My Wife, My Rules – 32. chapter

First time here? Start with Chapter 1.

The noise woke him.

Not the kind he was used to. Not the muted steps of servants. Not the whisper of curtains or the distant sound of tea trays being carried. This was different. Too many voices. Too many footsteps. And someone was laughing. Aiden frowned and sat up. He listened for a moment longer, then pulled on whatever clothes lay nearest and rose. He crossed the room, opened the door, and stepped into the gallery. From above, he could see the entire lower hall.

And it was alive. Maidservants hurried past with fresh flowers. Others carried linens, tightened ribbons, hung golden lanterns by the balcony doors. Men from the household hauled wine up from the cellars, along with tall bottles of champagne. And at the center of it all stood Viktoria. Her hands clasped behind her back, chin lifted, voice softly superior. She was directing someone where to place an arrangement of seasonal roses. She looked entirely at home. Her dress was too pale, too daring, utterly improper for the afternoon.

Aiden gripped the railing and signaled to the first maid who noticed him. She rushed over at once.

“My lord?”

“What in hell is happening here?”

She went pale.

“Your lady said you ordered preparations for an afternoon gathering. For old friends. And family acquaintances.”

Aiden said nothing. He felt his heart beat slowly, each beat harder than the last.

“The invitations were sent yesterday morning, my lord. Most have already confirmed.”

He was still staring down when Viktoria laughed and tipped her head back in a way Tess never had.

Yesterday. Before she told him she might know where Tess was. Aiden released the railing slowly. He would have to dress. Prepare. The house would be full today. No one knew his wife was gone. But perhaps one of them. Just one person. Might help him find a trace.

Viktoria noticed him and came up the stairs.

“We’re hosting today,” she announced.

“I heard,” he growled.

“At last you’ll introduce your wife to everyone close to you.”

“I will not,” he said so decisively that she chose not to argue.

“No matter. I’ll introduce myself. No one’s ever seen me before. They’ll be delighted!”

The first carriage arrived before four. Aiden stood back in the shadows beneath the great arch by the stairs. The air smelled of roses and new wine. Everything was prepared flawlessly. The servants moved with precision. No music yet, but anticipation already hummed.

The guests arrived with genuine pleasure. Not out of courtesy, but because they knew Aiden. Respected him. Admired him. He was the sort of man whose presence inspired quiet regard, even friendship. And today, their excitement ran higher still. They were to meet his wife. The woman rarely spoken of, wrapped in odd stories. Shy. Gentle. Invisible. That mystery only sharpened their curiosity.

Aiden remained above for a while, among the balcony arches, unnoticed, watching his house open its doors without his will. Viktoria stood at the entrance like a star in the leading role. Greeting. Guiding. Bowing graciously. At one moment she rested her hand on the shoulder of a young lord from the southern estates. At another she laughed too loudly. Everything about her screamed, Look at me.

Aiden descended. His presence cut through the sweetness like a sharp note. Not disruptive. Impossible to ignore. Several guests smiled and bowed. An older gentleman he traded land with bowed deeper than usual. Ladies stepped aside with respect. Aiden nodded briefly. He greeted a few of them, briefly and with dignity. But his eyes searched for only one person.

He found him by the window in the winter gallery. Elias. A glass in hand. Unassuming. Present. Aiden crossed between a group of ladies admiring the embroidery on the curtains and stopped beside him.

“It’s good to see you,” he said warmly.

Elias smiled. Aiden did not.

“You have to help me find Tess,” Aiden said at once.

Elias glanced toward Viktoria a few paces away.

“There she is,” he gestured that way.

“That isn’t Tess,” Aiden replied with a trace of irritation.

Elias narrowed his eyes.

“Are you well? I heard about your fall…”

“Elias!” Aiden cut him off. “Tess has a twin.”

“…you never mentioned that.”

“There was no reason.”

Elias hesitated. 

Then Isadora hurried over, slipped her arm through his, and turned to Aiden.

“Tess is like a completely different person today!”

“She is a completely different person!”

Isadora blinked, but before she could speak, Viktoria appeared.

“My dear, you vanished,” she said sweetly, looping her arm through his. “Won’t you introduce us?”

Aiden turned to her and leaned in slightly.

“Take your hand off me,” he said through clenched teeth, icy.

She froze, then obeyed quickly, masking it with a theatrical turn toward the Montellans.

“Hello, I’m Theressa Viktoria. Choose whichever name you like. Even Aiden can’t decide which name to use. He calls me something different each time. It’s a pleasure to meet you. You must be close friends. You’re the first people he’s spoken to today.”

The couple looked from her to Aiden. He met Elias’s gaze and raised one brow slightly.

You see?

The business with the two names was rather clever, he admitted to himself unwillingly.

Viktoria offered her hand to Elias. He bowed and brushed it with his lips, perfectly correct.

“We’re honored to finally meet you, madam.”

Isadora added with a strained smile, “A very pleasant meeting indeed.”

Viktoria beamed once more and moved on.

After a brief moment of recovery, Elias leaned closer to Aiden.

“That isn’t Tess. Not even close.”

Isadora stayed silent, her usual spark dimmed.

“How is that possible?” she whispered.

“Twin,” Aiden said. “Cunning. Manipulative. And apparently very dangerous.”

“Why would she do this?”

“She wants me. Or rather my property and position. Tess is in her way.”

Silence fell.

“Do you have any idea where Tess might be?” Elias asked.

Aiden shook his head.

“No. But if I know anything for certain, it’s that she wouldn’t go toward people on her own. She has nowhere to go.”

“She must have been terrified to do this,” Isadora said softly.

“But not for herself,” Aiden corrected. “She loves me. She wouldn’t leave me even in danger. She was afraid for me.”

They looked at him, so he continued.

“That fall of mine is strange, at the very least. Everyone knows when the stairs are waxed. It’s never done in daylight. And I couldn’t find a single maid who did it or knew anything about it.”

“Jesus Christ!” Isadora whispered.

“Well,” Elias blurted, “their mother clearly underestimated the dangers of drinking during pregnancy.”

Aiden shot him a warning look.

“Oh come on,” Elias pressed. “Tess is fortunately only slightly exceptional. Your sister-in-law is a total lunatic.”

Aiden reluctantly agreed.

“We have to find Tess. Quickly,” Isadora said.

“She isn’t far,” Aiden replied. “She took almost nothing. And if anyone had found her, Viktoria would already know. So she’s alone.”

“Somewhere,” Isadora said. “Forests. Abandoned houses. Old estates.”

“That’s where we start,” Aiden nodded. “Not us. You. You have connections. Someone may have seen a stranger avoiding people. Heard about a woman hiding from them.”

Elias nodded slowly. “I’ll ask.”

“I’ll plant it as gossip,” Isadora added. “Carefully. As if I’d already heard it from someone else. Just enough to see who bites.”

Aiden’s gaze drifted back to the hall.

“If anyone’s heard anything, it’ll be among the guests. Their families. Their servants. Quiet talk. Someone might mention a lone woman. Solitude. A house in the woods.”

“And if not?” Elias asked.

“I can’t think about that right now,” Aiden said flatly. “I’d lose my mind.”

Isadora glanced at Elias.

“We’ll start at once. Leave it to us.”

Aiden nodded but said nothing. He didn’t need words. He needed Tess.

He stood by the window, a glass in his hand, untouched. Music filled the hall, laughter chimed through the air, voices bright and carefree. None of it had anything to do with him. He sensed movement behind him. He didn’t need to turn to know it was Elias. He always moved quietly when something mattered.

“Down by the wine,” Elias said under his breath. “One of the guests was complaining that his coachman was late last week. When he asked why, the man claimed he’d had to slow the horses because he’d seen a lone lady in the forest. Well dressed. No escort. Just standing among the trees. No one believes him. He’ll likely be looking for new work.”

Aiden turned slowly.

“Did he describe her?”

“Not much. Slender. Gloves. And when she turned, she vanished into the brush. As if she belonged there.”

Aiden closed his eyes.

“Where exactly?”

“Not far from the old pond. North. Between the marsh and the abandoned forester’s lodge.”

Elias hadn’t yet stepped back when Isadora appeared beside them. She approached lightly, but her eyes were focused, quiet.

“My dear,” she said softly, without a smile, “if you ever want to know how much people notice when they feel safe, spend an hour among merchants’ wives.”

Aiden turned to her, a single question in his eyes.

Isadora drew a deep breath.

“One of the ladies, the one with the house near the old mill, mentioned that her little niece saw a lone woman in the woods during a walk. Alone. Well dressed. She said the woman didn’t seem in a hurry at all. And there isn’t another house in that area.”

Elias met her gaze.

“North?”

“Yes. Straight between the old pond and the forester’s lodge.”

Aiden tightened his grip on the glass until the tendons in his hand stood out. Then he set it down.

“I’m going to get my wife.”