Page 39 of How to Wed a Courtesan

‘Have you seen Lottie?’ Evander asked abruptly, as Rawley finally joined them.

Kentworth stopped midsentence and regarded Evander with a curious look, as if he couldn’t quite deduce whether or not he ought to be offended by being cut off in the middle of his story—or epic saga, as it was turning out to be.

‘I haven’t,’ he finally replied, appearing nonplussed. A sloppy smile sloshed over his face. ‘But I’ve been meaning to ask you about her. Are you finally luring her out from under her rock after all this time?’

‘Kentworth,’ Rawley spoke in a warning tone from beside his friend.

The Marquess pulled back and regarded his more austere acquaintance. ‘I daresay you are trying to prevent me from being punched.’

‘Again?’ Rawley slid his small silver watch from the pocket in his waistcoat.

Kentworth snorted a laugh and elbowed Rawley. But the nudge wasn’t what pulled the shorter, more studious man from studying the time. No, it was the lady walking towards him.

Lady Caroline’s face lit up like a candelabra at his besotted expression.

Irritation surged through Evander. He was fed up with Kentworth’s antics, and he wanted nothing more than to find Lottie. After finally succeeding in encouraging her to join him at the ball, he was not going to see it all go to waste.

He turned to go when Kentworth caught him by the elbow. ‘We’ll find her.’

‘Find who?’ Lady Dalton asked, arriving with Lady Caroline.

‘Miss Rossington,’ Rawley said, staring shyly at Lady Caroline. ‘She appears to be missing.’

‘Lottie is missing?’ Lady Dalton turned, looking over her shoulder in thought. ‘I wonder...’

‘Did you see her?’ Evander pressed.

Lady Dalton frowned. ‘No, but I overheard several women speaking ill of her.’

Rage flashed through Evander. ‘I do beg your pardon.’

‘I had words with them.’ The Countess gave a haughty toss of her head. ‘Wretched gossips. I’d seen Lottie enter the retiring room before me, and wondered at the time if she had somehow overheard.’

‘What did they say?’ Evander demanded.

‘Nothing polite.’ Lady Dalton sighed and gave him a pointed look. ‘Exactly what you would expect.’

Evander’s stomach dropped. He knew how upsetting that would have been for Lottie. He uttered a soft curse and strode away, ignoring Kentworth’s calls for him to return.

Evander found his butler and immediately asked after Lottie.

‘She’s taken her leave, my lord,’ Edmonds replied.

‘You’re certain she’s gone?’ Evander asked.

Edmonds lifted an austere brow. ‘I’m familiar with Miss Rossington. I assure you it was she who left the ball, perhaps an hour ago. She didn’t request her carriage.’

Evander frowned. She hadn’t bade him farewell, which was suspicious enough when she’d seemed to be so happy dancing with him previously. But to leave her carriage?

‘Fetch me my carriage,’ he said. ‘At once. And inform her driver she has left so he may return to Bloomsbury.’

Edmonds rushed off to comply with Evander’s request. Within moments his carriage pulled to the front of Westix Place and Evander was on the cushioned seat, on his way to Russell Square in Bloomsbury.

On his way to Lottie.

But when he arrived her townhouse stood dark and forbidding, and his footman’s knocks went unanswered. He pushed out of the carriage himself, foregoing decorum, and rapped hard on the door.

When no one opened it, he stepped back to regard the darkened windows and called out for Lottie.