It seemed only polite to wait until late in the morning to call on his fiancée, since he knew she had been up until nearly dawn. At shortly before noon, the butler admitted him to the parlor of the Clayton townhouse.
“Lady Belinda has not yet come down this morning, my lord.”
The butler was quite young for the post. It was uncommon for a butler in an earl’s home to be less than a curmudgeon. The man was probably in his late twenties. His shoulders were broad and the livery strained across his chest and back. He looked more the part of a street thug or a bodyguard than a butler. “It is Faust, correct?” Gabriel asked.
The young man’s eyes widened. Perhaps he was surprised an earl would bother to remember his name. “Yes, my lord.”
“Were you still about last evening when Lady Belinda arrived home?”
Faust’s wide eyes narrowed and he pulled his shoulders back. At his full height, he towered over Gabriel.
The butler knew what Bella was up to at night.
After a pause, Faust responded as any seasoned servant might have done. “I always wait for my lady to arrive home before retiring.”
“A very well thought out answer.”
“Thank you, my lord.”
Whatever Faust’s purpose beyond managing the other servants might be, and he suspected he had other duties. Gabriel liked the butler. “You’re not going to tell me anything, are you, Faust?”
The butler’s face changed once again to the staid mask of his profession. “It would not be my place to offer information outside the family, my lord. I hope you will forgive me.”
“Of course. Will you have the maid alert Lady Belinda of my arrival?” He couldn’t fault the butler for loyalty. He wanted to know what his beloved was up to until the pre-dawn hours, but he admired the servant for his devotion.
“She has already been informed, my lord.”
“Thank you.”
Faust slipped from the parlor.
Gabriel studied the books that lined the shelves. Most were of little interest, tomes common in almost every fine home in London. An ancient volume with faded gold lettering, stuck out from the rest. Perhaps it had been put away hastily. Guide to the Underworld.
He touched the rough binding. “What in the world?”
The door creaked. He smiled and turned.
Unfortunately, his grin was wasted. Belinda was not in the room, and her mother wavered on her feet. The countess was already in her cups even at that early hour. It was quite sad that a woman of her rank, beauty, and advantages had needed to turn to the bottle.
“Lord Gabriel, how wonderful to see you again. It is rather early for a call.”
Gabriel bowed. “It is nearly luncheon, my lady.”
She giggled girlishly. “Is it? How silly of me.” She waved her hand in dismissal of the notion. The motion of her own fingers grabbed her attention and she stared at them while continuing to wave her hand in front of her face. Her eyes became distant and empty.
More than just drink, opium perhaps.
Gabriel stepped forward and offered the lady his arm. It wouldn’t do for her ladyship to collapse and injure herself in the parlor. “Lady Clayton, it is good to see you again.”
She turned and smiled as if seeing him for the first time. “I’m so glad you’re here, my lord. I want to speak to you about Belinda. She seems to have fallen into some kind of trouble. I think she is in need of help. You must help her.”
His heart pounded. Was it even possible, in her current state, Belinda’s mother knew what was happening with her daughter? He didn’t think so, but any lead into Belinda’s nocturnal actions might help. He led her to a chair and handed her into it. “Why do you say such a thing, ma’am?”
“I know you will think I am mad, but I know what I know.” Lady Clayton’s face was pale and her eyes too large. Belinda was the image of her mother, but time and bad habits had taken their toll on the older woman.
“What do you know?” He kept his voice even and calm.
“It was not my fault. Her father should have been here.” A tear spilled and she clutched the edge of the chair.
“Yes, of course.” He had no idea what she was rambling about, but agreeing that it was his lordship’s fault seemed the best response.
“When she disappeared I thought I’d go mad. I called the runners, but they could not find her.” Her words were stringing together rapidly. A flood of tears ran down her cheeks while her breath came in short gasps.
Gabriel touched her shoulder. “Who disappeared?”
“Belinda.”
His first instinct was to rush out and find his fiancée, but he already knew from the butler that she was still above. Even knowing that fact, his heart raced and a sheen of sweat formed on his brow.
He kept his voice soft trying to sooth her. “When was this, my lady?”
Confusion flushed her face.
“It was a long time ago,” Belinda said from the doorway. She glided into the room in a light blue day dress and sat down next to her mother. “I came home and all was well, Mother. I came home.”
Tears streamed down the countess’s face. She touched Belinda’s cheek. “Yes, my sweet girl. You came home.”
“See that, Mother. All is well.” Belinda’s voice was as gentle as the summer wind. She hugged her mother to her breast. When she looked up her eyes glistened with tears, but she didn’t shed any.
His heart tightened painfully filling his chest. In that moment, he loved her more than ever, this gentle woman he remembered. It was the first glimpse he’d had of the old Belinda since his return from war. Holding her mother, she showed the sweetness he yearned for.
“I will just take my mother to her bed, my lord. Do you have time to wait or shall we meet another day?”
“I will wait.” Gabriel made a concerted effort not to jump to any conclusions based on what Lady Clayton had said. She was obviously not a reliable source of information. But there was something to it. Belinda had not denied her disappearance.
She returned from seeing her mother to bed, silent as a cat, but her light feminine scent filled his head more thoroughly than any drug.
“What did she mean, Bella?”
“My mother is not well, Gabriel. You cannot rely on her for the information you seek.” Her lovely face was a mask of composure but the distress in her eyes betrayed her. She made her way to a grouping of chairs and sat.
A maid entered with a tea tray. Claire looked nervously from her lady to him.
Belinda looked at the maid a long moment. Her head twitched in approval.
The servant nodded once before leaving them.
“Then perhaps you would care to tell me what she was talking about?” He made his way over and accepted the cup of tea she poured, before taking the seat across from her.
She tilted the teapot and stared down into the dark liquid.
He could almost see her mind working out exactly what to tell him and how much. How he longed for any sign of trust from her.
“I’m not sure where to begin. It was so long ago.”