Scandal of Love (15 page)

It was true. She did care for him. How could she not? For quite some time she had thought they would be married, that he would be her husband. He was everything she had wanted. She had thought she was in love with him, but not anymore.

“Yes, Bradford. I do feel it. I care for you, but not like that.” He looked at her in disbelief. “It’s true. I thought I was falling in love with you, but I’ve realized that I wasn’t.”

“You can’t mean that. We have something.”

She shook her head gently, taking her hands out of his. “No. We might have had something, but it isn’t meant to be. I’m engaged to Quinton now and I will marry him.”

“But I don’t care about all that. It doesn’t matter to me. No one will speak poorly of us.”

“But I do.” She didn’t want to have to hurt him by telling him that she was in love with Quinton, but she would if it were necessary. They needed to turn around the carriage before it was too late. Before another scandal was created. With a deep breath, she looked into his eyes. “I love Quinton, Bradford.”

He shook his head, refusing to believe her.

“I do.” She nodded. “I didn’t at first. Actually, I thought he was the one that started the rumor, but before I even found out that Lady Victoria had started it, I fell in love with him.”

He leaned forward again, pleading into her eyes. “It isn’t real, Sera. You were forced into a situation, forced to have him for a fiancé. It isn’t real. It will pass.”

Her head shook sadly, seeing his pain. She wanted to avoid that. “It won’t. I love him more than I could ever love anyone else. It won’t work between us, Bradford. We’re over. You need to turn the carriage around before any more damage is done.”

Leaning back in his chair, he studied her before shaking his head. “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?” Sera asked, her mouth hanging open.

“I mean no, we aren’t turning around.”

She threw her hands in the air. “But I just told you, I love Quinton.”

“I don’t believe you really do. I think that if we press on to Gretna Green, you will realize that you don’t really want to be with him.”

“Gretna Green!”

He smiled indulgently at her. “Of course. Where else could we get married on such short notice?”

“But, but…” she gestured wildly, looking for words. “But that’s in Scotland!”

A large bump in the road threw her against the carriage wall. “Ouch!”

Jumping across the carriage, Bradford took a seat next to her. “Are you all right?”

With one hand held to her throbbing head, she batted him away with the other. “No, I’m not all right. I’ve been kidnapped.”

“You’ve not been kidnapped, Sera.”

She arched a brow at him. “Really? So I may leave if I wish? I may return home?”

His mouth sealed tightly, refusing to answer.

“Just as I thought,” she said, trying to rub away the headache in her temple. “I won’t marry you, Bradford. I’m sorry.”

“You will change your mind.”

She shook her head, but stopped when it made the pain worse. “No, I won’t. I don’t think you understand. I love Quinton. I will never marry anyone other than him. I don’t care if I’m ruined and he won’t have me.”

“We will see.”

The scenery blurred in the morning light. The lush rolling green hills seemed to blend with the bright blue sky, the light causing her head to throb even more violently.

Quinton.

What would he think when she was discovered missing?

She hadn’t been able to tell him she loved him. Would he think she ran away from him to be with the duke?

Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and thought of him, begging him to find her in time.

With a final push of her plea, she added one last thing to her mental message to him.

I love you.

CHAPTER 9

Quinton was sitting at his desk when a sudden panic gripped him. Something wasn’t right. The feeling of dread washed over him, but he had no idea why.

“Brums!” he called out to his butler.

Quickly entering the room, Brums looked a bit flustered from his lord’s loud summons. “Yes, my lord?”

“Is anything the matter with the staff?” His voice was a bit hoarse. A sweat broke out over his skin.

“No. Not that I know of.” He looked puzzled. “Is everything all right, my lord?”

Quinton slowly shook his head. Was he imagining it all? No. Something had to be wrong. While he had never felt this way before, he knew he wasn’t imagining it. “No. Have my horse readied at once.”

With a brisk nod, Brums left to do his lord’s bidding.

Donning his coat and hat, Quinton strode to his horse, determined to be off immediately. Where he was going, he hadn’t a clue.

Sera.

His heart raced in panic as his love’s face flew through his mind. Without a doubt, something had happened to her.

With the speed of a devil, Quinton rode through the streets of London at a neck breaking pace, only slackening the lead on the horse when he flew off his back in front of Sera’s home.

Banging on the door, he tried to calm himself. It was only a little past ten in the morning. By all accounts, most of the household would still be abed.

It only took a moment before the butler answered.

“I need to see Sera immediately.”

The butler’s mouth flapped open and closed a few times before Quinton rushed inside the house. “She is missing, my lord.”

He turned on his heel, quickly facing the gasping butler. “What do you mean missing?”

“Missing, my lord, as in she isn’t here and no one seems to know where she is.”

“How long?”

“Just this last half hour. She was last seen walking in the garden out back before she disappeared.”

Fear clogged Quinton’s throat, but he forced it down. He needed to think clearly. Where could she be? “Has her father begun the search?”

The butler nodded. “He left fifteen minutes ago.”

Quinton raked his fingers through his hair. He needed to leave quickly if he would find her. She hadn’t been gone too long. She had to be close by.

It made sense, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. “Has this ever happened before?”

“No, my lord. She has never left without an escort.”

Quinton turned, quickly heading toward the door. He needed to start looking for her immediately. “Have word sent to me if she is found.”

“Wait!” A maid cried, hurrying down the steps.

“Lydia! Do not address an earl in such a way!” the butler scolded the petite maid that had called to him.

She dropped a deep curtsy. “Beg your pardon, my lord. I thought you should see this.” She held out an opened letter to him. “I found this under Lady Sera’s desk. It arrived this morning.”

Grabbing the letter, Quinton quickly read through its contents before crumpling the paper.

Rage coursed through him. Sera had gone to Lord Bromley without an escort. It didn’t matter that the duke had asked her not to involve anyone else. He was an old suitor.

“Notify the duke immediately of his daughter’s whereabouts. I will send word once I reach the park.”

The butler nodded as Quinton flew onto his horse’s back. Their meeting place was nearby, making it easy to get there quickly.

Reaching the pond, Quinton dismounted hastily. “Sera?” he called out, without an answer in return.

He searched the area, finally seeing a broken branch in the bushes. Following the trail, Quinton found a secluded spot.

Could they have met here? Why would Sera agree to something like this?

The letter had been insistent. And Quinton knew Sera would have a soft enough heart to follow through with the duke’s wishes. But was there something more to her feelings? Was she in love with Lord Bromley?

Suddenly, the sight of a pink ribbon on a different bush caught his eye. Was it Sera’s?

Reaching out, he gripped the ribbon, bringing it to his nose. Sera’s rosy scent filled his nostrils and he let out a feral cry.

She had left with him.

The thought cut through him. He knew that she hadn’t wanted their marriage, but would she deceive him?

No. He wouldn’t believe it.

Where could they have gone? She hadn’t been gone that long and they couldn’t have made it far.

Running back to his horse, he jumped on the surprised animal, urging it to a full gallop toward the duke’s townhouse.

His home was an imposing white stone structure, gently aged to a glossy shine. The three stories of the building were full of large, sparkling windows and grey trim.

Jumping off his horse, Quinton marched up the large granite steps to the double door, ignoring the riot of colorful flowers on the stoop as he knocked the over-size brass doorknocker.

His hand flexed, twitching to punch someone, but he held it in check. He needed answers.

The door opened slowly, a middle-aged butler standing in the doorway. “May I help you?”

“I need to speak with the duke immediately.”

“I’m sorry that will not be possible. He is out at the moment.”

Quinton took an imposing step forward, but the butler didn’t seem to notice. “Where did he go?”

Straightening a bit taller, the butler looked at Quinton from head to toe, seeming to size him up. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see how his Grace’s whereabouts is any of your business, Mr.
…?”

“Lord Devericks, the Earl of Surrant.” The butler seemed a bit more reverent once given Quinton’s title, but nowhere near cowed enough to get his answers. “I am Lady Sera Winters’ fiancé.”

The butler’s face paled at that bit of information.

Stepping forward, Quinton pushed through the doorway when the butler began to slam the door shut. “Where has he taken her?”

The butler gulped, moving toward the wall furthest from Quinton. “Taken who?”

Quinton knew he was intimidating the man, but he didn’t care. He only cared about getting to Sera. He moved slowly toward the man, like a predator stalking his prey. “Where has Bromley taken Lady Sera?”

“I don’t know. His lordship doesn’t tell me where he goes,” he said, but Quinton saw the flicker of information pass through his eyes. This man knew where they were.

Striking quickly, Quinton grabbed the man by his throat, hauling him against the wall. In a deadly quiet tone he said, “I’ll ask one last time. Where has he taken her?”

The man flushed red as he gulped for air. Seeing his struggle, Quinton lowered the man to the floor, easing his grip so he could breathe. As indignation returned to the butler’s face, Quinton leaned forward. “Don’t lie to me again. You will regret it sorely,” he warned, almost growling the threat.

“Gretna Green.” The man rubbed his throat once released. “He took her to Gretna Green to elope.”