Page 36 of Duke with a Deception
He hesitated, clenching his jaw before he said anything more telling. He didn’t wish to alarm her, but the truth was that the more time passed, the more likely it was that Emma wouldn’t be found. That she had been taken by someone with nefarious motives.
“There is something you aren’t telling me,” she said.
Verity was far too observant for her own good. Or perhaps he had simply allowed his defenses to lower.
“There is nothing,” he denied, not wanting to give voice to his darker fears.
She clutched his sleeve harder, her face drawn and tense, tears sparkling in the depths of her eyes. “There is something. Do not lie to me. Tell me what it is, King.”
He sighed, relenting with ease. He was no match for her stubborn insistence or the pleading in her gaze.
“There is a very real possibility that the child was taken in by someone with motives that are less than pure,” he bit out.
Her eyes widened, and her whole body became rigid. “Whatever do you mean?”
His sweet, innocent angel. She had no notion of the despicable, vile sort of villains who abounded in this city, just waiting to crawl out of alleys and shadows like the devils they were. An imp like Emma would have been easily spirited off the street. Lured with the promise of a meal or perhaps even a piece of candy. She could have been taken to a procuress or a house of ill repute, and from there never to be seen again.
For Verity’s sake and the child’s, he certainly hoped that wasn’t what had befallen Emma. Because if it was, she could have already been viciously abused or murdered. There were many sick people who didn’t respect the sanctity of life, the naïveté of a child.
But how to tell all that to his selfless wife? Verity had hovered on the verge of weeping from the moment he had seen her earlier in the drawing room, looking frantic and worried over the news that the girl had run from her temporary home at Riverdale’s town house.
“I mean that there are villains in this world,” he explained without going into too much detail. “Those who would have uses for the child other than merely giving her a roof over her head and bread in her belly.”
The sudden pallor of Verity’s skin told him she had surmised what he was suggesting. “Truly? An innocent child?”
“I have heard of instances of such things,” was all he said.
“But if someone took her from the street, how will we ever find her?” Verity searched his gaze, looking for answers he had no doubt she didn’t want to see.
He said nothing, not wanting to dishearten her or cause her further distress.
Fresh tears shone in her eyes, and she pressed a hand to her mouth. “King. You don’t think… It must be impossible for someone to be so vile to a child. Surely no one would do something ill to her… Do you believe they would?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know, sweetness,” he said softly. “But I can promise you that we shall do everything we can to find her ourselves.”
And he could only hope and pray—for the first time in as long as he could recall—that they would find Emma before it was too late. He wasn’t sure if his tenderhearted angel could withstand such a blow.
“How would we even begin to look for her in such an instance?” she managed to ask, her voice laced with fear.
“I have some acquaintances who could be of service,” he said, thinking it fortunate he had a great many connections, many of them both sordid and resourceful. “I will begin with them, asking if anyone has heard of or seen a young blonde girl who was taken from the street today.”
“Thank you, my love.” She compressed her lips, tears darkening her spiky lashes and trailing down her cheeks.
He drew her against him, feeling like a traitor for accepting her love and trust and yet too selfish to turn away from it, from her.
King nuzzled her crown instead, inhaling the faint scent of bergamot and roses. “I’ll do everything I can for her, I promise.”
And he would. He just hoped it wouldn’t prove too bloody late.
When they arrived back at Riverdale’s town house, the duke and his duchess were returning as well, wearing twin grim expressions that suggested their searches, too, had led to no hint of young Emma. With great reluctance, Verity was persuaded totake tea so they could discuss their next steps. King summoned a few of his men, directing them to make discreet inquiries before joining Riverdale and his duchess and Verity in the drawing room.
Riverdale pinned King with a glare at his approach, looking as if he wanted to run him through with a suitably sharp and deadly weapon. “What are you doing in here, Kingham?”
“Is that any way to greet an old chum?” he drawled, trying not to allow his friend’s icy contempt to affect him.
“You know, I don’t believe you were truly a friend to me,” Riverdale said coolly as he rose and stalked toward King. “Indeed, I doubt you’ve ever been a friend to anyone other than yourself.”
That rather stung. King had no siblings or family to speak of. He had long considered the Wicked Dukes Society the brothers he’d never had.
