A Little Bit Sinful(73)

She gave him a weak laugh. “That wouldn’t have solved anything. I certainly don’t need you in prison.”

“Let’s get you upstairs and cleaned up,” he said.

…

Clarissa woke with a start. The room was still dark and Justin’s heavy sleeping form lay next to her, his breathing even. Her heart pounded. He’d taken her to her room the night before, helped her into her night clothes, then he had crawled into bed with her. He hadn’t made love to her, merely rubbed her back gently until she’d fallen asleep. And he had stayed in the bed with her.

Her heart swelled knowing what she must do.

She slid from the bed and stood silently watching him for a moment. He would not understand, no one would, but still it was something she needed to do. She’d waited too long and now it was time to go.

…

Justin stretched, and reached over to pull his wife close to him, but the side she’d slept on was empty. Cold and empty. She’d been gone a while. He sat up. Once he’d pulled on some trousers, he walked through the bathing chamber and then on to his room, but there was no sign of her in either place.

He ignored the choking feeling squeezing at him. Her maid, Mary, hadn’t seen her, so she’d evidently dressed on her own. She was not in the dining room and no one in the kitchen had seen her. George Wilbanks had gotten into their house the night before without any of the servants being the wiser, what if he’d come back and taken her?

“Mr. Rodale, sir, I’m afraid your wife has left. She hired a hack early this morning,” the butler said.

“Why they hell did you let her go?” But Justin didn’t wait for a response. He ran up the stairs and finished getting dressed, before returning and yelling for a carriage. In less than twenty minutes he was on the road to the Kincaid townhome. Clarissa was impetuous and…what if she had decided that marriage to him was simply not enough?

He supposed he shouldn’t be surprised. Women in his life didn’t tend to stick around for very long. He’d already sent a letter to Simone Gauteir, but had yet to hear anything. His mother had left him a long time ago and nothing could be done about that, but he’d be damned if he’d let his wife leave.

He pounded on the front door of the townhome and was greeted by a smiling Vivian. Any other time he’d have asked why she was answering the door herself, but now was not the time.

“Justin?” she said in surprise.

“Is Clarissa here?”

She frowned. “No. Justin, what’s happened?”

“No time.” He turned and left and jumped back into the carriage and gave the driver Ella’s address. The ride there seemed to take an eternity and he was beginning to think he could have run faster when the carriage rolled to a stop.

Again he knocked on the door. When the butler opened it, he demanded an audience with Lady Ella and the man didn’t even blink, merely nodded and invited Justin inside.

Ella was evidently already waiting for him. She smiled when he stepped into the room.

“Where is she?”

“She went to Ashford Hall,” Ella answered without reservation. “She stopped by here early this morning, very upset. I made her take one of our carriages so she was with a trusted driver.”

He shook his head. She had left him. They hadn’t even been married a full month and she had left.

“Everyone she has ever loved has left her,” Ella said.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Clarissa. Everyone she’s ever loved, they’ve all died or walked away,” Ella said.

“I’m not the one that left.”

Ella held up one hand. “Be patient with her, Mr. Rodale. She is frightened.”

“If she thinks I’m going to let her go without a fight.” He shook his head. “She is my wife.”

Ella nodded, then gave him a big smile. “Then go. Go get her.”

…

Clarissa walked quietly through the gardens of Ashford Hall. She caught sight of the large oak up ahead. Its sprawling limbs arched out and swooped down creating an umbrella to the grounds beneath it. When she’d awakened that morning she’d known precisely what she had to do.

Nearly her entire life she had tried to be someone she simply could not be. Someone she didn’t even want to be. She’d never be the perfect lady like Rebecca. Not for lack of trying, but she’d only ended up compromised and married to a most unexpected man.