Page 91 of Never his Duchess

“I would like that, Your Grace. I do have some ideas regarding your climbing boys initiative. I always felt dreadfully sorry for those poor souls.”

“It was all my wife’s doing. In fact, she is the one who drew my attention to the matter.”

“Your wife is a clever one. Crafty as well. I would not have the patience or the stamina to keep up with someone like her, but I think the two of you are very well-suited.”

The two shook hands, and then Nathaniel, followed by Julian, left.

He asked for his carriage to be called around, but to his surprise, was told that it was already gone.

“We’ll take mine,” Julian said.

They got in the carriage, and Nathaniel nervously tapped his index finger and thumb together.

“Why would she have just left like that without talking to me first?” he asked. “Do you think Halston got to her?”

“She ought to know you better than that by now,” Julian said. “Surely.”

Nathaniel leaned back. “I am not that certain. It is true we have been united as of late, but we still do not know one another very well. I should never have led her to believe that I was not interested in her, or that I was anything other than committed to what our future might hold.”

“Perhaps she simply had a migraine,” Julian said.

Nathaniel looked at him. “I would imagine most ladies with a migraine would not simply storm out of wherever they currently were and leave their husbands behind without telling them.”

Julian shrugged. “Perhaps. Truth be told, I do not know too much about the ladies—well, out in the world anyhow.” He winked. “There are places where I know the ladies very, very?—”

“Julian,” Nathaniel groaned. “That is not necessary.”

“When did you become such a prude?”

“I am not a prude. I am simply married now, and I am worried about my wife.”

He leaned back, realizing just how true the statement was. He was genuinely worried about Evelyn—not just about her health, but about the state of their marriage. It seemed so unlike her to rush away. If he had done something to upset her, she usually did not hold herself back from telling him. She was not shy about dressing him down as though he were a child.

No, Evelyn wasn’t the kind to simply duck and run.

Something had happened—but what?

By the time he made it back to Sinclair House, his bristles were thoroughly set up, and he rushed into the house immediately. The butler opened his mouth to say something, but Nathaniel ignored him, running past him upstairs to the east wing where her chambers were.

“Evelyn,” he called.

No answer.

He knocked on her chamber door and then entered when she didn’t answer. The room was in disarray. Doors were open, and he saw that several hangers were empty, swaying still back and forth, as if recently disturbed. There was a square-shaped dent on her duvet, as though something heavy had sat there.

Items on her side tables were knocked over, as were things on her nightstand and dressing table. Patch boxes were in disarray when he knew them to usually be neatly arranged. Drawers were half-closed.

She had packed and left in a hurry.

“No, no, no,” he whispered.

He opened a bedside drawer and saw that the novel she had been reading—the tomes written by ‘A Lady’ were also gone.

He ran one hand through his hair and looked around the room. She was gone—but why?

“Nathaniel,” Julian called as he came up behind him.

“Goodness gracious, is she always this messy?” he asked as he looked around.