unfamiliar maid at Sophie’s birthday celebration,” he said. “I’d like to know more about her.”
One delicate eyebrow arched high. “I wondered when you would get around to inquiring. You seemed inordinately curious about her at the time. Something to do with the warehouse incident?”
“Yes,” he said. “Can you provide more of a description? Her height, her build, any distinguishing features that might set her apart from other women? A scar, perhaps?”
Catherine’s expression turned thoughtful. “I recall her being tall, with a full figure. Not robust, mind you. Ladies would envy such curves and men would worship them.” Realizing what she’d said, the widow’s cheeks flushed scarlet. “Pardon, my lord. I doubt those were the types of distinguishing features you were inquiring about.”
“Actually, those are exactly the types of observations I’m interested in. Please go on.”
“She wore a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. In her early twenties, I’d say. Very dark hair.” The widow’s forehead knitted together. “I’m afraid that’s all I remember at the moment. She was some distance away when I noticed her.”
“Did you see her engaged in conversation with any of the guests?”
“Not that I saw,” Catherine said. “She appeared to be absorbed with clearing away the dirty dishes and eyeing the guests.”
“Eyeing the guests?”
She smiled. “It seems I have a knack for identifying such insignificant details. Sebastian learned early on the futility of keeping secrets from me.”
“Any thoughts on what the maid might have been searching for in the crowd?”
“No, sorry. Most of my attention was focused on my daughter’s whereabouts.”
“Quite understandable. She spoke to no one during the party?”
“Of course she spoke to the guests,” Catherine said. “But she did not engage any of them in conversation. At least, not that I noticed.”
Disappointment curled in Ethan’s chest. There had to be thousands of tall, dark-haired maids in England. Why he thought his dockside nurse and Catherine’s mysterious servant might be one and the same, he didn’t know. He would blame it on this seething desperation to bring the warehouse incident to an end. His family had always accused him of being rather bullheaded when it came to resolving matters or protecting loved ones. For the first time, he could clearly see what they meant.
“Thank you, Catherine.” He braced his hand against the windowsill and peered down at the garden. “Seems I have more missing persons to find. But do not fear. Giles takes priority over my personal needs.”
“Sebastian remarked that the people who saved you are avoiding you. Why do you think that is?”
“They’re not avoiding me, per se,” he said through tight lips, turning back to her. “More like, they do not wish to be found.” Her eyebrow arched again, so he clarified. “By anyone.”
“When you find them, what will you do?”
Ethan did not miss her reference to “when,” rather than “if,” he would find the cloaked figure and the maid. “Initially, I wanted to thank them and be done with the whole thing. Now that they’ve caused me a great deal of inconvenience, I have other, less pure thoughts traveling around in my mind.”
“I don’t blame you.” She canted her blond head to the side. “Are you sure your interest does not go beyond gratitude?”
“To what?” Ethan shook his head and began to pace. “No, there is nothing brewing beneath the surface of my interest. It’s unfinished business, that’s all.”
“No desire to uncover the individual beneath the cloak?” she pressed.
His eyes narrowed. “How much time have you been spending with Cora?”
“Is that a polite way of saying ‘mind your own affairs’?” She grinned. “I suppose you’re right, but your curiosity has roused my own.”
“Perhaps,” he said in a menacing tone, “I should continue my march up to Somerton’s attic and remove such
One delicate eyebrow arched high. “I wondered when you would get around to inquiring. You seemed inordinately curious about her at the time. Something to do with the warehouse incident?”
“Yes,” he said. “Can you provide more of a description? Her height, her build, any distinguishing features that might set her apart from other women? A scar, perhaps?”
Catherine’s expression turned thoughtful. “I recall her being tall, with a full figure. Not robust, mind you. Ladies would envy such curves and men would worship them.” Realizing what she’d said, the widow’s cheeks flushed scarlet. “Pardon, my lord. I doubt those were the types of distinguishing features you were inquiring about.”
“Actually, those are exactly the types of observations I’m interested in. Please go on.”
“She wore a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles. In her early twenties, I’d say. Very dark hair.” The widow’s forehead knitted together. “I’m afraid that’s all I remember at the moment. She was some distance away when I noticed her.”
“Did you see her engaged in conversation with any of the guests?”
“Not that I saw,” Catherine said. “She appeared to be absorbed with clearing away the dirty dishes and eyeing the guests.”
“Eyeing the guests?”
She smiled. “It seems I have a knack for identifying such insignificant details. Sebastian learned early on the futility of keeping secrets from me.”
“Any thoughts on what the maid might have been searching for in the crowd?”
“No, sorry. Most of my attention was focused on my daughter’s whereabouts.”
“Quite understandable. She spoke to no one during the party?”
“Of course she spoke to the guests,” Catherine said. “But she did not engage any of them in conversation. At least, not that I noticed.”
Disappointment curled in Ethan’s chest. There had to be thousands of tall, dark-haired maids in England. Why he thought his dockside nurse and Catherine’s mysterious servant might be one and the same, he didn’t know. He would blame it on this seething desperation to bring the warehouse incident to an end. His family had always accused him of being rather bullheaded when it came to resolving matters or protecting loved ones. For the first time, he could clearly see what they meant.
“Thank you, Catherine.” He braced his hand against the windowsill and peered down at the garden. “Seems I have more missing persons to find. But do not fear. Giles takes priority over my personal needs.”
“Sebastian remarked that the people who saved you are avoiding you. Why do you think that is?”
“They’re not avoiding me, per se,” he said through tight lips, turning back to her. “More like, they do not wish to be found.” Her eyebrow arched again, so he clarified. “By anyone.”
“When you find them, what will you do?”
Ethan did not miss her reference to “when,” rather than “if,” he would find the cloaked figure and the maid. “Initially, I wanted to thank them and be done with the whole thing. Now that they’ve caused me a great deal of inconvenience, I have other, less pure thoughts traveling around in my mind.”
“I don’t blame you.” She canted her blond head to the side. “Are you sure your interest does not go beyond gratitude?”
“To what?” Ethan shook his head and began to pace. “No, there is nothing brewing beneath the surface of my interest. It’s unfinished business, that’s all.”
“No desire to uncover the individual beneath the cloak?” she pressed.
His eyes narrowed. “How much time have you been spending with Cora?”
“Is that a polite way of saying ‘mind your own affairs’?” She grinned. “I suppose you’re right, but your curiosity has roused my own.”
“Perhaps,” he said in a menacing tone, “I should continue my march up to Somerton’s attic and remove such
Similar Books
