“He acted like he didn’t recognize her. He asked whose mistress she is.” Leo’s head began to spin. His stomach roiled.
“Don’t tell me. Don’t say it.” CB covered his eyes with his hand and bumped his head against the wall.
“I said she was mine.”
“Fuck.”
“Tell me, CB,” Leo said as his entire world seemed to fall out from under him. “What is the current stage of our buggerment?
“Biblical, Ath. Fucking biblical.”
A thought shot into Leo’s brain. “I have to warn her,” he muttered.
“What?” CB sounded as if were in a fog.
“We have to—”
As one they crawled to the window and pushed it open. Leo let loose a long, shrill whistle. Dickie came from around the corner.
“Up here,” CB shouted. “Now!”
“A note,” Leo said. “I have to write her a note.” He stumbled to his feet and staggered to the door to his apartments. CB soon crashed in after him with Dickie by the arm.
“Bleedin’ ’ell!” the lad said. “Where’s the fire?”
“Captain Atherton’sarseif you don’t deliver the note he is writing at once.”
Leo sealed the note and handed it to Dickie. He knelt down and seized the boy’s scrawny shoulders.” Take this to Lady Honoria. Put it into her hands and stay there until you have information to bring to me. Tell her maid, Esme, to send for me if I am needed. This is very important, Dickie. Something bad could happen to Lady Honoria if you don’t do as I ask. Yes?”
“That’s all you ’ad to say.” He took off at a run.
Leo and CB collapsed onto the settee.
“What do I do, CB?”
“We wait,” his friend replied. “We wait. And pray if you’re so inclined.”
“I am today.” Leo clinched his fists and fought the urge to run after Dickie.
* * *
Cheddars and CBstood next to Leo’s desk and conversed in quiet tones. Leo no longer cared what they said. He’d refused their offers of food. He paced the room, checked the time and cursed his valet and friend who refused to allow him to leave. CB’s arguments as to why Leo should not go to the Duke of Avonlea’s town mansion for any reason made perfect sense. Leo was no longer a sensible man. Dickie had been gone for hours, The dull grey shades of dusk washed away the last light of day. No note. No visitor. Nothing. He’d told Dickie to stay until he had information to bring back. Now he wished he had not.
Cheddars hurried out the door of the sitting room. He glanced at Leo and shook his head sadly.
“Where is he going?”
“To Mrs. Seaforth’s. Perhaps she has heard something. He will also stop by my house and ask my aunt what she knows.”
“If the duke has hurt her…”
“He won’t, Ath. She is too valuable a commodity for him to injure her. That is not Avonlea’s nature. He prides himself on his self-control.”
“Then what will he do?” Leo had pictured what was happening to Honoria a thousand times. If he did not hear something soon, he would run mad. Perhaps he already had. He had to be insane to allow CB to hold him back so long.
“Whatever is best and most profitable for him. Damaging Lady Honoria will not profit him.”
The door flew open and Dickie shot into the room. He bent over hands on his knees and tried to catch his breath. Leo dropped to his knees and clasped Dickie’s arms. “What is it? What has he done to her?”
