Page 10 of The Spinster and Her Rakish Duke
Without another thought, Samantha abandoned all pretense of calm and swept toward the drawing room’s exit, her heart pounding with fear and fury.
If Lord Stonehall had endangered her sister’s reputation, she would make him deeply regret his very existence.
The corridors of Worthington House stretched before her, dimly lit and filled with shadows that seemed to harbor infinite possibilities for scandal.
But she was determined to find her sister before that could happen.
CHAPTER 3
“Lady Samantha, you’re moving with rather alarming haste.”
Samantha spun around to find the Duke of Valemont standing in the dimly lit corridor, his tall frame blocking her path. His green eyes held a glint of amusement that made her jaw tick.
“Your Grace,” she said tersely, not bothering to curtsy. “I’m sorry but I haven’t the time for pleasantries.”
“Clearly.” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to that dangerously quiet tone she remembered from the garden party. “Might I ask what has you fleeing Lord Worthington’s gathering as if the building were ablaze?”
“Where is your nephew?” The question came out sharper than she’d intended, and maybe a tad rude, but panic was clawing at her chest, and she did not care for his position.
Every moment she wasted here was another moment Jane could be compromising herself with that boy.
His eyebrows rose slightly. “I beg your pardon?”
Samantha took in a breath. “Lord Stonehall. Where is he?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea.” His tone was maddeningly casual. “I don’t keep him on a tight leash, Lady Samantha. He’s nineteen, not nine.”
“Well, perhaps you should!” The words burst from her before she could stop them. “My sister is missing, and your nephew is nowhere to be found, either. If you think that’s mere coincidence?—”
“Missing?” He scoffed, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “And naturally, you’ve leaped to the conclusion that my ward is somehow responsible for this alleged disappearance?”
“Alleged?” Heat flooded her cheeks, her pulse skittering at the base of her neck. “I assure you, Your Grace, my sister’s absence is quite real. Lord Ashford lost track of her fifteen minutes ago, and now your romantically inclined nephew has also vanished. Even you must see the implications.”
His green eyes flashed with irritation. “What I see is a woman so determined to protect her sister that she’s willing to assume the worst of everyone around her. Has it occurred to you that Lady Jane might simply be powdering her nose?”
Samantha arched a brow at that. Of course, a rake like him would know of the intimate ways of women. “For fifteen minutes?”
“Some women are more thorough than others.” His eyes twinkled mischievously.
The casual dismissal in his voice made her want to slap him. “You find this amusing?”
“I find your overprotectiveness rather excessive, yes.” He stepped closer, and she caught a hint of his cologne; and it made her pulse stutter. “Lady Jane is eighteen. Perhaps if you gave her room to breathe, she wouldn’t feel the need to slip away from your watchful eye ever so often.”
“Room to breathe?” Samantha’s voice rose slightly. “Your Grace, clearly you know nothing about the realities facing young women in society. One moment of poor judgment, one whispered rumor, and her entire future is destroyed. But I suppose someone of yourexperiencewould find such concerns trivial.”
The air between them crackled with tension so thick, she could almost feel it. His eyes darkened, and she realized she’d struck a nerve.
“My experience?” His voice was silky with warning. “Pray tell, Lady Samantha, what exactly do you know of my experience?”
“I know enough.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “I know that men like you consider the rules of society mere suggestions. I know that you take your pleasures where you find them, with little regard for consequences. And I know that your nephew is cut from the same cloth; theatrical gestures and romantic declarations mean nothing beyond the moment.”
“You know nothing about my nephew,” he said quietly, and something in his tone made her take a step back. “And you know even less about me.”
Samantha clenched her jaw once and sucked in a breath. “I need to find my sister,” she said, her voice barely audible.
For a moment, he said nothing. Then he stepped back, his expression unreadable.
“Very well. I’ll help you search.”
