Page 13 of Marry in Scandal

Rose stared at him. “Are you imagining she’s eloped? That’s ridiculous! Lily would never do such a thing. Besides, I’d know if she was planning anything like that.”

“In any case,” George said, “why would she run off to get married? If she wanted to marry someone you’d give her your blessing and start arranging for a wedding with all the trimmings, wouldn’t you?”

Cal nodded slowly. “If the fellow was worthy of my little sister. But if he wasn’t...”

“Has anyone asked for Lily’s hand and been refused?” George asked.

“No.”

“Well, then.”

Cal said nothing. The look on his face was grim.

Emm looked up at her husband. “You’re thinking she’s been abducted, aren’t you?”

He gave her a hard look. “She’s an heiress. And I don’t like the sound of that damned note.” He bent and kissed Emm briefly. “I’m going back to the Mainwaring place, talk to the other servants and the Gorrie woman again. Someone must have seen something.”

“I’ll come with you,” George said, but Cal shook his head.

“No, you and Rose stay and look after Emm. Besides,Lily might come home any minute.” He strode off, and in a few seconds they heard the front door slam.

“Pray she does,” Emm murmured. An anxious silence descended.

How could Lily be abducted in the full view of half the ton? According to the butler, Lily had left the house willingly. Why? Because of the note?

And surely if she’d looked frightened or in distress someone would have noticed and stopped her. Surely?

Horrid possibilities churned in Emm’s mind.

Rose frowned. “Cal said ‘the Gorrie woman.’ Did he mean Sylvia?”

Emm nodded. “She was talking to Lily when we went into the garden. It was Sylvia who told us about the message, but she was very vague about it. Apparently Lily was talking with Sylvia’s cousin, but she didn’t notice where they’d gone.”

“Sylvia always was completely self-centered. Oh, I wish now I’d gone with Lily to the rout. I nearly did, but... That wretched duke of Aunt Agatha’s. Oh, do stop pacing, George. It’s very unsettling and it doesn’t help.”

“It helps me,” George said. “I hate doing nothing. I’d rather be out searching for Lily.”

“Me too, but where would we search? We can’t just rush out into the streets and run around looking. We need a starting point,” Rose pointed out. She sat on the end of thechaise longueand slipped her hand into Emm’s. “You don’t really think that she’s been abducted, do you, Emm? Not our darling, softhearted Lily.”

Emm gave her hand a comforting squeeze. “No, I’m sure it will be all right. It will just be some silly mix-up. Cal will no doubt arrive at the Mainwaring house and find Lily there, wondering where we’ve gone.”

But from the look in their eyes, Rose and George believed that as little as Emm did.

• • •

The Mainwaring rout was still in full swing, but Lily was nowhere to be found. Cal questioned the Mainwarings’ servants again, and this time he found a footmanwho thought—though he wasn’t sure—that the man Lily had left with had arrived earlier with a young woman dressed in blue. Lily had worn a dress that Emm had told him was in shades of peach. He decided that meant some kind of pink.

Cal then spoke to Lord and Lady Mainwaring, asking them, though without much hope, for discretion. For all he knew, Lily had just stepped out on some foolish escapade with a young man she fancied. It wasn’t like her, but in his experience, young women were unpredictable. He hoped it was something as simple.

“Can you recall any of your guests who wore a blue gown, Lady Mainwaring?” It was the slenderest of leads, but it was all Cal had.

“Good heavens, Lord Ashendon, I’m sure I couldn’t possibly remember such finicky little details, especially after everything I’ve had to organize today. My husband says I’m the veriest scatterbrain and I’m afraid it’s quite true,” Lady Mainwaring said with a little laugh. She gave her husband a fond look, then proceeded to list every woman who wore any shade of blue.

As she spoke, Cal noted the names, thinking that his friend Gil Radcliffe could use such a “scatterbrain” in his network of spies and informers.

“—and dear Libby Barker wore a pretty gown in sky-blue silk and blond lace. Such a nice girl. And I think that’s all. Oh, no,” she said on an afterthought, “I seem to recall that Mrs. Gorrie wore a rather commonplace blue dress with white trimming and—”

“Mrs. Gorrie?” Cal interrupted. “I don’t suppose she’s still here.” He should have pressed her harder earlier, but at that point they weren’t as worried about Lily.