Page 130 of The Scottish Duke
Lorna turned to see Mrs.McDermott standing there, a look of worry on the older woman’s face.
“Matthews says she’s left, sir. She’s taken a carriage and left Blackhall.”
“Was Robbie with her?” Alex asked.
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Lorna had anticipated the question and answer, but hearing it aloud was different from imagining it. A fist clamped around her heart and lungs.
The housekeeper stepped aside to reveal the valet standing there.
She couldn’t breathe. She was going to faint. Now was not the time to indulge in hysteria. She couldn’t talk. All she could do was concentrate on the air around her as if she stood in a bubble.Take one breath, make it last. Take another. Swallow. Breathe. Hold yourself together.
Matthews had hated her from the beginning. He’d never thought her good enough to be Alex’s wife. Not because of who she was but because of what she’d done. What work she’d performed, as if work alone labeled a person.
Stepping away from Alex, she made her way to stand in front of Matthews.
“Did you help her take Robbie?”
“Of course not,” he said, looking at Alex rather than her.
She grabbed his lapels and, with a strength she didn’t know she possessed, jerked him close to her. Speaking calmly and enunciating clearly, she asked, “Did you help her take Robbie?”
Maybe it was madness he saw in her eyes, something that made him swallow before answering her. This time his attention was all on her, not on Alex, who was now standing beside her.
“No, Your Grace, I didn’t. Nor did I know she would do something like this.”
She stared into his eyes as if she could read the truth of his comment there. A moment later she released him and moved closer to Alex.
“Tell us what you do know,” Alex said.
His arms were now around her. He was speaking, but his words didn’t make any sense. She patted his upper arms. She nodded, but beyond that she couldn’t communicate.
Her heart was bleeding inside and it felt like she was going to die from this pain.
“She’s gone to Inverness. She was meeting someone.”
“Tell me where.”
“Innes Street,” the valet said. “East of the River Ness, near the Shore Street area. That’s all I know. I’ve no knowledge of the exact address, Your Grace.”
Matthews glanced at her. For the first time, there was no disdain in his expression.
“I would have stopped her if I’d known she was going to take Robbie, Your Grace.”
“Then I’m off to Inverness,” Alex said, moving to the door.
“Not without me,” she said.
They exchanged a look. She didn’t know what he saw on her face, but Alex finally nodded.
Chapter 33
To Lorna’s surprise, it was raining when they left Blackhall and entered the carriage. She hadn’t heard the storm. Nor was she aware of the passage of time. The afternoon had advanced into evening without her knowledge of it.
Alex sat beside her and held her hand. She felt as if she were spinning out of control. He was an anchor, the only steadfast thing in a frightening world.
No matter how fast the horses went, it wasn’t fast enough. She wanted Alex to give instructions to the driver to drive faster but knew it was foolhardy on this stormy night.
