Page 113 of Courting Scandal With The Duke
The fact that she would never see Xavier again carved a hole in her chest. The pain of it was almost unbearable. But it would heal. It had to. While she had been unable to prevent herself from falling in love with him, he did not love her back.
He saw her only as a duty or a burden that needed to be moulded into his idea of a perfect wife.
That horrible list of his had made that perfectly clear.
She glanced over at her maid, who was staring out of the window. ‘Have you ever been to Greenwich?’
‘No, my lady. I cannot say I have.’
‘Nor I.’ Charles might say she should not worry, but the chance was very high that someone among Lady Wells’s guests would have heard of her supposed faux pas this afternoon and in short order she would bepersona non grata.
Which was why she planned to plead illness once she arrived and remain in her room until she could sneak away.
She hoped Charles would not be too annoyed when he discovered her gone tomorrow morning.
She felt terrible about taking advantage of his friendship. Dishonourable.
She would leave him a note and hopefully he would understand, the way he always had.
As to where she would go? She had decided on a small village near the coast. She had enough funds to last her for a few months. She did not know how long it would take for Father to hand over her widow’s portion from her first marriage after her birthday, but hopefully not longer than that. But if it did, she had the Lipsweiger jewels to fall back on.
She took a deep breath.
She could do this.
She really didn’t have a choice.
‘The Countess is not at home,’ the butler declared.
‘The same way she wasn’t at home the last time I called?’ Xavier said.
‘Your Grace, she has left the house.’
Damn it. The man was telling the truth. Xavier could tell. He contemplated leaving it at that. But could not. He needed some sort of explanation for her behaviour and to help devise a plan to deal with it.
‘Is Miss Lowell at home?’
‘I can ask.’
Xavier handed the man his card. He wasn’t going to storm in on the elderly widow. It wouldn’t be right.
Barbara was a different matter.
He paced the hall, waiting for the butler’s return. It seemed like a long time, but probably wasn’t.
‘Miss Lowell will see you in thedrawing room,’ the butler said when he reached the bottom of the stairs, and with a sigh he turned to go up again.
‘Don’t bother to show me up,’ Xavier said. ‘I know the way.’
The ancient butler stepped back with a relieved look. ‘Thank you, Your Grace.’
He found Miss Lowell sitting stiffly on a sofa with the air of a person about to be sent to the gallows, or worse.
No doubt she had heard of her niece’s latestmistake.
‘Good evening, ma’am,’ Xavier said, bowing.
‘Your Grace.’ Her voice was barely audible. ‘To what do I owe the pleasure? I believe my butler informed you my niece is not at home.’
