The Duchess Hunt Read Online Free PDF Page B

thought.”
    “If Mama simply decided to leave Ironwood
Park, one would assume she’d let
someone
know where she was going,” Mark said.
    Simon looked to Esme, whose tears had
abated. Sarah still crouched beside her, though, keeping that comforting arm
around his sister, and he was glad he’d told her to stay. “Has our mother been
behaving erratically in any way?”
    Mark snorted. “What kind of a question is
that, Trent? Our mother is always erratic.”
    “I mean more so than usual.”
    Esme shook her head somberly. “No. No more
than usual. She was excited about the ladies’ luncheon she was going to hold
next week. She’d embroidered kerchiefs for each of the ladies and was planning
to give them as gifts.”
    “So she wasn’t planning to run off, then,”
Theo said thoughtfully.
    “But you know her. She’ll change plans on
a whim,” Mark pointed out.
    “True,” Sam agreed. “We should check her
house near Lake Windermere as well as her townhouse in London.”
    “And her sisters’ houses as well, in case
she decided to make a last-minute visit,” Simon said.
    Theo shook his head. “If our mother went
somewhere on a whim, she could be anywhere in England.”
    “But someone would have seen her,
somewhere,” Mark said. “Collectively, we know her favorite haunts and the
routes she’d take to travel to them.”
    “We will check them all,” Simon said.
    A knock on the door heralded a footman, who
told them dinner was served. Simon dismissed the man, then turned to his
siblings, his stomach growling in anticipation of a hot meal. He hadn’t eaten
since yesterday.
    “We’ll formulate a solid plan after
dinner.” He turned to Sarah. “Thank you for staying. Will you meet us back here
at nine o’clock?”
    “If you wish it, Your Grace.”
    “I do.”
    She inclined her head and looked at him
with her big, blue eyes. “Then I will be here.”

 
    Chapter
Two

    The midnight hour had descended over
Ironwood Park when Sarah finally left the great house for the night and walked
toward the cottage she shared with her father.
    Yesterday it had rained, but tonight the
waxing moon shone bright, sparkling over the trees, shrubs, and flowers her
father was responsible for keeping beautiful. He’d done an excellent job of it,
and the duchess loved to tell him so. She always laughed and said that when
he’d been hired, she hadn’t actually expected him to
improve
Capability Brown’s famous landscape.
    But improve it he had. The gardens around
the house were beautiful to look upon year-round, constantly emitting the
fresh, sweet scents of flowers and herbs. The outer garden was a study in
geometric forms, its boundary keeping a strict separation between it and the
landscape beyond, which Papa constantly assessed and modified to provide a
haven of nature that flowed naturally with the contours of the land.
    Despite the beauty and perfection of the
grounds through which she walked, Sarah was brimming with a feeling of dread.
    The duchess’s strange disappearance had
knocked the small universe of Ironwood Park out of kilter. The Duchess of Trent
was a constant here. Sure, she traveled often, visiting London and her family
scattered throughout England. But Ironwood Park was her home, her anchor, and when
she was gone, everyone felt her absence keenly. And this absence was different
from a mere holiday – everyone knew it in their bones. The servants were all on
edge. Even Mrs. Hope – a woman in possession of an inherently positive nature –
was scared.
    Worst of all was the family. Sam, Mark,
and Theo had all rushed home, their concern obvious in the speed of their
arrival. Luke hadn’t come, though no one was worried – he made an appearance
either in London or at Ironwood Park once every few months, but Sarah knew how
upset he’d be when he ultimately heard the news. Of all of them, Luke was
closest to their mother.
    Poor Esme had discovered her mother
missing, and for some reason she blamed