Page 21

Hubert frowned. "That sounds intriguing."

"It is not intended to." James rose and crossed toward the window.

Outside, the afternoon light lay across the lawns, and beyond them stretched the roads leading north toward the place where Olivia was staying, Charnley Manor. He wondered what she was doing at that moment. Knowing her, she was probably arguing with her aunt, plotting an escape, or both simultaneously. The thought brought an unwilling smile to his face.

Hubert noticed it. "Ah," he said slowly. "Now I am truly interested."

James turned. "Do not be."

"That expression suggests there is considerably more to this than a missing baby."

"There is," James said.

"And does it involve a woman?" Hubert asked.

James paused.

Hubert's grin widened. "I thought so. So, does this mean you were successful in finding a match at your ball after all? Will you be making your father proud in his grave and finally marry?"

James gave him a warning look. "I have something important to do."

"Should I be concerned?" Hubert asked.

"No."

"Should I come with you?" Hubert stood up at the ready.

"Absolutely not."

Hubert sighed dramatically. "You always did know how to make a man feel wanted."

James ignored him. He had three days, perhaps less, before he had promised Olivia an answer. Now that Hubert had confirmed his suspicions, there was nothing left to delay him. The child needed a home, and Olivia needed a way out of a marriage she did not want. James needed an heir, but now that practical necessity was no longer the only reason driving him.

He needed to know what Olivia would say.

And I have no intention of waiting another day to find out.

Chapter Seven

James knew before the carriage had even come to a complete stop that he had arrived at precisely the wrong moment. A woman's voice was carrying through the open upper windows of Lady Charnley's house, shrill enough to make the horses toss their heads.

Though he could not distinguish every word, he heard enough to recognize anger when he heard it. There was something about a young lady, disgrace, and an extraordinary amount of shouting, which suggested that his visit had been poorly timed.

James stepped down from the carriage and looked toward the house with a faint frown. He had come expecting awkwardness when he asked Olivia for her answer, but apparently, he had underestimated the household's capacity for drama.

The moment he was announced, however, the shouting stopped. The silence that followed was so sudden that James almost smiled. Apparently, Lady Charnley possessed a remarkable talent for transforming fury into hospitality whenever a duke appeared at her door.

"This way, Your Grace," the servant said.

He was shown into the drawing room, where the woman herself rose with a gracious smile that would have fooled a considerably less observant man.

"Your Grace, what an unexpected pleasure," she said with a curtsey.

James inclined his head politely. "Lady Charnley."

Her smile widened. "I do hope you will forgive the disturbance. We were merely discussing a small family matter."

James looked at her. "Naturally."