Page 46 of Conveniently Trapped with the Marquess
Minutes went by as William tried to keep from glancing at the door. Growing bored with looking at volumes, he chose one at random and went to sit behind the desk to pretend to read. Those minutes stretched longer and there was still no sign of Alice.
After some time waiting, William grew restless. “She is probably on her way here right now.” He closed the book, rising. “I wouldn’t hurt to meet her while she’s coming.”
Not thinking twice about the decision, William left the library and set off toward Alice’s bedchamber. He didn’t come across her on the way, which only sparked a bit of confusion.Did she forget that we’d planned on meeting and retired to bed?
Coming upon the door, William knocked without hesitation. He hoped she was simply waiting for the right time to come, or perhaps had gotten caught up with some other task she was doing. He waited, listening out for someone on the other end. No one answered the door.
William knocked again and waited. After a few seconds, he still received no response. So, he opened the door and peeped inside, just wanting to see if she was indeed asleep.
The bedchamber was empty. The bed was made, which led him to believe that she’d never gotten into it in the first place. William frowned, his confusion drifting into slight unease.
She didn’t come to the library but she’s not in her bedchamber? Then, where did she go?
Asking himself the question only made the unease grow into genuine worry. William backed out of the room and closed the door, trying to think. But his mind was steadily becoming clouded, filled with all sorts of scenarios as to what might have happened to her on the way. Most of them were utter nonsense, simply driven by his growing paranoia, but it managed to fuel his fear.
He set course for Christopher’s room. Perhaps he might have a logical explanation for this. William knew it was slim, but as he thought about the way Alice had smiled at him today, the way her eyes lit up when he mentioned them meeting once again, he couldn’t stop the roaring voice in his head telling him that something was wrong.
William picked up the pace, banging his fist against Christopher’s door the moment he arrived. A few moments later, Christopher’s confused and annoyed face appeared on the other end. “What are you doing banging on my door so late?”
“I don’t know where Lady Alice is,” William blurted out.
Christopher frowned. Then, he stepped back without a word, allowing William to rush into his bedchamber with all his agitated energy.
“What happened?” Christopher asked, closing the door behind him. “I assume she must be in her bedchamber.”
“But she’s not.” William ran his hand through his hair, already pacing back and forth. “I asked her to meet with me tonight. We usually do so in the library, and she agreed. I went there to wait for her, but she never arrived.”
“Perhaps she’s gone somewhere else then.” Christopher’s voice was calm, the voice of reason. “She is in her own home. It is unlikely that something has happened to her.”
Even as he said those words, William knew Christopher was as uncertain about it as he was. They’d thought the same thing until someone breached the Manor grounds and attempted to shoot after her. The memory made his blood run cold.
“Lady Emma,” Christopher said suddenly. “We both know how close they are. If anyone were to know where Lady Alice had gone, it would be her sister. That might even be where she is.”
“Ah, yes, you might be right.” It was a decent possibility, one that William grasped onto with both hands. He didn’t have to say another word. He marched out of Christopher’s bedchamber and his brother was right on his heels.
The silence of the Manor seemed to echo around them, seemed to make his thoughts louder than ever. William tried to stifle those thoughts, clinging to the hope that he would find Alice in the company of her sister. He wouldn’t even be upset, simply relieved. But it didn’t stop his entire body from tensing, as if waiting for something bad to happen.
The memory of the accident, of the blood and carnage that had revealed the death of the woman he loved, filled his mind. Now, the fear dug its claws in deeper.
“I’m sure she’s fine,” Christopher tried to console, clearly sensing William’s declining state.
William nodded silently. Alice was strong. She was stubborn. And he was simply being overly paranoid. He prayed.
They arrived at Lady Emma’s bedchamber and Christopher took the lead, knocking lightly. William stood back, trying not to appear too anxious. After a few moments, the door opened to reveal a sleepy-looking Lady Emma on the other end, her black hair draped over one shoulder.
“Alice, you cannot truly wish to—” she broke off when she saw that it wasn’t her sister. Her eyes grew wide. “Why are you two here?”
“Please, forgive us for disturbing you this late at night,” Christopher began, his voice leveled. “It is for a valid reason, I assure you.”
Lady Emma frowned. She looked away from Christopher, taking the worried expression that William knew he couldn’t hide. A similar look sparked in her eyes as she looked back and forth between the brothers. “What happened?” she asked. “You wouldn’t come here if something didn’t happen. Is it Alice?”
That told William all that he needed to know. She wasn’t here.
“We came here to see if she might be here,” Christopher was trying to explain. William couldn’t hear them. Ringing in his ears was the shot of the pistol in the gardens a few nights ago, mixing with Lady Emma’s scream when she’d been grabbed from behind.
He’d been so caught up in his own wants, so caught up in trying to make Alice his own, that he hadn’t paid attention to the threat that had been looming all along. And now, Alice might be missing.
“Oh, God.” Lady Emma’s horrified voice broke through his thoughts, bringing him back to the present. She looked as troubled as she sounded. She was already stepping out of her room. “I haven’t seen her since dinner,” she said. “What if…what if that person who—”
