Free The Elusive Wife by Callie Hutton

Malcolm opened the door before Jason had alighted from his carriage.
    He hurried down the stairs, holding an umbrella. “Good day, my lord.”
    Jason nodded. “It’s good to be home.” They hurried, huddled under the umbrella to the foyer. Jason handed his gloves and hat to the butler, who then helped him with his wet coat.
    “Please inform Lady Coventry I’ve arrived and I await her in the library.” He spoke over his shoulder as he started down the hall.
    Jason stopped at Malcolm’s quickly drawn breath. “I’m sorry, my lord, but Lady Coventry is not at home.”
    “Not at home?” Jason turned back, his eyebrows rising. Where could she be, in this terrible weather, and not knowing anyone? He wanted to get this conversation over with as quickly and painlessly as possible. “When is she expected?”
    Confusion marked the man’s face. “My lord, I’m not sure. That is, I mean. . .”
    Jason had never seen this long standing member of Coventry’s staff quite so flustered.
    “What is it, man?” he retorted impatiently.
    “Well, my lord, Lady Coventry has not been in residence for quite some time.”
    Jason’s jaw dropped, his brows furrowed in confusion. “When did she leave? Where did she go?”
    “I’m sorry, my lord, but I’m not quite sure where her ladyship went.”
    “Not sure where she went? You mean she just sailed out of the house one day, never to return, and you hadn’t thought to notify me?” His eyes widened.
    Malcolm drew himself up, obviously irritated at being questioned about the performance of his duties. “My lord, Lady Coventry had Evelyn, the upstairs maid, pack her belongings and then left for London. However, she did not state directly to me where in London she intended to go, and I assumed, wrongly it seems, that she planned to travel to your townhouse.”
    “She did not come to Coventry House, unless we passed on the road. When did her ladyship leave?”
    “More than three weeks ago, my lord.” The butler’s face had paled.
    Jason sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “Send me the man who drove her to London. I’ll be in the library.”
    Getting something very strong to drink.
    “As you wish, my lord.”
    W here the bloody hell is my wife? Why isn’t she here where I left her?
    As he poured himself a brandy, he realized he would have to stop thinking of her in that way if he planned on requesting an annulment.
    He sipped the brandy and walked to the large window, watching the rain create rivulets in the newly dug garden. He moved to his desk, then collapsed into the chair behind it and stared into space. What a muddle this thing had become.
    “My lord?” Malcolm approached Jason’s desk in his usual quiet manner.
    “Where’s the driver?” He clasped his hands and tapped his mouth with his index fingers.
    “It seems the driver who took her ladyship to London has recently been dismissed, my lord.” Malcolm regarded him uneasily.
    “Was he dismissed, by chance, for losing Lady Coventry?” Jason raised one mocking eyebrow.
    The well-trained butler ignored the sarcasm. “No. He was dismissed by Mrs. Watkins for thievery.”
    “Wonderful.” Jason made a shooing motion with his hand. “That will be all, Malcolm. Please have Cook fix something for me, and serve it in here. I need to go over some reports.”
    The butler bowed and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.
    What was he supposed to do now? His wife— no, don’t think of her that way— was somewhere in London. He would have to search her out, but at this point he didn’t know where she resided, or with whom. Then he choked on the last bit of brandy when he realized he did not even remember what she looked like.
    Bloody hell!
    That little fact should make the search interesting.
    He leaned back and studied the raindrops sliding down the windowpane as he drummed his fingertips on the arm of the chair. She obviously did not move about in society as Lady Coventry, or he would have