Page 15 of The Mysterious Miss Lydia
“Sorry,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure he heard.
Fear and the overwhelming need to avoid Wendell had her turning on her heel, ignoring the stranger’s protest. She barely even heard him as she turned and fled, nearly bumping into Kitty as she retraced her steps.
“Aren’t we going to see your father?” she asked.
“Maybe tomorrow,” she said, winded from her run.
Kitty shrugged. “Very well.”
Lydia sighed with relief when she glanced back and saw that no one had followed her. Not Wendell, and definitely not her mystery man.
Which was a relief, she reminded herself. It was for the best that she’d never see him again.
And if her heart felt a little heavier as she trudged back toward the School of Charm, well...
She’d forget about that soon enough.
5
Luke stared after the redhead long after she’d turned the corner.
His jaw gaped.
Gone.
Again.
Oh, how Richard would laugh when he learned about this latest turn of events.
He scrubbed a hand over his eyes, taking a deep breath just as that sycophant Sir Wendell reached his side. “Ah, Lord Galena.”
Luke flinched. He still wasn’t used to the title. Not even a little. He forced a smile though, even as his gaze drifted to the place where a redhead had once been.
“Come back to grace us with your presence so soon,” the other man joked.
The joke fell flat, as did Luke’s smile.
It was something about the man’s ingratiating air. The way he always knew exactly what to say and whose hand to shake. It made Luke’s skin crawl.
Wendell might make a fine member of Parliament one day, but he wasn’t fit for the far more subtle style that was necessary for work within the Home Office.
“Were you here to see me?” Wendell asked.
Luke narrowed his eyes. Was it his imagination or did the younger fellow seem smug?
“No,” he said slowly. “I was hoping for a word with Sir Cedric.”
He’d promised Richard he’d wait until the masquerade, but he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about that redhead in the park. If she really were part of some clandestine espionage effort taking place right under their noses then surely Sir Cedric ought to know about it.
“Ah, how unfortunate,” Wendell said with a wince of regret.
Luke’s nostrils flared. There. That was definitely a superior air. He was enjoying this, the little—
“He should be out soon,” the other man finished. Then he gestured back toward the door behind him with the wide-eyed look of a puppy eager to please.
Doubt niggled at him. Was Wendell untrustworthy or was he just looking for reasons to dislike the man who’d stolen his career.
Lud, a month away from his work and he no longer had any gauge on his instincts. Like that girl, for instance...
