The Forgotten Duchess

Chapter Twenty-One | Hunt

JAMES' HEAD SWIVELLED between the two empty chairs a few seats down from him. Frowning, he turned towards Aunt Esme, "Where are Fiona and Vivienne?"

His great-aunt's eyes focused on the seats, and she wiped her mouth with the napkin before leaning to his side. "They went for a walk earlier, I thought they might have retired to their room to rest. It is possible they slept through the dinner gong; I'll have a tray sent up to them if they are too tired to come down."

He dipped his head and his great-aunt gestured to one of the footmen, discreetly whispering her instructions. James should have been satisfied but the unease still didn't go away, he didn't know why.

"You have a good shot, Lennox." Lord Albermay commented.

James nodded once; he couldn't return the sentiment because Albermay was a terrible shot. While the rest of the gentlemen were able to shoot down the birds with relative ease, it remained quite the difficult task for Albermay. Although James had to admit, Albermany remained a good sport—something he couldn't say about many other gentlemen.

"How many birds did you shoot down, Your Grace?" One of the other lady's asked him. He didn't remember her name, but she had been crawling for his affection since the first day of the house party.

"Too many to keep count," Headfort said with a snort before he gave the lady a devilish smile. "Although Miss. Julia, you might be please to know that I took down more birds than Lennox."

"Now, now, we mustn't bore the ladies with talk of our hunt," Berkeley cut it smoothly.

Headfort gave him an annoyed look, but James was thankful for the interruption. Although he dearly cared for his friend, he did not want any sort of debauchery occurring under his roof. Headfort could do whatever he wanted once he returned to his own home.

"It's good that you went on the hunt earlier in the morning, the weather has taken quite the turn," Lady Albermay commented from across her husband.

Indeed, the slight sounds of rain hitting the ground could be heard over the chatter of the guest. They were lucky not to have been caught in the downpour. The path to the manor might have flooded and they would be stuck in the woods. The conversation continued as a footman approached the corner of the table.

"The maids checked both of their rooms, my Lady. They weren't there."

James' heart leapt but he forced himself to calm down. They could be anywhere in the manor.

"What do you mean they weren't there?" Lady Torrington's sharp voice rose across the rest of the chatter.

The other guest paused awkwardly before Lady Albermay asked, "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I apologize for my outburst. There was an issue in the kitchen."

Lady Albermay's eyes lit up in acknowledgement. James supposed the lady could understand hosting issues, more than anyone else at the table. The guest returned to their meals, but James no longer felt hungry. He met Headfort's gaze who gave him a confused look. James discreetly pointed towards the empty chair which should have been occupied by Fiona. The moment Headfort understood his message, his face paled.

"Are Lady Vivienne and Lady Fiona feeling well?" Miss Julia asked Lady Torrington innocently.

He missed his aunt's response as Martin, his butler approached and bent so he was near ear level.

"Your Grace," he said softly. "I heard you inquiring about Lady Vivienne and Lady Fiona. They both left to travel to the village earlier this morning."