Ruined by Moonlight Read Online Free PDF Page A

desperation.”
    The evidence of emotion when his guest sat so negligently in his chair and sipped from his glass caught his attention. In fact, if he was to wager on it, he would place money on the probability that his austere lordship was moved almost to tears and the man was usually so dignified his bearing could almost be called haughty. Ben had never particularly even
liked
his wife’s uncle before this moment, but damn all if the man wasn’t more human than he let on.
    Devil take it
.
    Thoughtfully, as if he were tuned to the nuances of the meeting even before it happened, Yeats had also poured Ben a snifter of brandy. He picked it up and took a sip. This appeared to be an afternoon that needed extra fortification. “I will listen,” he said evenly, “if you keep the recital short, to the point, and without emotional inferences. Just the facts, if you will, in as concise a manner as possible. What happened?”
    Whitbridge seemed grateful for the excuse to blink several times and compose himself. “We were at the theater and she never came out to the carriage once the performance was over. As you know it was drizzling last eve, and I went out to stand with the footman to wait,and my wife joined me but Elena never emerged from the crowd. At first we thought she must have met a friend and been detained for a few moments, but after a while we became irritated at the delay and then alarmed, so we sent someone looking for her. There was no trace.”
    That
was
curious, and despite his vow to relax easily into the role of a cultured gentleman and his conviction he didn’t miss the hunt, Ben found himself intrigued. “No one saw her leave?”
    “No one saw anything.” Whitbridge was emphatic. “When I realized what had happened I questioned the footmen and attendants myself. She retrieved her cloak, but after that, nothing.” He stopped, seemed to recall the admonishment to not show his feelings, and then added hollowly, “It is as if Elena has just…vanished.”
    Not certain how diplomatic he had to be when the man was seeking his assistance, Ben took another sip from his glass before he said neutrally, “Elena is quite lovely and Alicia has mentioned her popularity more than once since her debut this season. Is it possible she has eloped with one of her many suitors?”
    “No.” The earl decisively shook his head.
    “You sound very certain.” Considering the young lady’s age and the ridiculous romantic notions women entertain upon occasion—his own wife a case in point that had a pertinent immediacy—Ben wasn’t nearly as certain. It seemed to him the most likely explanation for the whereabouts of the errant Lady Elena. She was the reigning belle of the
ton
, her blond beauty both fashionable and striking. “I am sure the idea doesn’t please you, but what if she had a penchant for a man you would not approve of? It has happened before.”
    “She would never worry her mother and me in such afashion, trust me. If she
had
run off—which I don’t think is what occurred for a moment—she would at least leave us a note of some sort. She’s always been a very levelheaded girl. It would be very out of character to be so inconsiderate. Besides, she is newly engaged to Lord Colbert.”
    That jibed with how Alicia had always described her. Not prone to vanity even with her current level of popularity and inclined toward physical pursuits like riding and archery rather than embroidery and practicing the pianoforte, which did not please her mother.
    “I take it you have already made certain he isn’t also missing. They would not be the first couple to decide that a long engagement is inconvenient.”
    “Of course.” The words were crisp and the look Ben received was disparaging. “I did not wish to alarm him unduly, but naturally I sent someone to find out if Colbert was aware of the situation. He was very much in residence and had no idea.”
    So the word was out, which made discretion somewhat of a