Page 53 of My Dark Duke

“Your secret is safe with me,” he promised, drawing a cross over his heart with his hand. “Though, I will insist you keep me abreast of how matters progress.”

“I shall endeavour to do so,” Sebastian agreed, as he rose to stand. “But, until I share such news, I will hold you to your promise of silence. Adieu, Barty.”

Sebastian grabbed his hat, which he had left on the seat beside him, and raced for the door. Outside, he breathlessly requested his driver take him to Berkely Square.

He had a number of questions to put to Miss Lillian Hamilton, the first one being why she had not trusted him to help.

When he arrived at the house off Berkeley Square, however, he discovered Lillian was not there.

“What do you mean she’s gone?” he demanded of Polly, who’d had the unfortunate task of sharing the bad news.

“Gone,” Polly shrugged, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I went up to check on her an hour ago - she was most upset after what happened in the park - only to find her room empty. She’s taken some of her things, as well - clothes and jewels. She’s gone, Your Grace.”

Polly’s voice wobbled as she finished addressing him, and she promptly dissolved into a puddle of tears. Despite his agitation, Sebastian tried to remain calm; he would get no new information from Polly if he did not keep his temper in check.

“A brandy,” Sebastian decided aloud. “You need a brandy, as do I.”

He walked Polly to the library, where he poured them both a large measure. He handed a tumbler to her first, which she took with thanks, before taking a large gulp from his own glass.

“Start from the beginning,” Sebastian said, as the colour returned to Polly’s cheeks.

“This morning, I went up to help Miss Smith dress after her bath,” Polly began, causing Sebastian to close his eyes as he willed himself not to shake her.

He had wanted her to start at the beginning of the story, not the beginning of herday. He had no time to listen to Polly rattle off the long list of tasks she had completed across the duration of the morning, he needed her to get to the crux of the matter.

“Polly,” he began, but she did not hear him.

“I asked Miss Smith if she required any napkins,” Polly blushed, but rushed on,“for I was suspicious she had not yet asked for any.”

Sebastian halted, a little confused. What on earth did napkins have to do with bathing - surely, they were only used at the dinner table?

“Well...” Polly gave a hollow laugh, as she continued, “Imagine my surprise, when she informed me that she should have needed them at least two weeks ago, but her courses had not yet arrived.”

“I-what?” Sebastian stuttered; she was speaking in riddles now. How many courses did one serve a woman whilst bathing? Eating in the bathtub did not sound like a particularly pleasant activity, especially not several courses.

“Miss Smith’s courses are two weeks late, Your Grace,” Polly said, slowly this time, so that he might better understand her meaning.

Sebastian stilled, as finally her wittering began to make sense.

“She is nearly certainly with child,” Polly added, clearly thinking him slow on the uptake.

Sebastian waved his hand, to let her know he had understood her at last. His mind was reeling; only last night, he had imagined how happy he would be to father a child with Lillian. Pride stirred in his chest, as he imagined her growing large with his son or daughter.

Polly cleared her throat, calling Sebastian back from his imagination.

“So,” he clarified, slowly, “she has absconded because she found out she was with child?”

“No,” Polly shook her head, offering him an exasperated glance. “I’m not yet finished my tale.”

Sebastian said nothing in response, he merely leaned over to refill both their glasses. Polly’s haphazard storytelling method was not doing much good for his nerves.

“Miss Smith seemed overwhelmed by the news, so I suggested a walk,” she continued, as she took a measured sip from her glass. “We went to The Green Park; not much of a park without flowers, if you ask me.”

“Did something happen there?” Sebastian interjected; he did not have the patience to listen to her musings on landscaping.

“Yes.” Polly bit her lip. “We bumped into a gentleman who knew Miss Smith. It was obvious she was frightened of him, but we were able to get away without incident. When we returned home, she said she wished to nap. I didn’t realise she was so upset - I would have checked on her sooner -”

Polly’s lips trembled, as she trailed off. She was on the verge of tears again.

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