Deceiving the Duke of Kerrington

Chapter Twenty-four

Despite Elliot having called him a fool, Pierce didn't feel like one at all. He may be foolish at times, but he wasn't consumed with stupidity like most men. At least that's what he kept telling himself, as feelings of foolishness washed over him in waves. The loss he felt was akin to losing a limb, only worse. At least when one lost a limb, one could eventually adapt to the loss but Pierce knew that he would never be able to adapt to the loss of Hope.

When thinking of his future only brought more misery and visions of endless years of loneliness and heartache, he decided that he had to do something. He could not bear the thought of never seeing Hope again, if nothing, he at least had some questions that he needed answered. He quickly instructed Tucker to pack his bags, as he made arrangements to go after Hope.

His first stop was at the Brattondale's residence. He pulled his watch fob out and glanced at his timepiece, noting it was rather late in the evening. Most likely the Brattondale's would be at some society function, but he silently prayed that that would not be the case. When their butler let him in, he handed him his card and was relieved when he was told that Noelle was in. He was shown to the drawing-room to await her presence.

When Noelle finally arrived, Pierce rose, not even bothering with formalities. "Where did Hope go, how can I find her?"

"You are going to go to her?" Noelle asked, surprisingly pleased by this.

"Just tell me where I can find her, there are some things I need to say to her."

"She told me she was going back to Shepard's Bush to stay with her mother."

"Do you recall her mother's name?"

Noelle tapped one finger against her chin, "Let me see if I can recall...Martha? No...Marianne? That doesn't sound right...ah ha! It's Matilde!" She was pleased that she could recall the name and hoped with everything in her that the duke would be able to find her, if only to keep her from marrying him and spending her life locked in a miserable marriage with a man that despised her.

Without any further conversation, not even a thank you, Pierce was off practically jogging to his carriage so he could be on his way. He was grateful beyond relief to know that he wouldn't have to journey far to find her. He still wasn't completely sure what he was going to do or say once he found her—he desperately wanted to believe that she hadn't been like Eliza and was only after him for his title and wealth. He thought back to her actions and their conversations and he had to admit that description did not fit the girl he had come to know and love. Hadn't she been appalled when he told her of Eliza's reasons for wanting to marry him? He remembered Noelle's conviction that she hadn't really wanted to participate in the charade but that Noelle had practically had to force her to do it. Maybe he could scratch that concern off of his list.

That still left him with a few other concerns, like the fact that he was engaged to Noelle Parrish and that the banns had already been read, or the fact that Hope was merely a servant girl, not someone who he could acceptably marry. He laid his head back against the plush seats of his carriage and closed his eyes and groaned. The situation seemed impossible, and the more he thought about it, the more it frustrated him. He must have dozed off for a bit because the next thing he remembered was waking sluggishly as he realized the carriage was slowing as they entered Shepard's Bush. He looked around at the sparse houses and figured it shouldn't be too hard to find the Hillburn's residence. He reached up and tapped on the ceiling indicating his driver to stop.

Pierce jumped out of the carriage at the first house they came to, knowing he probably appeared crazy calling on strangers at such a late hour in the evening, but now that he was so close to her, nothing was going to stop him. He knocked on the door and cringed as he felt the first drops of rainfall pour down from the ominous looking sky. He reached up and pounded once more on the door, impatient to get out of the rain.