“I think we need to figure out what happened between Lord Redfield and Carramere,” Iris said, looking thoughtful. “Clearly they discovered something that led Carramere to believe Lord Cain is the true guilty problem in this opium conspiracy you told us about.” She threw Rosalie an irritated look. “Which, by the way, I must reiterate my displeasure you got yourself involved with. You could have been killed, involving yourself with criminals!”
Rosalie didn’t have the energy to argue with her.
“Anyway,” Violet said quickly, “I agree. We need to find out what happened and then figure out how we can fix it. Only then will Carramere realize what a fool he’s being and take you back, Rosalie. That or a romantic gesture…”
Her eyes became dreamy, but Iris frowned. “No romantic gestures,” she snapped. “He is the one that needs to make a romantic gesture to get Rosalie back.”
“Do you think he will?” Rosalie asked, hope suddenly flaring in her chest.
Violet gave her a small smile. “I really think so,” she said. “It was clear to anyone who saw you dancing last night that the Duke holds you in high regard. He would not let that go. Perhaps he’sscared. Fear can make men do things they wouldn’t otherwise. But I know that his feelings for you are deep.”
“As much as I currently dislike the man, I have to agree with Violet,” Iris said. “It was clear to me that the Duke is very much besotted with you.”
Rosalie swallowed again. Her heart was pounding with excitement and fear. She wanted to believe that they were right, but it was terrifying to entertain that hope.
“The important thing,” Iris said, leaning toward her, “is to think about what you want, Rosalie. Do you want him back? The answer might be no. Perhaps he hurt you too much. Perhaps you want to live separately. He could stay in the country, and you could live in town or with one of us. It’s your decision, and Violet and I will support you full heartedly in whatever you decide.”
Violet nodded, and Rosalie let her sister’s words wash over her. Until this moment, she hadn’t thought about what she wanted. All she had been able to think about was what she had done wrong and why the Duke had left her. She’d been blaming herself. But at her sister’s words, new feelings began to form in her.
What do I want?she asked herself.What do I want more than anything on earth?
She allowed herself to remember the kind of man she’d always told herself she would marry: the kind, gentle man who was the opposite of her father. Then she thought about the Duke. Andthen a feeling gripped her that was so strong it nearly made her cry out. To her delight, it wasn’t painful, really. Not like how her sister had described heartbreak. In fact, it kind of felt wonderful.
It was fury.
“Wake up, Nathan!”
If the voice hadn’t woken him up, then the face full of cold water that followed it seconds later certainly would have.
Nathan shot bolt upright, his eyes snapping open, his heart pounding in fear and surprise.
“Where am I?!” he shouted, looking wildly around. Water was dripping down his face, getting in his eyes, and for a moment, he couldn’t see anything, especially because of the blinding white light coming from the study window…
The study. He was in his own study in his townhouse in London. And as he blinked and rubbed the water from his eyes, he made out his cousin, James, and their friend Phineas, standing in front of him. Phineas was holding a pitcher that had clearly just been used to wake Nathan up.
“What’s going on?” Nathan asked as he took in the two men. James, he noticed, was wearing an expression of deep concernwhile Phineas looked mildly annoyed. “What are you two doing here?”
“What we’re doing here,” Phineas snapped, “is trying to find out whatyoudid that has caused both of us to get earfuls from our wives.”
“W-what?”
“Our wives, good man!” Phineas said, shaking his head. “Your wife’s sisters! They have been livid ever since last night when you apparently threw your wife out of your house and sent her to live with me. Thank you for that by the way.”
Nathan’s brain was slow to catch up. He’d been out all night and had only arrived back home at around nine in the morning. Not that it had led to anything. Lord Cain was still eluding them. But it had been a great distraction, at least. He’d barely been able to think about Rosalie as he and Lord Carfield—with the help of some of Grove’s men—had searched some of the more seedy dens of iniquity in London.
“I’m sorry your wives are mad at you,” Nathan said when at last he was able to compute what Phineas was saying. “But really, this is a private matter between me and the Duchess. It doesn’t concern you.”
“Unfortunately, it does concern us when we have to live with the women you’ve hurt,” James replied, giving him a regretful smile. “And when it comes to the Crampton sisters, it seems that when you hurt one, you hurt them all.”
“You two have both had complications in your marriages before,” Nathan grumbled. “And you’ll notice that neither time did I come to you, demanding answers.”
“That’s because you weren’t married to Rosalie yet,” James pointed out. “If you had been… well then, you would have had to hear about it, and then we would have, too.”
Nathan rolled his eyes and looked around the study. The sun was bright and high in the sky.
“What time is it?” he asked, running a hand through his hair.
“It’s two o’clock.”
