Damian straightened. He tucked his pistol back into his breeches, put two fingers to his mouth, and whistled.
A small carriage lumbered around the corner. Two men jumped down. “Feed him to the fishes, guv?” one of them politely inquired as they levered Montgomery up into it.
“Yes. Empty his wallet, but leave any identification, if you will. There’s another body upstairs in the pub.” He drew the heavy sack of coins from his pocket and handed it to the man.
“Thanks, guv.”
Damian left them and strolled back into the main thoroughfare in search of a hackney. He was satisfied with the night’s work. Scovell might not be prepared to go public with it, but he would be relieved.
Chapter Twenty-One
Diana gazed inthe mirror with a groan. A purple bruise on her breast would mean wearing a fichu with her favorite gown. Why should she care? She did not wish to dress to please Lord Montgomery, who had spitefully caused the mark. Her breath caught. The wedding was in three days’ time. It kept her awake at night, which made her skin too pale. There were dark circles under her eyes.
At breakfast, Papa commented on her appearance. He attacked his bacon and eggs while telling her that most brides were nervous before their weddings.
She chewed her lip, fearing she would say something to anger him. It was too late. Her wedding gown was ready, her trousseau packed. Several hundred guests would fill the chapel as, according to Billings, her father’s secretary, everyone had accepted the invitation.
Papa took up his knife and fork. “I expected a word from Montgomery before this. The reverend waits to be advised as to how many of Montgomery’s guests would attend, and we are yet to find out who is to be his best man. My secretary wrote to remind the viscount but tells me his letter has gone unanswered.”
“Perhaps he is away in the country.”Or he changed his mind and fled England, she thought hopefully.
“He might be seeing to changes to his country estate. Ensuring it is perfect for you, my dear.”
Diana put down her toast, which threatened to choke her. She doubted Lord Montgomery would bother to please her. Whatever he thought of her, it was closer to dislike than love. And despite that, he was determined to marry her.
Ballantine hadn’t replied to her letter, either. Now that she’d left London, she didn’t know if he’d returned from overseas. Was he all right? It tormented her to think he might not have been. He had to have been alive and happy, somewhere in the world, even if he wasn’t with her.
“I’ll go for my ride,” she said, rising from the table.
“It’s always been my intention to see you happy, Diana,” Papa said as she went to the door. “I promised your mother before she left us to find a good man for you.”
Diana’s shoulders sagged. She wanted to say, “That good man is not Lord Montgomery,” but she resisted as he looked more upset than she’d ever seen him. She bent over him at his chair and gave him a quick kiss. Papa patted her cheek. “Enjoy your ride. And take the groom,” he called after her.
At the stables, Diana mounted Artemis and rode out with Peter following. She now loathed the man and didn’t trust him. She made a concerted effort to lose him, which was easy with her superior horse. When she returned from a fast ride over the fields, to tire herself, she hoped she could sleep tonight. Speirs met her in the hall and informed her of her father’s wish to see her in his study.
Papa looked up from his desk with a grave expression. “I have received a letter from Lord Montgomery’s secretary. He has been missing for several days, ever since he visited his club. It is most uncharacteristic of him. He didn’t attend his appointment with his tailor for the last fitting of his wedding clothes. They hold grave fears for him.”
Diana’s heart leaped. He had fled the country! She’d always suspected he was a spy for the French.
The next two days passed without a word of Lord Montgomery’s whereabouts. The wedding preparations came to a halt. Diana spent most of the day with her grandmother in the dower house. She prayed that he had changed his mind, but she feared that her hopes would be dashed again if he suddenly contacted them. Would her father forgive him for disappearing without a word and causing the wedding to be canceled? He just might, as he’d changed his mind about Montgomery once before.
“I’ll take Artemis out for some exercise, Grandmama,” she said, so restless, she was sick of herself and feared she worried her grandmother.
Diana took her daily route along the boundary between her father’s estate and the road. She liked to visit the place where Ballantine’s coach had been held up. It brought him sharply to mind. But it was foolish to go on visiting the spot. With a soft moan, she was about to turn Artemis’s head for home when a man shouted her name from beyond the hedge.
It wasn’t… It couldn’t have been? But that deep voice could only belong to one man. She rode to the break in the hedge and pushed through.
A coach waited beside the road. A gentleman, his hat pulled low, watched her ride toward him. Those shoulders, those long legs… She gasped, dismounted, dropping the reins, and ran to him.Ballantine!Her voice caught in her throat, blocked by a rush of hot tears. She threw herself onto his chest and into his arms.
“Hey.” He caught her and, laughing, swung her around. “That is quite a welcome.”
She reached up and touched his dear face. “I didn’t know if you were…alive.”
“Do I not seem so?”
She punched him lightly on the chest. “You might have answered my letter. To stop me from worrying about you.”
A smile raised his lips. “I thought it better not to, sweetheart.”