Chapter 21
After that, Dominic kept his mouth shut and focused on his meal. Though he did make a point of occasionally directing a pointed glare at the psychopathic governess, just to remind her he was watching.
Unlike him, Chloe remained in high spirits, chatting happily with her governess. Most of it was harmless chatter. One remark, however, did not escape Dominic’s notice.
Chloe mentioned she would be sending something to the governess’s room. The instant those words left her mouth, a pair of brown eyes cautiously flicked in his direction, checking his reaction.
When Irene had fallen into the pond and looked at him with unmistakable relief and delight, Dominic had finally understood what lay beneath that devious woman’s façade. It was an emotion she clearly had no desire to let anyone discover.
The moment he left the dining room, Dominic summoned the head butler. Benjamin, who hurried down from the library, tilted his head in confusion at the duke’s orders.
“…You want me to intercept whatever the young lady sends? Without even knowing what it is…?”
“And search that woman’s room immediately. If you find anything suspicious, bring it to me.”
“What? Search… a lady’s room?”
The head butler shot his master a dumbfounded look, but the Duke of Whitmore, who hated repeating himself or retracting an order, did not say it twice.
A person’s unconscious actions revealed an astonishing amount of information. Dominic was certain there was something hidden in the book Chloe intended to send Irene Vanderberg.
And so, <Miss Lamour’s Scandalous Secret>, along with the coverless copy of <Lady Scarlet’s Secret Hobby>, came to rest atop the Duke of Whitmore’s stately desk.
Novels so vulgar he could scarcely believe his eyes!
* * *
It was already dark outside when Irene awoke from her medicine-induced nap. Yawning, she stretched lazily before scratching at her hair. She fell asleep and completely forgot… What happened to the book?
She opened the door, wondering if it had been left outside, but the hallway was empty. Maybe I slept through the knock, and the maid returned it to Chloe’s library?
Either way, it wasn’t a big deal. Unlike Chloe, she wasn’t the sort who absolutely had to read a new release the moment it arrived. She could always read it tomorrow.
“Hmm…”
Irene gazed out into the darkened night. The real problem wasn’t the missing book; it was that her routine had been completely thrown off. After sleeping so soundly through the afternoon, she worried she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep tonight. Chloe had probably been looking forward to spending some time reading together again.
Still, staying cooped up in bed felt stifling, so she decided to go for a walk and left her room.
Stepping out of the annex, Irene looked around. The secluded back garden would be perfect. Surely the Duke of Whitmore wasn’t wandering around there again tonight, right?
‘Surely he wouldn’t do that again, would he?’
This wasn’t one of those dime novels where the protagonists ran into each other every time they stepped outside. If coincidences happened that easily, people wouldn’t call them serendipity. They were called serendipity precisely because they were so rare!
Just as Irene started confidently toward the garden, an uneasy feeling made her stop and turn around. Wait, what if the duke’s hobby is taking walks through the garden?
“Seriously, why am I even thinking about that obnoxious man…?”
Muttering under her breath, Irene pouted and ended up pacing in circles in front of the annex instead.
The summer night was thick with warm, humid air. She tilted her head back and looked up at the sky. The moon hung low, already well past its peak.
Then—
A shadow fell over her.
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