Page 88 of The Theory of Earls (The Beautiful Barringtons 1)

“I think you did, Welles.” Maggie shook her head as tears streamed down her cheeks and a tortured sound left her. He’d never seen her cry before, not really, and certainly not as if he’d broken her heart. “I think next you will be asking if you can get rid ofme.”

He swung up the bottle unable to look at her a moment longer. Tony had gone cold all over the chill of her confession hardening him to ice. Averell was going to win. There would be an heir to Cherry Hill. He had high hopes the child would be a girl, but he didn’t think he’d be so lucky. If his wife didn’t leave the room immediately there was no telling what other vile things he’d hurl at her.

“I love you, Tony,” Maggie whispered. “Your mother would want you to be happy. She never meant—”

“Get out of my sight,” he roared at the mention of his mother. “You havenoidea what she would want.” He turned back to the brandy, guzzling as much of the bottle as possible before needing to take a breath.

“Tony—”

“Leave.” Wiping his mouth, he barely flinched when the door slammed shut behind him. When he finally turned around the room was empty.

Maggie was gone.

* * *

The next morning,after a night spent closeted in the small parlor with only alcohol and a plate of scones to fortify him—the last done in a burst of anger since his wife liked them so much—he decided to seek out Maggie. He’d behaved abominably.

As he went upstairs to dress, ignoring the constant stream of chatter from his valet, Tony glanced at the door leading to Maggie’s rooms. It was shut against him. The doors werealwaysleft open. He often joked Maggie’s rooms had become nothing more than a large armoire to store her clothing and other fripperies because she no longer slept anywhere else but with him.

Because I get cold at night without her.

His heart thudded painfully in his chest as he stared, unsettled by the sight of the closed door. Tony waved off his valet and knocked softly. When there was no response, he flung the door open.

The room was empty. Strangely still and quiet. The sight unnerved Tony and filled him with a terrible foreboding. Where would she have gone so early in the morning?

He made his way to the breakfast room where there was still no sign of his wife. Fenwick greeted him with the morning papers but claimed to have no knowledge of the whereabouts of Lady Welles.

Tony suspected the butler was lying. Fenwick knew everything.

As he munched on a piece of bacon, he thought back to the mountain of scones and eggs Maggie had started consuming when they had breakfast together, which was nearly every morning. He should have guessed she was with child. He meant to beg her forgiveness for the way he’d spoken to her. And the utterly revolting thing he’d suggested in his horrible anger at her. At himself.

Filled with self-loathing, he pushed aside his bacon.

“You must be announced.” Fenwick was agitated and speaking to someone in the hall.

“I don’t need an announcement.” Leo’s amused voice filtered toward Tony as his brother’s dark head popped through the breakfast room door.

Leo rarely left his bed before noon. Maggie was nowhere to be found. Nor Daisy, her lady’s maid, for that matter. He threw down his napkin, glaring at his brother as Leo came in and sat down next to him.

“Where is she?”

“As a greeting, I thought for sure you could do better. You look like hell, by the way.” Leo’s pleasant manner held an undercurrent of hostility.

“I fell asleep in my study, which is actually the parlor. Maggie needed a conservatory.” Tony waved toward the sideboard, anxiety clawing at him. His wife had left him. Not that he blamed her after he’d—Tony winced again at the things he’d said. She couldn’t have gotten far. “Breakfast?”

“Thank you. I’m starving.” Leo sat down as a footman served him a portion of eggs and toast. “The jam as well.” He pointed.

After a few minutes of watching his brother devour nearly everything on his plate, Tony finally spat out, “Where’s my wife? I assume you know, or you wouldn’t be here.”

Leo sighed and took one more bite of his bacon before putting his knife and fork aside. Placing his fingers together in a point, he regarded Tony coldly.

His brother was furious with him. Leo and he rarely argued, though they did have their disagreements. This was different. “Leo—”

“I should beat you for the things you said to Maggie,” he said, all pretense at pleasantry gone. “I don’t care if you are going to be a bloody duke.”

“I see you’ve spoken to her.” Shame filled him.

“Yes, I have. I will only assume you were briefly out of your mind to have said what you did to Maggie. Wholovesyou despite every effort you’ve made to drive her away. You may have finally succeeded.”

---