Page 61 of His Abandoned Duchess

Jane sobbed, her words now coming out in a tumble of syllables. “They…they said it was a man, with dark hair and a slim build. He appeared to be pulling something through the brush when they spotted him, but by the time the gardeners reached the hedge, he had disappeared. All that was left behind was this.”

From within the handkerchief that was so sullied by Jane’s tears, she procured a stout silver pocket watch. While it was of no surprise that a gentleman might have one clipped to his waistcoat, Richard knew that this could mean that only a man of station had claimed Amelia.

As he took it from Jane, he looked over the watch and pressed the button at the top to open the small cover. Inscribed on the underside of the cover in ornate script was a monogram of the owner.

Richard blanched as he read the initials, fury and terror poisoning his blood.

“The letters I and H, which means,” Richard turned the pocket watch over in his hand, inspecting it even as he already knew who it belonged to, “this is the property of one, Isaac Hicks.”

Jane looked down at the watch, her eyes wide and shaking her head. “The Earl of Ellingham? Is he not one of her friends?”

Richard’s jaw clenched, and he ground down on his molars, attempting to chamber his rage. “It would appear that the Earl is far more of a villain than a friend.”

“Amelia!” Jane called out, her pleading eyes looking up into Richard’s. “We must do something.”

A spiral of emotions took hold of the Duke in a commanding grip that would not relent. He was furious; he was devastated by the betrayal of Amelia’s friendship by the Earl, but even more—what truly astonished Richard to no end—was how incredibly terrified he was.

He had not been this scared since he was a boy beneath the glare and cane of his father. Amelia had been taken against her will,and God knew what Isaac planned on doing with her. Whatever it may be, Richard could guarantee that it would not be pleasant. The man had always been one to stick close to Amelia, and that day at Frederick’s when he’d come to speak to her stuck out in his mind.

Richard had sensed something in the Earl then but had not done anything for it. Regret knotted with the wrath consuming him, and Richard stood up, looking over Jane toward the housemaid still waiting at the door.

“We must find her. There is no doubt. Beth, see to it that every member of the London staff, as well as Heartwick, is made aware of this news. Speak with the maids from Heartwick to gain information regarding the Earl. No detail is too small.”

The woman’s eyes were saucers in her face, her lips parted, but Beth had not moved.

“Go!”

His shout rocked the maid into action, and Richard returned his attention to Jane.

“Do not fear. I will find our Amelia if it is the last thing I ever do.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Pain throbbed within her skull, making her too aware of the taut pull of her hair and her pulse in her temples. That strange, sickly sweet smell still clung to her nostrils, but Amelia immediately put together that she could at least move her hands and sit up.

Her stomach was roiling from the terrible spin in her head, and she reached out blindly for something to steady herself. Amelia had yet to open her eyes—the thought sounding too uncomfortable—so when a hand found hers, she jumped.

“There now. You’re all right.”

Amelia recognized the voice, and a sliver of relief filled her. It wasn’t Richard, but as she cracked a lid and allowed her vision from a single eye to focus, she could make out a familiar face. Dark hair atop a tall, slender frame crystallized as she blinked several times, and she shook her head to stop how it bobbed back and forth.

“I-Isaac? Is that you?”

A warm hand came down over her own, and Amelia leaned into the hold that kept her upright.

“Yes, Amelia. I’m right here.”

She sighed, accepting his help as he pulled her up into a seat. Amelia rubbed her forehead as the ache continued to throb.

“Oh, thank God. I was quite worried. Well, I was quite unconscious, it would seem. But thank heaven that you found me. I have no idea what happened. I was taking to the garden for some fresh air, and the last thing I remember was hearing rustling in the bushes around me.”

Looking up at the Earl, Amelia offered a bewildered smile, still struggling to get her wits about her. She’d clearly been drugged by something, and the thought of what might have befallen her made Amelia sick to her stomach.

“Goodness, do you…” Amelia felt herself sway again and closed her eyes against the swelling discomfort. “Do you have anything to drink? I fear I am about to fall over.”

When she glanced up at Isaac once more, Amelia first took in his easy smile, a sight she’d seen after the few times she had taken in too much of the drink. But past him, Amelia did not see the striped blue and teal wallpaper she knew to be in his drawingroom. She had visited his home a handful of times, and wherever she was now was not familiar at all.

“Where…” She looked around them more, noting the small windows on either side of them and the bench seats that sat beneath them. “Is this a carriage?”

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