Page 13 of The Duke’s Replacement Bride (The Wild Brides #6)

I t wasn’t until the following morning that Caroline fully registered everything that had happened the day before.

At first, all she could bring herself to think about was the letter she had received from her parents.

She read the words over and over again. It was so cold.

So businesslike. Caroline herself felt nearly frantic with fear over Prudence, but there was no indication that anyone at home was even particularly worried.

They’d asked Caroline to send word if she saw her sister, but there was no sense of urgency about it. She felt as if her blood was curdling.

How could there be no sense of urgency about it? How could her mother and father not be in a state of panic?”

“Your Grace?”

It was Bethany. Caroline stared, trying to jostle herself out of her thoughts.

Bethany flushed, misinterpreting Caroline’s vacant stare. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Caroline, I meant.”

“No—that’s all right. I mean, yes, do call me Caroline…” She stopped, overwhelmed, and tried again. “What is it, Bethany?”

“The duke has asked you to join him in his study,” Bethany said. “I’m to bring you to him. With your consent, of course.”

“He wants to see me there now?”

“He says so, yes. Will you come?”

“I will,” Caroline said, though she was stunned by what was happening.

It felt so unusual, so surprising, for Levi to summon her.

Every time they had been in the same place, it was because of her initiative, not his.

She was the one who encroached upon his spaces; he was the one who scolded her for having done so.

And now he was inviting her in? She could hardly reconcile the idea.

She got up and followed Bethany along the hall, allowing herself to be escorted even though she had no need for a guide.

She knew these halls by now, as well as those of the home where she had been raised.

But there was a sense of ceremony about allowing Bethany to lead her.

Every time she had come to Levi’s study before, she had felt as though she was breaking some unwritten rule.

This time, at last, she had been sent for.

She was going because she had been summoned.

They stopped outside the door. “He expects you,” Bethany said softly. “But…shall I announce you?”

“That won’t be necessary.” This last step, she would take by herself. She lifted a hand and knocked at the door.

“Come in,” Levi’s deep voice called.

Why did she tremble as she reached for the doorknob? Why did it suddenly feel as though something was out of control? There was no reason to tell herself that she couldn’t manage an interaction with Levi. How many times had she entered this room and faced him? This would be no different.

She drew a deep breath, opened the door, and went inside.

And it was different. That much was clear at once.

There was something about the expression on his face. It was strained and serious, as if he was hardly thinking about her at all, as if he was preoccupied with something far more urgent.

“Sit down,” he said, not looking up at her.

She remained standing. “Is everything all right?”

Now he did look up, his eyes creased in obvious confusion. “Of course it isn’t,” he said. “You know perfectly well that it isn’t. Your sister is missing. How can you be asking me if everything is all right?”

Caroline’s mood soured. “Don’t act as if I’m not taking Prudence’s disappearance seriously enough,” she snapped. “I’m the only person who has taken it seriously.”

“You’re not the only one any longer,” he told her. “But you’re right—I shouldn’t have spoken to you the way I did. Forgive me. I know you’re distraught over her.”

Had he actually apologized to her? That was so unexpected that for a moment Caroline didn’t know what to say. “Well…why have you summoned me here?” she managed.

“We need to figure out where she might have gone. That can’t be done without your help,” he said. “You told me she used to dress herself as a man and sneak out of your parents’ house?”

“That’s right. She said it made her feel free.” More and more, Caroline was beginning to understand that feeling. In the past, it had appalled her even to think of it.

“All right. Well, if that’s what she’s done, she must be staying with someone. Someone must be giving her refuge. You thought she was with your aunt, but that isn’t true. Can you think of anywhere else she might have gone?”

“My first guess would have been to our sister Arabella—the Duchess of Redmayne. But in the wake of all this upheaval, if she were there, Arabella would have told everyone. She would never allow us to live in fear. She would have written to me , at the very least.”

“Well, even so, that’s a place for us to begin,” Levi said.

“We can speak to your sister and find out if she has any guesses as to where Prudence might have gone. It’s possible Prudence confided something in her that she didn’t in you.

Or perhaps when the two of you put your heads together, you’ll come up with an answer that neither one of you remembered on your own.

” He fixed his gaze on Caroline. His eyes were dark and penetrating, and she felt her pulse accelerate helplessly.

“You should not have kept this information a secret,” he said, his voice steady.

“You should have told someone right away. Having more people involved can only help. I don’t know what I can do to make you see that. To make you trust me.”

“I’m trusting you now,” she said. “I’m telling you everything I know, aren’t I?”

“I hope so.”

“I am,” she assured him.

“What other thoughts do you have? Where else might she have gone when she ran away from home?”

“I really don’t know where she might be staying,” Caroline confessed. “That’s why I wanted to check the pubs and the clubs—I know she liked to visit them, and she might have been seen there.” She sighed.

“Do you know which clubs she frequented?”

“No, she never gave me the names. I didn’t think to ask, truth be told. I never thought I would have to do anything like this.” Caroline was beginning to feel weighted down with hopelessness. “How many clubs are there?”

“Several. But we can turn to my friend Gregory for help. He’s the one you met at the gentlemen’s club—you know, the one who had the mad idea that you ought to stay and join us for a drink.”

“He seemed kind,” Caroline ventured.

Levi barked out a laugh. “Oh, he’s kind,” he agreed.

“But more than that, he wants to see to it that everyone around him is getting into as much trouble as possible at all times. He wanted you to stay because he found the thought of it exciting. He thought it would be funny to have a lady in men’s clothes with us in the club.

He thought we might garner all sorts of attention and that there would be a story to tell at the end of it all. ”

“You mean he foresaw a scandal?” Caroline frowned. Was this Gregory someone who would deliberately put her in harm’s way for the fun of it?

“No, not a scandal,” Levi clarified. “He wouldn’t think of it in those terms. Of course, such behavior could easily lead to a scandal—but no, he wouldn’t think that.

He would just think it was good for a laugh.

No doubt he’d assume you and I would be laughing about it too before the whole adventure came to an end.

That’s what Gregory is like. He sees everything as fun to be had. ”

“Then why do you think he would be able to help us with something as serious as this?” Caroline asked.

Levi hesitated, and his gaze grew distant. “Gregory may be incapable of taking life seriously,” he said, “but at the same time, he has been one of the best friends I’ve had the privilege to know.”

“He’s a commoner, isn’t he?”

“That’s right.” Levi focused on her. “Does that surprise you? A duke who considers a commoner to be one of his closest friends?”

“It surprises me…pleasantly,” she said truthfully. “I can’t imagine my father making a similar choice and allowing a commoner into his society. He would be far too worried about the damage to his reputation.”

“Perhaps one of the privileges of being a duke is that my reputation is a bit harder to tarnish,” Levi said. “In any case, Gregory has proven his worth time and again. He has been a close friend and a confidante for many years, and I would trust him with nearly anything.”

He spoke so earnestly that Caroline felt a warmth of affection for him spread within her.

Until now, she had known Levi to be standoffish, even cold.

When he did welcome her presence, it seemed almost as though he found her a source of humor.

It was her first time seeing this side of him, this serious show of emotion.

She had always found him attractive, with his dark hair, big hands, strong arms, and piercing gaze.

But what she felt now was something different.

There was a tenderness to him that she had never guessed at, and she found herself wanting to care for it.

The part of him that needed a loyal friend—that appealed to her every bit as much as his good looks.

She found herself yearning, almost girlishly, hoping that he would show himself more.

He cleared his throat, perhaps realizing how vulnerable he had been.

“Besides,” he said, “Gregory spends more time in pubs than any man I know. If anyone has been in any pubs a surprising amount of time, or if there have been any new figures, he will be the one to know about it. He will have seen her, and he’ll be able to point us in the right direction. ”

“Do you really think he might have seen her?” A flicker of hope sprang to life within Caroline.

“I think he’s the best chance,” Levi said. “Truly, he’s in those places almost every day. I’d be surprised if their paths hadn’t crossed. And if they haven’t, I think that can only mean that she simply hasn’t been there at all—which will give us more information than we have now.”

“Can we go ask him at once?” Caroline asked eagerly.

Levi gave her a sad smile. “Do recall how long your sister has been gone,” he said. “I’m sure she has found herself a safe place to pass the nights and days. This isn’t as urgent as I know it must feel to you. We will begin the search in earnest—but we will not allow ourselves to panic.

And then he did something she could never have anticipated.

He rose, came around the desk, and put his hands firmly, gently, on both of her shoulders.

Gazing down into her eyes, he said softly, “It will be all right, Caroline. I promise you that.”

A shiver passed through her.

His eyes seemed to pin her where she stood. It was like the time he had confronted her in the hall—but at the same time, it was utterly different, for she could see that his intent was only to comfort her.

And to her surprise, Caroline found herself comforted.