“I’ll wait.” Kendra used the time to calm her nerves. She’d tried not to spend too much time worrying about Molly’s likely fate since nothing could be done to help the situation. Now she felt an enormous relief, and intense curiosity. She needed to hear Molly’s account of events because the girl might make a good witness at the Duchesses’ Ball.

The classroom door opened and students from young to middle-aged streamed from the room, chattering happily about the lesson and speculating on what was for dinner. When the stream ended, Kendra entered the room, with Laurel behind her.

Her former maid was collecting the materials she’d used for the class. Voice under control, Kendra said, “Molly?”

Molly looked up and gasped with shock, dropping the hairbrush she’d been holding. “Your ladyship!” She backed away, looking on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry!”

“For what?” Kendra asked. “I’m delighted to find you well! When you vanished from Denshire House, I feared you were dead.”

Molly sank into a chair and began crying. “I abandoned you to those horrible men! You were unconscious and I couldn’t wake you. I found Lord Denshire and told him that you were very ill and a physician must be called. He gave a nasty laugh and said it was none of my business and not to say anything or I’d regret it.

“Then he called over Brody, his big brute of a footman, and ordered that I be locked up in the cellar.” Molly swallowed convulsively. “He . . . he said that Brody could have me later. Brody was dragging me to the cellar by my wrist. We were on the steps when I managed to yank free, then give him a shove that knocked him the rest of the way down the stairs. I bolted from the house without stopping for anything.”

“Good for you!” Kendra rested a soothing hand on Molly’s shoulder. “If I’d had the chance, I would have pushed that brute down the stairs myself!”

“But I abandoned you to be assaulted when you’d always been so good to me!” Her tears intensified. “Later I heard what happened. They said that three of Denshire’s friends swore you’d bedded them that night, and that Denshire divorced you because of what you did. But you were unconscious! You didn’t choose to let those men lie with you. And I did nothing to help you!”