Always a Rogue, Forever Her Love (Scandalous Seasons #4)(61)

Mother and Poppy shared a look, and they both promptly burst into tears.

“Oh, it is hor-, Sin, utterly aw-awful.” Her voice broke. “M-Miss Marsh implored u-us to not use the word horrid any longer, and so I shan’t for her. Even if it is h-horrid,” she began to weep, and then took running down the hall.

What in hell? Two or three drinks forgotten, Jonathan spun to face his mother. “What—?”

“Not here,” she said on a tremulous whisper and dashed a hand across her tear-stained cheeks.

Jonathan redirected his course and made for his office. Mother hastened her step to match his stride. A steady panic built slowly in his chest. For all his sisters’ dramatic outbursts through the years, Mother tended to demonstrate calm, decorous behavior. When they were at last closeted away in his office, he repeated his earlier question. “What’s happened?”

She held up an ivory sheet of velum. “H-here.”

He took it with numb fingers. The unfamiliar ink seal had been broken. He unfolded the note, and scanned the contents. His heart stopped.

“I told you,” she spat at him. “I w-warned you that someone h-had ensnared her attention.”

And he’d been so consumed by his need for Juliet he’d not heeded Mother’s warning. Nausea roiled in his belly.

“Th-that f-fiend has her. They’ve eloped, Jonathan! Your sister, your sole clearheaded, rational sister would do something as…as reckless,” she said on a shuddery cry. Then glanced back at the closed door. For though she spoke to the loyalty of her servants with great frequency, hint of elopement would be utterly ruinous.

Sinclair,

I would trade you a sister for a sister. If you choose to ignore my request for Juliet, then you’ll find yourself with a new brother-in-law.

Signed simply,

AM

He crumpled the velum in his hands. “When did this arrive?”

“Shortly after you l-left this morning.” Fire snapped in her eyes. “To follow your Miss Marsh,” she spat.

He scrubbed his hand across his eyes. Christ.

“Where has he taken her, Jonathan? He gives no indication as to where she is.” She buried her face into her hands and wept. “Sh-she is r-ruined. Her sisters will have little hope of a respectable match. How could you let this happen?”

“I’ll find him,” he said with steely determination. And when he found the blackguard, he would separate his limbs from his body.

“Oh, you cannot call him out,” his mother said between bitter sobs. “Y-you are the Earl of S-Sinclair. You’ve not done y-your duty to the line and produced an h-heir. Who is this woman that you’d forget yourself and your responsibilities?” she cried. Her eyes went wide as she seemed to realize the possibility of nearby servants overhearing her outburst. She dropped her voice to a near whisper. “I trusted you to find a governess and you brought th-that v-viper into our midst.”

Guilt twisted in his belly like a thousand jagged knives. His mother had implored him to take an interest in helping Patrina make a respectable match but he’d been so consumed with his lust and fascination for Juliet. Yet, Juliet could not be held responsible for her brother’s sins. “She’s no viper.” But Mother was not listening. And this wasn’t the time. His jaw clenched. “How long has she been gone?” It mattered not that the baronet shared Juliet’s blood. If Marshville had touched Patrina, by God he’d kill the bastard dead.

Mother brushed the tears from her cheeks. New drops replaced them. “Prudence came to see me, after she awoke to find her missing. She found a note.”

His heart kicked up a beat “A note.” He took Mother by her shoulders. “Where is this note?”

“I burned it,” she cried softly. “My first thought was to hide any hint of what had happened.”

He took a steadying breath. “What did she say in her letter?“ he said gentling his tone. The countess appeared to be one wrong word away from a trip to Bedlam.

“She said she’d fallen in love and would be off to Gretna Green, and… Where are you going?” she cried as he strode to the door.

“To stop her.” They would be traveling by carriage. They’d left that morning; on horseback he could certainly intercept Patrina before she did anything so foolish as to… His mind screeched to a sudden halt. He could not allow him to consider the revenge Marshville intended to exact upon Patrina.

Mother’s sobbing drew more desperate. “Jonathan, you cannot make this right. Your sister has run off to elope with this gentleman. No young lady can be spared the fallout from such a scandal.”

“Patrina will,” he assured her. “Be certain the girls do not speak further on the matter.” Because the moment anyone discovered the details surrounding Patrina’s disappearance, the more unlikely it was the girls would recover from the scandal. Without a backward glance, Jonathan hurried from the room, shouting for his mount. He collided with Juliet.

She blanched; the hue of her skin a ghastly shade of gray. “My God, Jonathan. I—”

“Not here, Miss Marsh,” he hissed. He took her by the arm and steered her toward the corridor leading to her chambers. “What were you coming here to—?”

Grief twisted her face. “I needed to see you. I’m sorry. I—” her voice broke.