Not for the first time, Levi found himself stunned by just how well she had seen through him. It was as if she had known him all her life. How could she possibly read him so easily, and so correctly? He didn’t understand it, but he had to admit that he rather enjoyed it. He turned to his friend and raised his eyebrows.
Gregory was smirking, and Levi knew his friend understood everything that was going through his mind right now and appreciated it. He had wanted Gregory to like Caroline, and he could see that Gregory did. It was also clear that Caroline didn’t set any particular store by the fact that Gregory was not noble. She treated him as just another friend of Levi’s and, by extension, a friend of her own, and Levi had to respect that.
He rose to his feet. “Gregory and I are going to retreat to my study to discuss a few matters of business,” he said.
“Well, it was very nice to see you again,” Caroline said, getting to her feet as well, clearly understanding and accepting her dismissal. “I hope we can make this more frequent, Gregory.”
“The pleasure would be entirely mine,” he assured her with a light bow.
She gave him a smile. Her gaze flickered to Levi and became ever so slightly smug, and he bit back a laugh. Then she turned and retreated from the room without another word to either one of them.
CHAPTER 21
“Tell me you’re here with news,” Levi said, sitting down at his desk. He folded his hands in front of him and raised his eyebrows, waiting for his friend to speak.
Gregory sat down across from him. “I do have news,” he confirmed. “I have a lead on Lady Prudence.”
“Thank goodness. Is she all right?”
“If my sources are correct, then she should be fine. I described her to several people, and she has been seen about town, though not in any bars or gentlemen’s clubs. It seems she’s likely to be staying with a friend who lives a short distance outside of London. If that’s true, we can go to her and find her today, and hopefully we can bring her back. I know you’ve been worried.”
“Yes, very,” Levi murmured. “Do you know where the home is?”
“I do.”
“Then we can go at once.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“Your source indicates that the lady is not being held against her will?”
“No, it sounds as if she’s there because she wants to be. She was seen walking in the park a few weeks ago. That’s how it was discovered where she might be. And on that occasion, she looked content and happy, so my understanding is that she’s probably doing fine and there’s nothing to worry about. But I know you’ve been concerned, so I wanted to come here and let you know as quickly as possible.”
“Thank you. I truly appreciate it.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a shuffling sound near the door. Levi turned toward it, frowning. Was one of the servants outside? But if they were, why wouldn’t they simply knock?
He rose to his feet, went to the door, and opened it. There stood Caroline, looking up at him with a guilty expression on her face.
He frowned. “What are you doing?”
Caroline straightened up and stared at him defensively. “You told me that Gregory was going to help look into my sister’s disappearance,” she said. “Then the two of you disappear into a room to talk about something that I can’t be a part of. Can you blame me for wanting to know what it was?”
“So, you decided to stand outside of my study and eavesdrop?”
“Well, I was right, wasn’t I? You do have new information about my sister. I heard your conversation. If you’re going to look for her, I’m going to go with you.”
“Caroline, that’s out of the question.”
“Oh, no, it isn’t. You told me from the start that I could be involved in this search. I promised to stay at home and not go out looking for her myself because you said that you would include me when something happened. Well, now something has happened, and I am going to be included in it. If you don’t take me with you, I’ll saddle up a horse and go looking for her on my own right now.”
“Don’t be ludicrous. You don’t even know where to look.”
“Do you think that will stop me? Has that ever stopped me?”
Gregory smiled and shook his head. “She certainly is a fiery one, isn’t she?”
Levi sighed. “Gregory, I think you’d better go. My wife and I have things to discuss.”
