Page 79 of The No Good Irresistible Viscount Tipton
SEVENTEEN
Several hours later, Rayne stood in the same spot where Devona had stood, wondering where his wife had run off to. Oily panic slid down his spine, but he ignored it. It was not as if she had disappeared to meet her lover. Something had prompted her to leave the house unescorted and he was determined to tear the house apart to find out.
He heard Speck come up from behind. “Anything?” he asked, purposely keeping his voice even.
“I spoke to the two footmen we hired to look after Lady Tipton. Eddy said a boy delivered a note for her.”
Finally, he fiercely thought. “She spoke to this boy?”
Speck’s ugly face scowled into a frightful mask. “She never saw him. One of the footmen handed her the note.”
“The bastard got to her somehow,” Rayne growled. “And one of my men handed it to her on a silver salver.”
“You can’t be sure on that, milord. Maybe the note was harmless. One of her friends inviting her to visit?”
She would not disobey him. He thought he had made it clear to her that their common enemy had gone beyond trifling mischief. “Check around. I want the boy if possible. If not, I want that note.”
“Aye, sir.”
Satisfied Speck would carry out his orders, Rayne headed for the drawing room. Maybe she was out visiting friends. It would be like her to drop everything and rush to assist someone.
He punched through the doors, enjoying the sound of them rebounding off the walls. Pearl, Wynne, and Maddy jumped at the intrusion. All the women appeared as if they had been crying, as if Devona were truly lost to them. Their acceptance of his silent fears only fed his fury.
“We have no time for a social visit, Wynne.”
His sister-in-law’s cool glare was the perfect counterpart to his heated one and just as effective. “You know very well why I am here, Tipton. Pearl sent for me the moment she was certain Devona was missing.” Wynne stood, her mask of composure faltering. She fought to keep her lips from trembling. “You said no one would be able to hurt her again. You swore she would be safe here.”
Her words might as well have been jagged pieces of glass. They cut into him and he bled. He mentally cursed her because she was correct. She must have realized how cruel her comments seemed, or perhaps he was not up to the usual effort of concealing his emotions. Either way, the stiffness in her beautiful face lessened. The tears she had been holding back leaked down her cheeks. God, the last thing he needed was to witness Wynne giving in to despair!
“Yell at me, Wynne. Call me an arse, ’cause I deserve it. For God’s sake and my own, don’t cry.” Awkwardly, he pulled her into his arms and allowed her to cry into his favorite dark blue coat.
Brock burst into the room, unannounced. “Damn it, Tipton, is it true? Has Devona been kidnapped?” A look of horror came over him as he noticed Wynne crying. “Something has happened. What have you heard?”
“Nothing,” Rayne replied. “Your sister thought she would make me feel better by ruining my favorite coat.”
Wynne choked on a sob and she stepped out of his embrace. “You know I want to do my part.” She managed a watery smile. She walked into her brother’s waiting arms. “Has someone sent for Papa?”
Brock kissed the top of her head and gave her a comforting hug. “I have Gar searching the clubs. We’ll find him.”
“And Devona, too,” she prompted.
Brock’s and Rayne’s gazes locked. A nonverbal oath passed between them. “She’ll be found.”
“She wanted to show me how to prepare a weekly menu,” Maddy’s soft voice broke through the tension in the room. “I had been playing outside and was dirty. She told me to go change. If I hadn’t maybe—”
“Oh, you poor dear,” Pearl cooed, taking up his sister’s hand and giving it a comforting squeeze. “Dirty or clean, the note was going to arrive. Your presence would not have changed the outcome.”
Rayne understood Maddy’s guilt. He stared down at his sister, realizing a few words from him would absolve her of the responsibility. He glanced at Brock and Wynne. Whatever their differences, the Bedegraynes brushed them aside in time of need. Family supported family. It was a lesson Devona had taught him. A lesson he had never learned from his own.
“Pearl is correct, Maddy. If the note is responsible for Devona’s absence, then you could not have stopped her.” He felt ashamed by the unabashed surprise and gratitude he saw in his sister’s eyes. He tried to clear his throat, but the rising lump prevented it. “The woman’s will is a reckoning force to battle when she is on one of her rescuing crusades.”
“Is that what you think?” Wynne asked. “You think she ran off to help someone?”
Rayne rubbed, then pressed the pressure at his brow. “I don’t know. At the moment, it is easier to believe she is off on some reckless adventure than to contemplate that some bastard has her.”
“Who could have her?” Maddy asked, not understanding what was going on around her.
“Someone who likes to play in the shadows. If he has managed to catch her, then the game should change. I expect a note shall arrive for me as well.”
