Page 76 of A Winter Scandal

“It was understandable. What else would one assume when she left rather than marry him?”

“Even now, I don’t know what to think,” Gabriel admitted. “Everyone had always talked about the Staffords; they are that sort of family. I discounted most of the rumors. But after Jocelyn became engaged, there were more, and they weren’t just vague. They spoke of women Rawdon had hurt. Still, I could not believe it of him. I shrugged them off. But when Jocelyn ran away, I feared that I had been a fool to trust so blindly in Alec. That is when I learned about a lady on whom he had forced his attentions. The woman had no reason to lie—her honor would have been badly compromised if word of what had happened had gotten out.”

“Then it would seem reasonable to assume that he had hurt your sister or at least frightened her enough that she ran away,” Thea agreed.

“All that time, when I feared her dead, she had just fled to the Continent!” Gabriel shook his head in disbelief. “I had the runner check at the ports and he found no trace of her, but I didn’t seriously believe that she would have gotten that far, anyway. I would never have dreamed she had such a well-planned scheme. Or the resources.”

“Perhaps she was not alone.”

“She may have had her maid with her. The girl vanished at the same time, but I was not sure if she accompanied Jocelyn or if she merely vanished because she feared being blamed for Jocelyn’s running away.”

“No, I didn’t mean her maid. I meant another man. She says that she was in love, that she thought that she was loved in return.”

“Of course.” Gabriel shook his head. “I am a trifle slow today. If Rawdon is not the father—and I cannot imagine he was after this letter—then another man was.”

“She said she was deceived. Perhaps he told her he loved her and would marry her, and they ran away to the Continent. Perhaps they even did get married.”

“It makes sense. Jocelyn was engaged to Rawdon, but she didn’t love him. Maybe it was because she thought I was pushing her to do so.”

“Or perhaps she thought she loved him, then realized she did not. You said she was only nineteen, didn’t you? Or maybe she heard the same rumors about him that you did, and she regretted her decision.”

“In any case, she fell in love with another man—how, God only knows. She was always chaperoned.”

“Still, she went to parties and balls, and there are always a number of young men there.”

“True. She could easily have met a man and even imagined herself in love. But when would she have been alone with him enough to—” Gabriel stopped, catching the significant glance she sent him. “Yes, of course. One finds a way.”

“You said her maid ran away, too. Perhaps her maid accompanied her on trips about town, to shop and make calls and such.”

“Only, instead of that, Jocelyn was really meeting her lover. No wonder Hannah vanished when Jocelyn left. She had been helping her mistress deceive us all. So this fellow took Jocelyn to France or Italy or wherever. But then her dreams fell apart. I doubt he married her since she said she was deceived. My guess is that he was a fortune hunter. Perhaps he mistakenly thought Jocelyn had money of her own. She had a good dowry, of course, but that was in my control, and I would not have accepted a fortune hunter for her. Other than that, she did not have any money—at least, not until her mother passes on, which will probably be many years. When he found out she did not have a fortune, he abandoned her. And her child.”

“So she came home. To you.”

“Except she did not.” Gabriel sighed. “And that brings us back to the crux of the matter. Why did Jocelyn leave the baby in the church?” He took her hand in his and sat for a moment, looking down at their linked hands. “Rawdon said Jocelyn might not have come to me because she was ashamed. Do you think that is true? That she was fearful of my disapproval?”

“It is hard for me to judge since I do not know her.”

“But do I seem so unreasonable and unbending?” He raised his head to look at her, his dark eyes troubled. “Am I so puritanical?”

“Puritanical is not the first word that comes to my mind when I think of you,” Thea said drily.

He grinned and leaned closer to her, murmuring, “That is because when I am with you, I feel anything but puritanical.”

Thea felt her cheeks heat up, and he chuckled. He kissed her lightly on the lips. “I love to see you blush. I love to make you blush.”

“You must, for you do it often enough,” she pretended to grumble, but when he pulled her over into his lap and kissed her more thoroughly, she made no protest, just wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. He nuzzled the side of her neck, murmuring, “I have missed you terribly. I’ve done nothing but think of you since I left this house last night.” He raised his head and smiled down into her eyes. “How can that happen, Miss Bainbridge? How are you able to completely occupy my thoughts? I am inclined to think you are a sorceress.”

“Hardly.” Thea would have liked to make a clever retort, but she found it difficult to think when Gabriel’s lips were roaming the soft flesh of her throat.

“Hello? Lord Morecombe? Miss Bainbridge?” A woman’s voice came floating back to them from the front of the house.

Thea bolted from his lap, her pink cheeks flaming now. She straightened her spectacles, which had gotten pushed awry, and smoothed down her skirts.

“Emily!” Gabriel muttered, and let out a soft curse. “The woman has the most damnable timing.” He stood up. “I am coming, Lady Wofford.” He turned to Thea. “They doubtless want to leave. I don’t believe the village offerings are quite Lady Wofford’s notion of entertainment. I could stay and let them go back without me. I could walk home later through the ruins, if you will show me the way.”

“I shall show you the ruins some other day,” Thea assured him. “But for now, it is probably better that you go. My brother and Damaris and all the others are here. We would have no time alone in any case.”

“Very well.” He strode to the door and peered down the hallway, then turned back. “Lady Wofford must have gone into the sitting room.” He pulled Thea to him and gave her a brief, hard kiss on the lips. “I will call on you tomorrow.”