“Yes, I am very fortunate indeed,” she said, pressing her hand to her chest as a wave of happiness swept through her. She would still have to wait three years for their formal engagement.
Lena blinked, disoriented, as if awakening from a dream and stared at him, noting that his face was now older, manlier. “The Marquess of Drayton?”
He looked at her sharply. “The courtesy title I had when my father was still alive.” His eyes paused onHector. “He is the Marquess of Drayton now,” the Duke said softly.
Lena covered her mouth with one hand as the realisation sank in that Hector, her Hecki, was, in fact, a lord. A marquess.
Oh dear.
“Is that all you remember?” the Duke pressed.
She gave a brief account of her memory, avoiding any mention of the emotions she had felt during the scene.
“It makes no sense at all. Being one and a half minutes faster than Garford? Who is Garford? And why were you faster? Whatever for?”
He rubbed his forehead. “Garford was a friend. It was a bit of a sport for us to race from our townhouse to White’s, with others placing wagers on who would be faster. How peculiar, though.” He knitted his brows together. “How could you have witnessed this? It must have been on Bond Street. What were you doing there? And if it involved Garford, it must have been decades ago, since he has long since moved to Ireland.” He paused to calculate. “Hector. Help me with a basic mathematical problem to solve this conundrum.”
The boy looked up, interested. “How?”
“If I ceased to be the Marquess of Drayton at the age of twenty-six, and your mother is nine years younger than me, how old was she then?”
“Twenty-six minus nine?” Hector stuck out the corner of his tongue as he calculated. “That is, er, sixteen.”
“Seventeen. Your mother was at most seventeen years old during this event. Yet she mentions Garford, whomoved to Ireland at twenty-four. He’s my age. To narrow it down further, we can conclude this must have happened before he left for Ireland. How old would your mother have been then?”
Hector looked at him with incomprehension. “How should I know?”
“At most fifteen. Probably closer to fourteen.” He turned to Lena. “That’s a very early memory, indeed.”
“Yes. Strange.” She blinked at him, puzzled. “Why is it that I can seem to remember early memories and not later ones?” Her eyes widened as she suddenly understood. “Oh! It must have been my very first memory of you. The first time I saw you.” She made a movement imitating him as he pulled out his pocket-watch. “This is why it made such an impression on me.”
He knit his brows together. “While I remember the event of racing against Garford, I do not recall seeing you there.”
“Well. I know somewhat more about young men by now. Would you have noticed a green girl standing in the middle of the road? We hadn’t been introduced. I was one of many. I could have been anyone. I daresay you thought the same. You were with your friends and your mind was elsewhere.” She knew immediately that it was true.
He was silent.
Hector scrambled out of his chair and ran out, hollering. “Theo, Les, Mona! Mama remembers him!”
The approaching footsteps heralded the children arriving in the room.
“How? What?”
“Do you remember anything else?” the Duke asked.
She thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Nothing.” Not a single memory of their marriage. Try as she might, it would not come.
That troubled her.
“Never fear. I’ll invent a device to make you remember,” Les said. “Something to wear on your head that will stimulate your brain.”
“Maybe you should see a doctor,” Theo suggested. “A phrenologist even. Though I’m not entirely sure that field isn’t a bag of moonshine. I don’t think Papa thought highly of phrenologists.”
“What does a phrenologist do?” asked Mona.
“He reads the shape of the skull and relates the bumps on the brain to mental abilities. It’s not entirely scientific, but maybe he might have some suggestions on how to regain lost memories.” Theo turned to the Duke. “Though I dare say you will play the most important role in prodding her memory. Do you have any objects that she might recognise?”
Once more he nodded. “I have already shown your mother a locket she gave me. It did not help her remember.”
