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Yours truly,
Barbara
Ravencroft snarled his displeasure, gripping the letter. He couldn’t even direct his anger at the lady who wrote it. No. She only used the opportunity to her advantage. His own mother worked against him. Did the woman not hold an ounce of decency in her soul? Why did he even assume she might? His entire life, he had watched how she acted for her benefit alone and not for those she professed to love. Why should his future happiness with Noel be any different? His mother saw this as an opportunity to fall back into Lady L’s good graces since she had failed to convince him and Dracott to return to the chaos. They forced his hand, leaving him with no other option than to betray the Worthingtons.
“Where can I find her?” Ravencroft asked Rogers.
“Give me the letter,” Worthington demanded.
Ravencroft thrust the note into his pocket. “No.”
“I have every right to read it. She is my sister and no longer your fiancée,” Worthington threatened.
Ravencroft’s bitter laughter caused everyone in the room discomfort. He no longer cared. His only objective was to rescue Noel. The rest of them could hold whatever opinion they wanted of him. After he rescued her, he would leave London and never return. He thought he wanted to return to this life, but he was mistaken. Now he understood why his father sequestered himself at their estate, content to live a simple life.
“Out of respect for your wife, I will keep the letter to myself.” He arched a brow to relay implications in the letter pertaining to Reese’s affair with Barbara Langdale.
His comment drew the ladies’ attention away from him to Worthington. They ranged from disgust to disappointment and despair.
He strode to Rogers’s side. “Where is she?”
“I do not know, my lord,” Rogers denied.
“You must. How else did you help Ren?” Ravencroft asked.
“She found me,” Rogers whispered.
“Who is Ren?” Eden asked from behind them.
Ravencroft stilled. As much as he didn’t care for Dracott’s little friend, he wouldn’t expose her identity to the Worthingtons. She was still under Lady L’s guard and had more to risk than anyone else.
“You misunderstand me, Lady Eden. I asked Rogerswhendid he last see Lady Langdale.” Ravencroft turned on his charming smile.
Eden narrowed her gaze, refusing to fall for his false charm. After learning of his duplicity in character, she understood why Maggie always thought he acted false. It would appear there were many sides to Lord Ravencroft, and it was best that Reese withdrew his support for Noel to marry Ravencroft. Eden no longer trusted him, but she would play along to discover his secrets.
She wasn’t the only Worthington who held the skill of pretending she was somebody she wasn’t. She had perfected her acting skills while working alongside Worth and Ralston. They had taught her how everyone limited their perception to how you presented yourself and looked no deeper because the drama surrounding them captivated their attention. Ravencroft was no different.
Even now, Ravencroft played them false. He appeared concerned for Noel’s welfare, when in fact he only held concern for himself. He held his secrets close, revealing nothing unless he needed to. Eden decided right then that her mission was to keep a close eye on Ravencroft while they secured Noel’s rescue. He would reveal his hand soon enough.
“I apologize. I misheard what you said. Ren? When? They sound so similar.” She returned his smile with her own charming one.
Eden didn’t fool Ravencroft in the slightest with her flighty act. Hell, he admired her for it. She didn’t realize it, but she would be a formable asset in her sister’s rescue, and he would use her skills when needed. Except now, he must search for Lady L and didn’t have the slightest idea where to start. He had hoped Rogers had information about her hideout, but Rogers spoke the truth.
“Excuse me, sir, but a young lad has arrived, asking for you. He waits in the kitchen,” a footman stuttered to Rogers, wearing a look of sheer panic for interrupting them.
Rogers smiled with the patience of a butler, calming another servant. But Ravencroft didn’t miss the slight astonishment on Rogers’s face at the news the servant delivered. “I will be along shortly. Please settle the lad in my office.” At the footman’s nod, Rogers turned back to Ravencroft and Eden. “If you will excuse me, I must see to this matter.”
“Of course, Rogers.” Eden walked back over to her family, who were discussing Noel’s disappearance. She noticed how Rogers and Ravencroft tensed at the footman’s news. However, nothing appeared out of the ordinary at the disturbance. It must be her imagination since she didn’t trust Ravencroft.
Ravencroft exchanged a glance with Rogers to keep his disturbance in his office for as long as he could. “They have Noel,” he whispered before speaking louder. “Thank you for your help, Rogers.”
He turned back to the Worthington family. Evelyn sat comforting Lady Worthington, while Eden and Reese whispered amongst each other, most likely about her suspicions of him. No matter how it would appear, he must leave now. Ren would run as soon as she informed Rogers of Noel’s abduction. She came to deliver the news because of her loyalty to Dracott. She wouldn’t stay around for Ravencroft to interrogate her. Each second he remained as a concerned fiancé with Noel’s family, it was a second he lost in finding her.
He strode toward the doors leading to the garden. He would leave the way he came and circle around to the servant’s entrance. Once Ren left, he would follow her to Noel.
However, Worthington wouldn’t make it easy for him to escape.
Worthington swung him around. “Where are you going? We need to find Noel.”
