Patrick rolled his eyes in the darkness, thanking his lucky stars for never having been touched by the tender emotion called love.

“She’s not going anywhere, Alex. For God’s sake.” They fell silent.

Given Alex’s punishing speed, it took only two days to return to Downes Manor. The minute they entered the drive Patrick’s heart sank. Alex was right. The house had an odd, eerie stillness.

Alex dropped Bucephalus’s reins right there, in the drive, and charged through the front door. It wasn’t locked and a startled footman leaped out of the library as the door slammed open.

“My lord!”

“Where’s my wife?” Alex bellowed.

The footman’s eyes were glued to the floor. “I couldn’t say, my lord … that is, I have no idea,” he stammered.

Patrick strolled forward, opening a door and looking into a salon to the left. Behind him Alex reduced the footman to quivering jelly. The footman appeared to be suggesting that the countess had proceeded to Scotland.

Patrick turned around, asking mildly, “Where’s your butler, Alex?”

“The butler! Where’s the butler?” Alex added a string of expletives.

“You don’t have one in this house, my lord,” the footman said with some dignity. “My lady had interviewed several candidates and I believe she was about to appoint a butler, but you returned….” His voice trailed off.

Patrick noticed with interest that although the man was clearly unnerved by Alex’s shouting, he showed no signs of being cowed. In fact, when he raised his eyes to Alex’s face, surely he looked—could he be contemptuous?

Patrick intervened again. “Did the countess take her maid with her?”

The footman shifted his eyes to the floor once again. “Yes.”

“Was anyone else traveling in the party?” When the footman hesitated, Patrick added, “Your loyalty to your mistress is—”

But his sentence was broken off by Alex.

“Of course! Sophie York was here. They must have gone to her mother.”

“I doubt it.”

“Why the hell not?” Alex turned his burning eyes on Patrick.

“Because the Marchioness of Brandenburg would never admit your wife into her house,” Patrick said. “Charlotte has been branded a whore the length and breadth of England. I am very surprised to hear that Sophie York was allowed to visit at all.”

“Was Charlotte that scorned?”

“I would be surprised if anyone would speak to her at all,” Patrick said gently. “I’m sorry, Alex. There was nothing I could do; I stayed as far away as I could. If I had even been seen in her vicinity, it could only further ruin her reputation.”

“But Sophie York was here when I returned.”