Page 5 of An Unbending Lady for the Desperate Earl
“I do, Your Grace.” Miss McCarthy smiled. “My own father was much the same, when he still lived. If ever a traumatic event struck our family, he would vanish for days on end. It drove my mother to distraction, but he would always return and explain that he had been seeking to come to terms with what had occurred.”
Christian listened with interest. His knowledge of the Bow Street Runners wasn’t extensive and didn’t know that they had ladies in their employ, but this particular lady’s presence seemed to be coaxing the Duchess into a more relaxed state. There was a soothing temperament to her voice. Even he found himself in a less fractious mood, as her words drifted over him.
“Your father is no longer living?” The Duchess sounded sorrowful.
“I am afraid not, Your Grace. He died in a tragic boating accident some years ago. The vessel was recovered in pieces, and my father was found washed up on the shore some days later. The storm must have battered the boat severely, for my father… well, it would not do for me to go into the details, as they are not very pleasant. And I would hate to add to your discomfort.” Miss McCarthy dipped her head, and Christian noted the slight tremble of her lower lip. Whatever had happened to her father, it could not have been good.
This poor creature.Christian wished he had some words of comfort to offer her, but he did not know her, and he certainly did not know how to offer consolation to a complete stranger.
“Then we are, both of us, grieving.” The Duchess lifted a handkerchief to her eyes and dabbed them gently.
“Tell me of your daughter, Your Grace,” Miss McCarthy urged. “I should like to hear of her.”
The Duchess smiled sadly. “My Helena is a rare bird. Beautiful, intelligent, and full of grace. She looks a great deal like me, if you can imagine me in my youth. We share the same blonde hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and all my best features. And she dearly loved to laugh. My goodness, how I miss that sweet sound.”
“She sounds delightful, Your Grace. And I can well imagine you in your youth, for you do not look as though you would have a daughter grown.” Miss McCarthy flashed a winning smile. It disarmed Christian somewhat, though he had become somewhat suspicious of her easy charm. The more he contemplated it, the less he reasoned the Bow Street Runners would have sent such a lady to this house. It was unheard of.
But why else would she be here?She radiated no malevolent ambience, and truly seemed to be putting the Duchess at ease. And yet, something felt amiss. Something he could not quite put his finger on. Not just yet.
“You are too kind, Miss McCarthy.” The Duchess dabbed the last of her tears away and folded her hands neatly in her lap. A force of habit, no doubt, learned through decades of propriety.
“Did anything seem peculiar, the night she went missing?” Miss McCarthy asked, in a quiet voice. “As I mentioned, it serves a family well to remember the events leading up to a tragic occurrence such as this. Sometimes, it can help their loved ones be found. Sometimes, it simply helps them to corroborate everything in their minds.”
What are you trying to discover, Miss McCarthy?Her line of questioning echoed soft and casual, but Christian saw a glint of something in her eyes. A determination, perhaps. He didn’t think it possible that she could be an investigator, given the nature of her sex, but she spoke with the persuasive skill of an expert one.
The Duchess paused in thought. “I do not think so, from what I am able to recall. We spent the day together at the botanical gardens and returned home in the early evening. We dined, as we always do, at seven o’clock. After which, we convened in the drawing room to read and converse. She retired half an hour before I did, but I peered into her bedchamber on my way to bed, as I always do. Nothing seemed amiss. That is why all of this is so atrociously upsetting. She was fast asleep in her bed. I saw her. I even went into her bedchamber, as she had left the window open. I went to close it in case she caught a chill, but I did not see anybody else in the room, and I must have spent several minutes there.”
“I am so very sorry, Your Grace.” Miss McCarthy reached out to pass the Duchess a clean handkerchief. “That must be horrible for you, knowing you left her safe and sound, only to find that some brute had stolen her away in the night.”
The Duchess heaved a sob. “I cannot comprehend how no one heard anything. Her brother sleeps in a chamber close by, and he did not stir.”
“Tell me, Your Grace, was the window to your daughter’s bedchamber open when she was found to be missing?” The glint of determination had come back into Miss McCarthy’s eyes, and Christian spotted it immediately.
She was most definitely speaking like and investigator now. He had been privy to a similarly gentle investigation when his own mother had not returned home from an engagement in the countryside. As it turned out, the carriage had acquired a broken wheel, and they had been forced to stop in a local village until it could be fixed, but he remembered the investigator’s skillful repartee, all the same, when the fellow had spoken with his now-deceased father about it.
The Duchess’ mouth fell open. “Why… yes, yes it was open! My goodness, how could I not have observed such a thing? But I know I closed it and pulled the drapes across it. My goodness, Miss McCarthy, the drapes were also open!”
She must be a sorceress.Christian could hardly believe it. A few moments in this room, and already this young lady was garnering information that could be useful in locating Lady Helena. It urged Christian to remain silent upon the suspicion that she was not all she seemed, for if she could aid in finding his fiancée, then that could only be a good thing. Regardless of her apparent subterfuge.
“Might you take me to Lady Helena’s chambers? We might see if you remember anything else of that night, for your own sake. The more you recall, the more sense you may be able to make of what has happened.” Miss McCarthy spoke with such innocence that even Christian almost believed she had no ulterior motive.
The Duchess nodded effusively. “Yes, of course. I cannot believe that I did not remember that I had closed the window and the drapes. What a fool I must be! Perhaps… yes, perhaps there may be something more that I have yet to recall. Please, follow me. Oh, Miss McCarthy, you cannot know what hope this gives me.” She stood sharply and hurried across the room, with Miss McCarthy and Christian in pursuit.
Well done, whomever you may be.Truly, it inspired some hope in Christian, too, for he had been attempting to encourage the Duchess to allow the investigators to do their work, ever since the first one had arrived outside the house. Now, it finally looked as though the Duchess was relenting, even if she did not realize she was under some method of investigation.
As they walked, Christian jolted when Miss McCarthy turned her attention on him. The Duchess was a short way ahead, just out of earshot. Perhaps, that had been deliberate—Christian was uncertain how careful Miss McCarthy was endeavoring to be.
“Did you dine with the family, the night Lady Helena was taken?” she asked, in a hushed tone.
Christian shook his head. “No. I was at my own residence, on the other side of Mayfair. I had not seen Lady Helena since the day before.” He didn’t know why he was giving up such information without hesitation. Again, it appeared that Miss McCarthy had a way about her that loosened people’s lips.
“You may be her fiancé, but do you know of any other gentlemen who had an interest in Lady Helena? Any spurned suitors, or anyone of that ilk?”
“I do not, Miss McCarthy. Lady Helena had many admirers, but I cannot think of anyone who might wish to cause her harm.” Christian frowned, as he wracked his brain for any possible perpetrators.
Miss McCarthy nodded. “And she loves you?”
“What sort of question is that?” Christian could not help but feel affronted.What is she attempting to say in this?
