Thank God! “Please, come in.”
Typically, the man never overstepped, never went where he wasn’t invited. At least not when being observed. What the major did unofficially was another matter entirely, but Max knew better than to ask about that. There were darker sides to diplomacy, and the major was the man Benedict turned to whenever that was needed.
If anyone could find Yihui, it was Major Lance. But getting the man to speak was always a problem. Max restrained his impatience while the major shut the office door and settled into a parade rest.
“Have you found her, Major?”
“Yes.”
Max leaped up from his chair, ready to dash away. He only needed the address. But before he could demand it, the major held up his hand.
“You cannot go to her, my lord. This information is for your peace of mind only.”
“The devil you say! Tell me where she is!”
“I will not, my lord.”
Rare was the soul who could stand in apparent ease before an angry peer of the realm. Max gathered all of his consequence about him and tried to intimidate the major with the force of his next words.
“You will tell me everything, Major. I am not in the mood to give quarter.”
“Even if it is expressly against her wishes? You have her best interest at heart, do you not? You wish for her safety? Her happiness?”
It was the wordsafetythat stalled him. And that left room for the question of her happiness to truly penetrate his thoughts. First things first, though.
“Is she in danger?”
“No.”
Always short and to the point, but Max wanted details. That meant making sure the major was comfortable enough to share them. So he gestured at the seat across from the desk and then reached into the back depths of the lowest desk drawer. “Please take a seat, Major. Care for some Scots whisky?”
The man visibly brightened. “Thank you, my lord.”
“It’s the best thing that comes out of our northern estate.” He poured them both a healthy measure. Whisky wasn’t his favorite drink, but he appreciated its hard burn.
The major, on the other hand, didn’t seem to savor the alcohol, but slammed it back with unusual speed. Max felthis brows rise in surprise. The normally unflappable major appeared to be…flapped.
“I think you’d best tell me what is going on.”
“Miss Wong is safe and well. Indeed, I’ve spoken with her, and she said she’s content. And that she doesn’t want to see you.”
Max shook his head. She must be confused. “It was my father who abducted her. I didn’t do it.”
“She knows.”
“I’ve been spending the last several days trying to find her. I still haven’t heard from Chris, and he went out that very night.”
The major nodded but didn’t respond.
“Doesn’t she know I tried to stop it?”
“Yes. I told her all of that.”
Max stared down at his drink, then emptied it. The burn didn’t ease any of his confusion, but it certainly focused his attention—momentarily—on something other than feeling completely betrayed.
“I’ve been trying to find her.” That was why he’d come to his father’s office. He’d wanted to search for information on Noah Pearson. His father had to have some record of how he’d found the man, how he’d used him to grab Yihui. “Is she well?”
“Better than well, my lord. She’s healing and seemingly happy.”
