If the Viscount Falls (12 page)

“Have you considered the fact that if Nancy
had
been planning on going to York to meet a lover, she could have just delayed her trip for one day so she could have the coach, and then told her servants that she and her aunt were headed to Bath? She could have packed up clothes for the trip and everything.”

He mused a moment. “Then she would have had to take her maid.”

“Not necessarily. She could have said there was no room for one at the place they were staying, or that her aunt's maid would do for both of them. She could have lied in all manner of ways that wouldn't have roused their suspicions. But she didn't. That in itself should alarm you. It certainly does me.”

He grudgingly admitted that her concerns made sense. Why
hadn't
Nancy set up a more elaborate ruse, one that wouldn't have left questions in anyone's mind? “You did say Nancy isn't terribly clever.”

“Which is precisely why she would have operated in a more straightforward manner.”

“Well, we'll know the truth soon enough, I expect.”

Or would they? He still didn't know the secret Jane was hiding about Nancy. He'd been so caught up in the turmoil over their past together that he'd forgotten to get it out of her.

“By the way, did Mrs. Patch say anything of use after I left?” he asked. “Did she have any theories about why Nancy ran off?”

A shutter dropped over her features. “No. Why?”

“She seemed very agitated about the situation.”

“Only because her home had been invaded by strangers. Nancy's mother was much like her before she died. By the time you and I met, she'd already given over to me the responsibility of dealing with the servants and tradesmen, because that particular duty made her very nervous.”

He stared at her, stunned. “How is it I never knew that about you?”

“Why should you? It's not as if I could talk about it in front of her or my uncle when you came to visit. And the few times at balls and such that we weren't chaperoned so closely, I preferred to speak of less boring things. Like music.”

“That
was
our favorite topic of conversation,” he said, the memories washing over him.

As if she remembered them, too, she shivered. He stripped off his coat and laid it over her shoulders as best he could while holding on to the reins. Her eyes met his and a fleeting smile touched her lips. Then, as abruptly as it had come, it faded and she glanced away.

He felt the loss of that smile more keenly than the absence of fine music in his life.

They passed through the village in silence and soon reached the estate's drive. After only a few moments, he spotted the halos of candles and lamps through the gloom of the foggy dusk, so many that it appeared as if every window in the manor house was lit.

A groan escaped him. “I should warn you that not only are my brother and sister-in-law at Winborough, but so are her father, aunt, and cousin. Lisette and Max are there, too. It will be chaotic.” He slanted a glance at her. “And they will all wonder about your presence.”

They would all
comment
on her presence, too, especially his sister, who would spin it into romantic possibilities of mythical proportions.

“Let them wonder,” Jane said primly. “I'm not afraid of them, Dom. And I can handle a bit of chaos.”

“Don't be too sure of that. Trust me, Bedlam doesn't begin to compare to the insanity of my family when they're all together.”

6

J
ANE INITIALLY ASSUMED
that Dom had exaggerated, since their arrival began innocuously enough. Tristan and his wife welcomed them warmly, but before Jane could exchange more than a couple of pleasantries with Lady Zoe, whom she'd met at the Keane soiree in town, the woman's father and aunt descended to the entrance hall to join the conversation.

Then those two began to argue with Tristan and Lady Zoe about which bedchamber Jane should occupy, while Lisette rushed up to greet Jane with a flurry of questions. Jane had just fielded all of those when the duke entered with Mr. Jeremy Keane, Lady Zoe's artist cousin.

“How pleasant to see you again, Lady Jane,” the man said with a gleam in his eye. “I'd begun to despair over the lack of eligible females at this party, and then you appear from out of the mist to save me.”

“Not a mist,” Dom growled. “A proper rain, which is why we are somewhat in a hurry to—”

“Nonsense,” Jane said sweetly, relishing Dom's disgruntlement. “I always enjoy talking to a man as talented as Mr. Keane.”

“And which of my particular talents are you enamored of, may I ask?” Mr. Keane smirked at her. “I have more than one, you know. I'd be happy to show your ladyship any of them whenever you like.”

“I'm sure you would,” Dom snapped and tried to take her arm.

She brushed him off to smile at Mr. Keane. “Oh, I'm afraid we don't have time for what I'm sure would be a long and . . . interesting encounter. But perhaps we could pursue it at a later date.”

Dom looked fit to be tied, but before he could say a word, new queries erupted from the others about where he'd been all day and how long Jane was staying. Within moments, the din had grown to rival the shouts of “Encore!” in any London opera house. She was surprised that the cherubs on the ceiling didn't swoop down to add their angelic voices to the chorus.

“Quiet!” boomed Dom's voice over the clamor.

A startled silence fell on the crowd.

“Miss Vernon and I have had a very trying day,” Dom continued, “and there are decisions to be made. So while I realize that order is anathema to you lot, could we for once attempt to go about this in an orderly fashion?”

If he had given that rather rude speech to Uncle Horace, Dom would have found himself thrown out of the house on his ear, but his family only burst into laughter.

“Good idea,” Lord Olivier said, eyes twinkling. He nodded to Lady Zoe's aunt. “If you would be so good as to go tell Cook that there will be two more for dinner, his lordship and I will herd this ‘lot' into the drawing room so we can have a glass of wine and a more civilized discussion.”

“Of course,” the woman said, though the bright speculation in her eyes showed that she was none too happy to miss any of the impending discussion.

As soon as she'd left, Dom said, “Actually, Miss Vernon and I need to consult Tristan and Lisette privately right away. So if you don't mind, sir, we'll join the rest of you after that.”

“If you prefer,” Lord Olivier said, though curiosity shone in his face now, too.

He gestured toward the drawing room, and the others headed in that direction while Dom led her and his siblings the opposite way, down the hall toward what proved to be a man's study.

As soon as the four of them entered, Tristan strolled over to lean against the desk. “What's going on, old chap?”

Briefly, Dom laid out the facts of Nancy's disappearance. To Jane's vast relief, he limited the discussion to the contents of the two pertinent letters, followed by a bald recitation of what they'd learned so far.

“I could use some help with pursuing the matter further in York,” Dom told his brother. “I want to return there tonight, if possible, so we can speak to the ostlers at Ringrose's Inn. With any luck, they'll help us figure
out where Nancy might have gone from there. If not, we'll have to investigate further.”

“What about your meeting tomorrow morning?” Lisette asked.

“I'll send a note to the estate canceling it.” He shot Jane a veiled glance. “I have no choice. I promised Miss Vernon I would find my sister-in-law, and I mean to do what I can in that regard.” He turned his attention to Tristan. “Can you get away to help me?”

“I don't see why not,” Tristan said. “I can certainly be gone for one night. Most everyone is leaving tomorrow, which will ease Zoe's burden.”

“Speaking of that . . .” Dom turned to his sister. “Since you and Max are heading for London, would you mind taking Miss Vernon with you? She missed her packet boat the day before yesterday, and there's no telling when the next one leaves Hull. Nor can she stay at Rathmoor Park alone, with Nancy gone.”

“Now see here,” Jane said before Lisette could answer, “I am
not
returning to London while you're still searching for Nancy.”

Dom pierced her with a dark look. “The hell you aren't. I've got the situation well in hand, so there's no point to your lingering here. Besides, your uncle is undoubtedly worried by now. Not to mention your fiancé.”

“The day I discovered Nancy gone, I wrote to my uncle informing him of my plan to stay in Yorkshire a while longer and asking him to pass on the message to Edwin.” Jane braced herself for battle. “Uncle Horace
will be far more worried if I return to tell him that I have no idea where his daughter is than if I merely take a few days to find out where she's headed.”

“That sounds perfectly logical,” Lisette chimed in.

“I didn't ask for your opinion,” Dom told his sister irritably. “And I've already explained that Miss Vernon cannot stay at Rathmoor Park.”

“Then she can stay here,” Tristan said. “Zoe and I won't mind.”

“Or Max and I could delay our trip a day or so,” Lisette put in.

“You two need to stay out of this,” Dom warned.

Lisette didn't even bat an eyelash at his tone, merely turning to exchange a glance with Jane. “Has he been this cranky all day?”

“Worse. When things aren't going his way, he becomes downright rude,” Jane said lightly. “Your brother has a bad habit of making assumptions based on his own peculiar logic, and then pursuing them in spite of the facts.”

Tristan arched an eyebrow. “Really? That doesn't sound like Dom.”

“That's because it isn't,” Dom clipped out, “which Miss Vernon knows perfectly well. Meanwhile, she has a bad habit of taking everything personally.”

“Only because you make everything personal,” Jane said. “Otherwise, you wouldn't care at all if I stayed in Yorkshire while you searched.”

“Oh, for God's sake—”

“Might I make a suggestion?” Lisette said.

“No!” Dom snarled at the same time that Jane said, “Absolutely.”

When Dom muttered an oath under his breath, Jane suppressed a smile. It certainly was fun watching Dom's sister get under his skin.

Especially since Lisette simply ignored his protests. “While you and Tristan go investigate, I'll send back to Rathmoor Park for Jane's maid and her things. In the morning, Jane and Max and I will pack up and leave for London. We have to go through York anyway to get there.”

Lisette looked at Tristan. “We'll meet the two of you there, at which time you can report on the results of your search. If you've found Nancy, then Jane can continue with us to London or remain with her cousin, whichever she chooses. If you haven't, we'll reassess the situation. Jane can always return here to stay with Tristan and Zoe if she likes. But there's no point in making a definitive decision when we're still not sure what's going on.”

“Actually, that sounds sensible to me,” Tristan drawled. “Dom?”

Dom's eyes were fixed on her. Idly he rubbed his scar. “Don't you trust me to find her, Jane?”

Why was it that every time he spoke her Christian name in that husky voice, shivers danced over her skin? It was most annoying.

“Of course I trust you,” she said smoothly. “But you may need my help.
She
may need my help.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “I'm not returning to London
until she's found or we learn where she's headed. You will just have to put up with me until then, my lord.”

Some unreadable emotion flickered in his eyes that roused an unwanted heat in her blood.

I never forgot you for one day, one hour, one moment. It was you—always you. Everything I did was for you, damn it.

Curse him and his heat-rousing looks and shiver-producing words. They meant nothing. He'd had plenty of chances to get her back, and he hadn't taken any of them. So she was
not
going to fall prey to some terribly inconvenient attraction to him. She absolutely would not!

As if he sensed her reaction, Dom swept her with a slow, heated look meant to arouse her. Or cow her. Perhaps both.

Then he nodded. “As you wish. But you three should leave as early in the morning as you can. If I learn something of use, I won't wait around for you before pursuing it.”

Of course not. When had Dom ever waited around for
her
? She did all the waiting. “Fine. We'll meet you at Ringrose's Inn tomorrow for a late breakfast. Say, around ten
A.M.
?”

Tristan barked a laugh.

“What?” Jane asked. “Is that too late?”

Now Dom laughed, too, and Tristan laughed even harder.