Page 12 of Marry in Scandal

Slowly, grimly, through the swirling fog of the drug, she pieced it together. They were taking her to Scotland. As a bride.

• • •

“There’s no use insisting, Cal, I will not go upstairs and sleep—not while Lily and Rose are missing! I couldn’t sleep a wink, even if I wanted to.”

“But—”

“Until you walk through the front door, with all three girls safe and sound—because if Rose and Lily are up to mischief, you can be sure that George will be involved too—I will wait downstairs. I’ll be perfectly comfortable here in the front sitting room, on thechaise longuewith my feet up. Now, stop fussing about me, my darling—go and find Lily!”

“Very well, but you will ring if you need—”

“Go! I’m feeling perfectly well now, just worried about Lily.”

Cal briefly scrutinized her face, gave a brusque nod and turned to leave. He’d taken just two steps when the front door opened, and Rose and George entered, laughing.

“Aunt Agatha is in high dudgeon,” Rose told them, her blue eyes dancing.

“High dudgeon? She’s spitting fire and brimstone!” added George with a grin. “I always knew she was part dragon.”

“Her precious duke never even turned up. She had to cancel supper— What is it?” The laughter died from Rose’s eyes. She glanced from Emm to Cal and back. “What’s the matter?”

“Where’s Lily?” Cal demanded.

“What do you mean?” Rose asked. “She went to the party with you, didn’t she?”

“She left the party early,” Cal said grimly, “when she received a note from you.”

Rose looked blank. “I never sent her a note.”

“Rose,” Cal growled, “this is no time for—”

She cut him off with an impatient gesture. “Don’t be stupid, Cal. I wouldneversend Lily a note. Why would I, when we all know Lily can’t read?”

There was a sudden silence. “Oh, good God, we never thought...” Cal gave Emm an agonized look. Emm shook her head. In the worry and confusion, it hadn’t occurred to her. Someone must have sent Lily a note purporting to come from her sister.

Rose sat down on a chair with a thump. “Are you saying Lily is missing?”

Cal nodded. “It seems so.”

“How? What happened?”

“It’s my fault.” Emm felt wretched. She was meant to be guarding Lily, chaperoning her. Instead she’d failed her. “I was feeling ill, so we stepped outside—”

“Nonsense! It wasn’t your fault,” Cal said curtly. “We were only gone for a few minutes—ten at the most. We left her inside, in the home of our friends, surrounded by members of the ton, and talking to a friend, perfectly safe and happy.”

“Cal decided to take me home, but when we went looking for Lily to bring her with us, we couldn’t find her.”

Cal stood abruptly. “I’m going back to the Mainwarings’. Somebody must have seen something. For all we know she’s still there. She might have just stepped out for a few minutes for fresh air, like we did.”

Emm shook her head. “Into the garden, perhaps, but not into the street. That butler said she’d gone into the street with a man.”

“What man?” Rose demanded.

Cal gave her a searching look. “You don’t know who he might be?”

“No, of course not.”

“There’s no man she fancies? No man who’s been paying her attention lately?