Page 31 of Stealing the Rake's Heart
And so do you,whispered a small voice in the back of William’s head, but he ignored it.
Almost before he knew it, his hand had slipped into his jacket pocket, where the locket lay wrapped in a strip of linen.
Folly. Absolute folly.
He knew he was being a fool. Why should he care so much about returning a piece of jewelery to a woman he did not know? He fancied he could almost trace the engraved initials in the back of silver locket, initials which, according to the man he’d hired to investigate, did not belong to anyone among theTon.
L.B. Those were the initials. William couldn’t think of anyone with those initials.
In fact, the letter from Mr. Seeker sat in his pocket beside the linen-wrapped locket. It was frank and simple, getting straight to the point.
Your Grace,
You requested frequent updates on the investigation, and I am afraid I had no new information to give. The lady in question, based on your description, has not been found in London, and neither has the child featured in the locket’s miniature.
Of course, this does not mean they are not here, however I am surprised not to find the lady amongst the higher circles in Society, considering her attendance at that particular ball. Possibilities could include her having left the city for the countryside, or that she is not a “lady” at all, but a companion or some person of lesser importance.
I will continue my efforts, and if any new information is collected, I shall inform you immediately. If you wish to instruct me otherwise, please send a note to the address above.
Your Obedient Servant,
Mr. Seeker
Disappointing, to say the least, but perhaps it was also a relief. After all, what if the lady was found? Did he intend to hand over the locket in person, coming up with some weak excuse as to why he kept it and why he’d conducted such a mad search for her.
Or he could simply pop the necklace in an envelope and send it to her, but that felt…
Underwhelming. Disappointing, somehow.
William clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remove his hand from his pocket.
You’re a stupid man. Fancy wasting all this time and energy on finding a strange woman you met only once, when you ought to be finding a proper wife.
On cue, anxiety rushed back in at that thought. The Duke of Dunleigh couldn’t simply marry anyone. His wife would be a Duchess, the head of their family beside him. She would exercise a great deal of authority, even over his siblings and mother.
No guarantee any of them would listen to her, of course.
But if he chose the wrong woman…
William closed his eyes. He didn’t expect love. He was practical, if nothing else, and entering into a marriage as if entering into a partnership seemed the most sensible way to approach things.
On cue, Katherine passed by, arm in arm with Timothy. He held a book in his hand, and Katherine was talking eagerly, gesturing wildly, and they were both oblivious to their surroundings.
At least two of my siblings have found love,William thought miserably.Henry is happy, and so that just leaves…
Alexander. Wretched, stupid Alexander.
William scanned the crowd, looking for his youngest sibling. He spotted Alexander at once, head down, shouldering rudely through the crowd. William winced. There would be authors to at least three or four scandal sheets here, all safely cloaked in anonymity. At leastonewould notice Alexander’s odd behaviour, to say nothing of his drunken fool of a friend who had not actually been invited.
And then a footman – the first footman, William realized, a tall, long-nosed young man by the name of James – slipped out of the crowd and moved towards him. He had no silver tray in his gloved hands, and no polite smile on his face, so it probably meant he had bad news to impart.
“Your Grace,” James whispered, “the butler desired me to come and find you. A gentleman is causing something of a ruckus in the library. We were not sure of his name.”
“Was it Lord Hamish Grey, by any chance?”
James swallowed. “I believe he is a friend of Lord Alexander’s, your Grace.”
“As I thought. Can he be contained?”
