Page 81 of Ruined by the Wrong Earl

Again, nothing. He lacked ambition and the normal fire he felt from political machinations. ‘It will survive without me for the time being.’ He needed time and space away from her.

‘You should go home,’ Adler said.

Ralston shook his head. ‘Not if Lady Ralston is there.’

‘Go home,’ Adler said, his voice firmer. ‘You need to speak with your wife.’

Ralston shot him a hard glare. ‘Why? She is no different than any other woman. I should not have believed she was.’

Adler let out a long sigh. ‘Your wife is not Margaret.’

At the mention of his first betrothal, a spark of annoyance flared in his chest. ‘You’re right. Nora is worse.’

She was a liar. She’d told him she’d cared about him. It was nonsense, of course. What woman would lie about an offer to travel abroad for an entire year if she cared?

‘You don’t believe that about Lady Ralston. Margaret lied about the baby and cheated with another man.’

His short bark of laughter lacked humour. He’d believed Nora was a more trustworthy wife than Margaret would have ever been. Which made her betrayal worse. His feelings for his wife went much deeper than any he’d held for Margaret. It was why his chest felt like it had been carved out with a dull spoon, and he couldn’t face Nora.

‘My wife didn’t blink an eye as we celebrated her success after her presentation,’ he said. ‘All the while, she was planning to leave for a full year. Once she’s gone, she will most likely find another lover, a like-minded scientist.’

Adler’s voice hardened with frustration. ‘Then give her a reason not to leave. Christ, Ralston, you can be mule-headed. The problem is not with Nora but with you. You need to trust her. How long will you avoid her?’

Ralston grunted. ‘I’m in no rush.’

‘Then you better come to your senses and hurry because I heard Lady Ralston’s ship is leaving in two days’ time.’

Ralston sobered as fast as his body would allow. He endured a cold bath, three cups of coffee and a foul-tasting drink Adler swore would work to get the whisky out of his system. Stevens offered to shave him and after he dressed quickly, not bothering with the intricate folds of his cravat, he arrived home.

He couldn’t let his wife leave without further discussion. After all, they had a business agreement to uphold.

His butler’s eyes widened as he stepped into the house. ‘Your lordship.’

‘Where is Lady Ralston?’ he demanded.

‘Lady Ralston?’ The butler froze.

Before he could open his mouth and demand an answer. Mrs Hanning hurried into the vestibule and stopped short at the sight of him. ‘My lord!’

‘Lady Ralston. Where is she?’

His housekeeper stared, clearly at a loss for words. What the hell was wrong with his staff? They looked like frightened deer. A heavy feeling settled in his gut.

Mrs Hanning finally spoke. ‘Lady Ralston is…is—’

‘Where, dammit?’ He never swore to his staff and their eyes widened in unison.

Mrs Hanning jumped. ‘Her ladyship left for the dockyard an hour ago.’

He took a step back as if she’d slapped him across the face. ‘She left? I thought the departure was two days from now.’

The housekeeper shook her head. ‘No, my lord. Who told you that?’

Adler. His friend wouldn’t have known. And it wasn’t Adler’s fault anyway.

It was his.

Christ. Everything was his fault. For the first time, he experienced a sense of panic. Now sober, he recalled his cruel words. She’d told him she cared for him and how did he respond? He’d called her selfish and accused her of being worse than Margaret. What had he been thinking? His heart hammered in his chest and the tension that had been building inside him exploded with frightening intensity. Without another word, he spun on his heel and sprinted back to his carriage.