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Fortunately, it was her grandmother who voiced the same question.

“Oh, no Lady Spalding today?” the Dowager Countess of Wellington remarked with some surprise. “I did not know that woman to miss a single day to make fun of her peers.”

“Make fun of her peers?” She heard Colin snort. “More like she simply wants the rest of us to share in her misery.”

Her brother expressed her exact sentiments, but Evie was not about to give him the satisfaction of thinking that they shared anything.

“You did not think to throw it out, did you?” their grandmother exclaimed.

“As much as it bewilders me why you would continue to read through that filth, I did not,” Colin replied indignantly.

Lady Wellington simply smiled at her grandson. “Why, to know more about the enemy, of course!”

“Well, I doubt you will be able to do any more reconnaissance between those hateful lines of her scribbling,” Colin declared as he set his cup down. “I have it on good authority that a small printing shop has just been shut down early this morning.”

Evie frowned. Somehow, she did not think that a minor inconvenience would deter Lady Spalding from writing. If anything, it should only make her want to retaliate and woe unto anyone who crossed her path.

“I also heard some incredible news this morning,” Alice added as she gazed serenely at Evie over her cup. “Phoebe just informed me that the Earl of Sidmouth has left with his sister before daybreak.”

“Left?” Lady Wellington echoed. “Do you mean they hastened to their country estate?”

Alice shook her head. “Not from what I heard, Grandmother. It appears that they boarded a ship to the Americas.”

Now,thatpiqued Evie’s interest.

It was so unlikely for a gentleman to just uproot himself and board a ship to an entirely new country—and with his sister at that.

This has Daniel’s fingerprints all over it!He did say that he had warned them. It seems that he has finally had enough of those two.

“That should not be unusual.” Colin snorted. “The Earl of Sidmouth ispenniless. It is one of the reasons everyone refuses to marry his sister, after all. She has practically no dowry, in addition to having no talent or at least a good temperament to make up for it.”

“Colin!” Alice gasped, but Evie did not hear much disagreement from her.

“Oh dear.” Her grandmother shook her head in disbelief. “He probably owes a great deal of people a great amount of money for him to be leaving so quickly.”

Evie wanted to laugh at the whole sordid turn of events.

More like he owes somebody more than just money!

For the first time since she left Ashton Hall, Evie felt a small smile hovering at the corner of her lips.

Indeed, Daniel had taken the trash out in a very effective manner this time, and she had no complaints about it.

CHAPTER 31

Evie sighed despondently as she set aside the brush she had been attempting to wield for the past hour or so. She had no appetite for food or any of her usual hobbies, and she did not relish the thought of promenading in the park, where people might gawk at her and speculate even more about her tenuous relationship with her husband.

I should be with my husband right now.Instead, I must contend with their whispers and gossip, not to mention the possibility of an annulment.

Even if Colin were to offer half of his fortune, would anyone still dare to marry her knowing she had once been married to the Duke of Ashton himself?

Her brother might be hopeful enough to believe that there would be other suitors to come, but Evie more or less had a grasp of theton,and they were far more likely to place the blame for the failure of their marriage onherhead.

Never mind that she would much rather stay married to Daniel, but he had not even sent word to her in all this time.

Is he truly going to let me languish here without saying anything?

She turned away from the blank easel and sat down on the window seat, staring bleakly out the window instead.