Page 94 of Miss Delancey’s Tragicomedy

“No,” Dessie said, taking tight hold of Ophelia’s arm. “They took the Southampton train.”

“Why? How do you know?”

Dessie’s eyes blazed with anger. “Because Southampton is a stone’s throw from Lannington. Trentham’s estate. His ducal seat.”

Appalled, Ophelia asked, “Do you think…you can’t think…”

“That he told her they were going to Gretna Green, but then dragged her off to Lannington?”

No! Ophelia’s eyes stung with hot tears. That would be an abduction, not an elopement. Her chest ached. There had to be another explanation. But what? “Oh, Dessie, if it’s true, he’s worse than we thought.”

Dessie nodded. Her voice shook. “Lynch has a lot of explaining to do.”

*

They raced home: Dessie in a white-hot fury and Ophelia holding back tears. Bursting into the house, Dessie yelled for Lynch like a fishwife. He came running.

“Are you all right? Darling, what happened?”

Dessie collapsed into his arms and began sobbing. “Don’t—I’ve told you, don’t call me darling!” He practically dragged her from the hallway into the parlor. Ophelia trailed behind, feeling lightheaded with distress. Nothing made sense.

Like ants coming out of the woodwork, everyone else filed into the room: Daddy, Aunt Grace, Mr. Cameron. Even Peters lurked in the shadows near the doorway.

“What’s wrong?” Lynch demanded.

“Trentham!” Dessie rubbed her face against her husband’s jacket.

“Did you see him?” He sounded surprised.

“Of course not.”

“Neither did I,” Lynch said. “I went over to his place to find out what the devil…Henson said he’d gone out. I just missed him.”

“Henson is a liar!” Dessie started sobbing again. Lynch crushed her to his chest; his brow creased with worry.

He looked to Ophelia and mouthed, What?

“We went to the Barringtons’ to talk to Lady Elizabeth.” Ophelia’s voice shook, but she took an odd strength from Dessie’s tears, as if her sister was doing the weeping for her. “But she wasn’t there.”

“Here!” Dessie yanked herself from Lynch’s arms and pulled a piece of paper out from where it had been tucked up her sleeve.

Lynch read it. Then passed it wordlessly to Eli, who’d crept closer.

Eli scanned it, then said, “Who is Bitsy?”

“Oh, for heavens’ sake!” Ophelia exclaimed. “Who do you think?”

“When did you last see Robin?” Lynch asked Eli in a flat voice.

“Last night.” Eli shook his head, scowling. “This is ridiculous. Why would he elope with a chit he doesn’t even want to marry?”

“Lord Barrington said he did it to avoid signing a marriage contract,” Ophelia said.

“That’s absurd.” Eli looked at them as though they were mad. “I told him he was going to get fleeced, and he said he didn’t care about the money. Lynch, you know he wouldn’t care about the money.”

Lynch’s expression darkened. “No, but he might do something stupid to spite Barrington.” Since Dessie had quieted, he took a step back, though keeping a hand on her arm. “If they left last night, we can’t catch them. Trentham’s curricle is unbeatable in a race. And if they took a train, they’re a third of the way to Scotland already.”

Daddy cleared his throat. “Wire ahead? Stop the train?”