“I hope so.”
“I am,” she assured him.
“What other thoughts do you have? Where else might she have gone when she ran away from home?”
“I really don’t know where she might be staying,” Caroline confessed. “That’s why I wanted to check the pubs and the clubs—I know she liked to visit them, and she might have been seen there.” She sighed.
“Do you know which clubs she frequented?”
“No, she never gave me the names. I didn’t think to ask, truth be told. I never thought I would have to do anything like this.” Caroline was beginning to feel weighted down with hopelessness. “How many clubs are there?”
“Several. But we can turn to my friend Gregory for help. He’s the one you met at the gentlemen’s club—you know, the one who had the mad idea that you ought to stay and join us for a drink.”
“He seemed kind,” Caroline ventured.
Levi barked out a laugh. “Oh, he’s kind,” he agreed. “But more than that, he wants to see to it that everyone around him is getting into as much trouble as possible at all times. He wanted you to stay because he found the thought of it exciting. He thought it would be funny to have a lady in men’s clothes with us in the club. He thought we might garner all sorts of attention and that there would be a story to tell at the end of it all.”
“You mean he foresaw a scandal?” Caroline frowned. Was this Gregory someone who would deliberately put her in harm’s way for the fun of it?
“No, not a scandal,” Levi clarified. “He wouldn’t think of it in those terms. Of course, such behavior could easily lead to a scandal—but no, he wouldn’t think that. He would just think it was good for a laugh. No doubt he’d assume you and I would be laughing about it too before the whole adventure came to an end. That’s what Gregory is like. He sees everything as fun to be had.”
“Then why do you think he would be able to help us with something as serious as this?” Caroline asked.
Levi hesitated, and his gaze grew distant. “Gregory may be incapable of taking life seriously,” he said, “but at the same time, he has been one of the best friends I’ve had the privilege to know.”
“He’s a commoner, isn’t he?”
“That’s right.” Levi focused on her. “Does that surprise you? A duke who considers a commoner to be one of his closest friends?”
“It surprises me…pleasantly,” she said truthfully. “I can’t imagine my father making a similar choice and allowing a commoner into his society. He would be far too worried about the damage to his reputation.”
“Perhaps one of the privileges of being a duke is that my reputation is a bit harder to tarnish,” Levi said. “In any case, Gregory has proven his worth time and again. He has been a close friend and a confidante for many years, and I would trust him with nearly anything.”
He spoke so earnestly that Caroline felt a warmth of affection for him spread within her. Until now, she had known Levi to be standoffish, even cold. When he did welcome her presence, it seemed almost as though he found her a source of humor. It was her first time seeing this side of him, this serious show of emotion.
She had always found him attractive, with his dark hair, big hands, strong arms, and piercing gaze. But what she felt now was something different. There was a tenderness to him that she had never guessed at, and she found herself wanting to care for it. The part of him that needed a loyal friend—that appealed to her every bit as much as his good looks. She found herself yearning, almost girlishly, hoping that he would show himself more.
He cleared his throat, perhaps realizing how vulnerable he had been. “Besides,” he said, “Gregory spends more time in pubs than any man I know. If anyone has been in any pubs a surprising amount of time, or if there have been any new figures, he will be the one to know about it. He will have seen her, and he’ll be able to point us in the right direction.”
“Do you really think he might have seen her?” A flicker of hope sprang to life within Caroline.
“I think he’s the best chance,” Levi said. “Truly, he’s in those places almost every day. I’d be surprised if their paths hadn’t crossed. And if they haven’t, I think that can only mean that she simply hasn’t been there at all—which will give us more information than we have now.”
“Can we go ask him at once?” Caroline asked eagerly.
Levi gave her a sad smile. “Do recall how long your sister has been gone,” he said. “I’m sure she has found herself a safe place to pass the nights and days. This isn’t as urgent as I know it must feel to you. Wewillbegin the search in earnest—but we will not allow ourselves to panic.
And then he did something she could never have anticipated.
He rose, came around the desk, and put his hands firmly, gently, on both of her shoulders.
Gazing down into her eyes, he said softly, “It will be all right, Caroline. I promise you that.”
A shiver passed through her.
His eyes seemed to pin her where she stood. It was like the time he had confronted her in the hall—but at the same time, it was utterly different, for she could see that his intent was only to comfort her.
And to her surprise, Caroline found herself comforted.
