ventured towards the less salubrious parts of London, he felt thankful for Lina’s worldly knowledge—she would know how to look after herself in a place like this.

As each hour passed with no one admitting to seeing Lina, Alex felt increasingly despondent. Perhaps she’d left London already, caught an early coach. By now she could be well on her way to any part of the country. He wished he’d paid more attention when Lina had talked about where her family would travel to next. Despite her uncle’s insistence that she wasn’t welcome at home Alex felt sure she would return to her brother and cousin. It was six weeks since the Pottersdown Fair, so they would surely have moved on, but even with the stakes this high Alex couldn’t think of where Lina could have gone.