Seasons of Love: Boxed Set by Madison Katherine Ann & Dallen Maggie

Author:Madison, Katherine Ann & Dallen, Maggie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Swift Romance Publishing Company
Published: 2022-10-20T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWO

Three days of sunshine had melted some of the snow from the storm, but there was still enough to blind a man as he scanned the grounds.

Rush squinted, cupping a hand over his eyes to shield them from the glare as he took in the sight from Lady Winterbourne’s icy veranda.

“Are we looking for something in particular?” Raith asked.

Rush’s friend, the Duke of Barton, cupped a hand over his eyes as well as he followed Rush’s gaze toward the treeline in the distance.

“We’re looking for Lady Serena,” Raith muttered. He couldn’t quite keep the irritation from his tone. But truly, three days with not so much as a glimpse of the woman he was meant to be courting?

It was frustrating, to say the least.

“Still?” Raith asked.

The amusement in his voice made Rush’s muscles tensing. “Yes. Still.”

He’d scoured the entire estate, both inside and out, but there was no sign of her. At first, he’d thought it bad luck. Perhaps their timing was off and he just kept missing her. But the more time that passed, the more Rush was convinced that Lady Serena was going out of her way to avoid him. “Where could she be?”

“I’m not certain. I—”

He turned to Raith before his friend could finish. “Has Lady Sophie spoken to her? Does she know why Serena is avoiding me?”

Raith’s lips curved up in a smile at the mention of his fiancée. The sight of his friend’s newfound happiness was nice to see. It truly was.

But it did nothing to ease his own frustration.

In fact, His Grace’s giddy smile might be adding to Rush’s frustration. Just a bit. Raith had managed to secure his future with Lady Sophie while Rush couldn’t even manage to reside in the same room with the woman he’d chosen.

Raith shook his head. “Unfortunately, Sophie has only seen Serena in passing. My lovely bride-to-be made a comment only this morning about how oddly her sister has been behaving, sneaking out of gatherings and avoiding meals with the group as a whole...”

Rush sighed as he turned to scan the landscape again. “So, it’s not just me then.”

Raith’s silence did little to reassure him.

Rush turned to his friend. “It’s not just me...is it?”

Raith grimaced. “I honestly couldn’t say. I’ll admit, the timing of her odd behavior doesn’t bode well for you.” His friend shifted, crossing his arms as he glanced over with the uncomfortable look of a man about to impart unwelcome news. “Sophie seems concerned about the way she’s been acting. And it seems Lady Serena’s behavior has gone from strange to troubling since Sophie and I announced our engagement.”

Rush scowled at the treeline as if Serena might come bounding out with a welcoming smile and an explanation for why she’d disappeared from a house party after agreeing to a courtship.

“I’m sorry to say it,” Raith said slowly. “But I think perhaps you’re right to assume she’s avoiding you.”

Rush exhaled loudly. His friend wasn’t trying to be cruel, just honest. It was a trait of Raith’s and one of the things Rush truly liked about his friend, normally.

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