Henry visibly preened under the praise and waved them towards the house.
“Enter, enter. I shall have tea prepared for us and introduce you to my wife and daughters. Charlott—Amelia, I do not recall that you will ever have met them.”
“I have not,” Charlotte smiled, “I have been looking forward to making their acquaintance almost as much as seeing my dear sister again.”
As they started walking to the front door, Seth suddenly noticed how they had been greeted.
“You saidarrivedat last, Stockton. Were you expecting your niece soon?”
“Ah, no. I must have misspoken,” Henry chortled. “She went away about a month ago, and we’ve not heard from her since. She has post unopened, so clearly, we are not the only ones left in the dark to her whereabouts. She did say that she was going to visit with you, Amelia. Did you not see her?”
Charlotte had not considered this in her story. Of course, she had told her family that she was going to visit her sister in London. It hadn’t occurred to her that it might seem strange if Amelia suddenly turned up wanting to visit Charlotte.
“Yes, of course, we did for a few days. And arranged to return the visit so that Amelia could meet her cousins,” Seth put in smoothly.
They walked in, and Charlotte had to remind herself that she did not know her way around this house. Henry directed them to the reception room, leaving them to inform his wife and daughters of their guests.
“That was quick thinking,” Charlotte whispered.
“It would not be the end of the world if they knew the truth. The two of you have not done anything wrong; it is a child’s game, no more,” Seth reminded gently.
“I know, but until I have spoken to Amelia, I do not want to end this particular game. She may have reasons for not wanting to,” Charlotte murmured. “I wonder where she could be? I suppose I just assumed that she was here, despite not responding to my post.”
“There are no other properties in the estate that she could have taken up residence within?” Seth asked.
“None that belong to us or the Nightingales.”
“What of the house you lived in with your mother and father?” he added.
“Sold after my father’s death. Mother needed the funds. I did not know it at the time, I was too young. But I discovered it later. I do not remember the place anyway.”
“And the house in Carlisle where you lived with your mother?”
“Rented. She might have gone there, I suppose, if it were vacant. And if Reginald is to be believed, financing it would not have been an issue.”
The door opened, and Aunt Judith swept imperiously into the room.
“Amelia, I have not seen you since you were a little girl, dear! Do you remember your sweet aunt?”
“I do indeed, Aunt Judith,” she tried for a beam. “And I am only sorry that it has been so long since I was last in your company. Are these my cousins?”
Emmeline, Jean, and Alice had filed into the room behind their mother. Charlotte made introductions, and everyone looked suitably impressed by Seth’s rank, though he appeared uncomfortable when Charlotte disclosed it.
“I am disappointed to have missed my sister,” Charlotte said as they sat down to tea, “I probably should have written in advance of my visit.”
“Cousin Charlotte has had a few letters in the last few weeks, more than she has had written to her in the last year,” Emmeline said.
“Did she say where she planned to go after visiting with me?” Charlotte asked.
“No, simply that she was traveling to London,” Aunt Judith said.
Then she did not make a return trip at all in my stead. The last they saw of me was… me.
“Of course, you might ask Viscount Beswick; he might know,” Jean chimed in the tone of one sharing gossip.
It earned her a stern look from her mother.
“Luke?” Charlotte said, then instantly regretted it. Although Charlotte had written of Luke to Amelia many times, the pair were not on such familiar terms.
