No stone left unturned.
Her gaze flicked over every corner of the room with exasperation. One might think she had gone mad. The room was in utter disarray. She had overturned all the pillows of every sofa, opened all the drawers, and removed every book from the small bookstand in the corner. She’d even lifted the top of the pianoforte to peek inside, wondering if it might have somehow found its way there to keep company with the piano strings!
But no.
Nothing.
The betting book was decidedlynotin the drawing room. Neither was it anywhere to be found in the kitchen, which had been the first place she’d looked, even though she and the duke had been in there mere hours ago and his hawk eyes probably wouldn’t have missed it.
Louisa scratched her head.
“I should look in Papa’s study next.” She supposed if the book had been “put back in its place” by a servant, it ought to be her father’s study. If anyone were to open the book to take a peek at its contents, it would be hard not to believe it wasn’t a ledger of some sort, with its log of names and amounts. In other words, business. Of sorts. And business belonged in the study. If it wasn’t there, then her only other place to search would be the library.
She glanced at the clock.
Drat.
The clock had already struck three in the afternoon.
A pair of hot, amber eyes set in a cold face filled her mind.
Undeniably attractive.
Stiff as a statue.
Papa would explode if he learned the Duke of Mortimer had been in his daughter’s bedchamber in the dead of night. And even though her father would not direct his rage at her, it would give her stepmother the opportunity she’d wanted since Louisa debuted—to marry her off. It was fortunate, then, that no one would ever find out.
I should be more careful.
No one must discover the duke’s presence anywhere near Ashford, either, which meant she must find the book before he made another nighttime visit. It would set any and all Talbots on alert, which was the last thing anyone needed at present.
Speaking of the man, he must be writhing on pins and needles waiting for her note. But Louisa hadn’t risen until past noon, anchored to a deep sleep. For whatever reason, quite remarkably, she’d fallen into a slumber the moment her head had landed on the pillow. That hadn’t happened in such a long time. Really, she shouldn’t have gotten a wink of rest after finding a man—the duke of all people, and a mortal family enemy of her family—snooping in her chamber. Yet, she hadslept as though she had years to make up for. And she probably had.
Might it be because of the warm honeyed milk? The lingering scent of the duke? Or had the stimulation of last night exhausted her to the point where her brain had shut down?
She couldn’t say.
All of them could have played a role. But was it too much to hope that sleep would come easy again tonight? If it did manage to happen, then she could rule out the duke as a contributing factor. But if not, could she ask him to sneak into her chamber again?
What are you even thinking, Louisa?
She shook her head at her musings and strode to her father’s study. She’d best locate the book first. Not only for the duke, but for herself and the other heiresses. Theodosia had entrusted her with the safekeeping of the thing, so misplacing it was out of the question.
She stopped in the middle of her father’s sacred space, her shoulders slumping when her gaze landed on his messy desk and all the cabinets filled with ledgers atop ledgers. What’s more, several piles of books were stacked on the floor beside the desk.
This is going to take a while.
Another small tendril of guilt curled in her belly. How could she have misplaced thebettingbook of all books? She must have been in a fit of complete senselessness!
Lawks. “Might as well start at the desk and then work my way outward.” She harbored no doubt that if she didn’t find that book today, there would be a man in her chamber tonight. And while she might indulge in ridiculous thoughts about the situation, she still couldn’t have a repetition of last night.
“Well! Let’s get to it, then.” She sprang to work, lifting each book on her father’s desk, not happy until she had touched every single one to confirm that it wasn’t the betting book. She didn’twant to miss it because she hadn’t been thorough or paid enough attention. Again.
Finally she cast the desk one last dirty look and plopped onto the chair to survey the room at large. Servants wouldn’t haphazardly clean the study or disrupt the flow of her father’s mess. If they hadn’t placed the book on the desk, she didn’t think they’d place it anywhere else.
However, she couldn’tnotsearch every inch of this room. It would drive her to Bedlam. It would also be yet another reason to lay awake at night.
Louisa let out a begrudging sigh, her gaze drifting to the tall windows overlooking the sweeping gardens. Her brows furrowed as she caught sight of a man standing amidst the lush greenery of blooming roses and neatly trimmed box hedges, observing his surroundings.
