“Lord Sinclair, Mr. Sinclair, this is Detective Fletcher of Scotland Yard. It is his path that we are standing upon.”
The eldest had penetrating green eyes, and his dark hair was liberally streaked with silver. The other, younger, was not as big but tall. He had the same coloring.
“Good day to you,” the younger man said. “It’s my hope you have a full pantry, as we will all probably need to come inside so these three can continue their reunion away from prying eyes, and I’m exceedingly hungry.”
Gray glanced to the street and saw that they were indeed attracting attention. He invited no one into his house. It seemed that was about to change.
“Come along, you three,” Bramstone said. “You can have a catch up away from prying eyes.”
Between them the two Sinclairs and Bramstone Nightingale herded their women inside his home.
“Bring refreshments please, Albert,” Gray said, unsure as to how he’d lost control of everything and he now had guests.
“At once, sir.” Beaming with excitement at the prospect of presenting a tea tray worthy of not just one simple detective but several people of noble birth, Albert all but skipped away.
“This is nice,” Mr. Sinclair said, turning on his heel to take in Gray’s entrance way.
“Thank you.”
“Was this your aunt and uncle’s home?” Lord Sinclair said. He was behind the women, who were still talking. Or the two dark-haired ones were and Ellen was pale and silent.
“It was, did you know them, my lord?”
“Indeed, I did, and they spoke of you often. Your uncle had great hopes you would follow through with your dreams. They were friends of my aunt and uncle, and wonderful people. I was very sorry to hear they had passed.”
“They were.”Yet more family who had talked about him.
“These are my twin sisters, Mrs. Dorset Charlton and Mrs. Somerset Charlton,” Lord Sinclair said. “They weirdly married brothers, but there you have it. Weird encapsulates my family. They are a touch overwrought at the moment, but I’m sure will find their manners shortly.”
Gray nodded again.
“I am Dev, Devon, or Devonshire, if you must, and this is my younger, and far inferior brother, Cam or Cambridge.”
“Now we all know that for the lie it is,” Cam or Cambridge said.
Gray had woken up alone and happy with that circumstance. His house was usually silent and ordered, yet right in this moment he felt like he’d lost complete control. As if everything had suddenly tilted slightly, and he had a terrible feeling he couldn’t right it again.
He looked at Ellen Nightingale. Saw the panic she was struggling not to show. All the signs were there. Her hands were clenched in fists, eyes wide and she was pale. A lump formed in his chest. Which couldn’t be good, but perhaps he could put it down to the overindulgence of crumpets he’d eaten this morning.
Yes, of course, that was it.
But Gray knew when someone was panicking because once he’d had episodes like that. Remembered the feeling gripping him when he was about to fall apart. It had happened often when he’d first left his family to live alone.
Looking at Ellen Nightingale he knew he had to do something to help her, because no one had helped him when he needed them to.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
Dorset and Somerset were here. Ellen couldn’t seem to find a rational thought in her head. The minute she’d seen her friends, heard their voices, everything inside her had frozen.
For so long, she’d avoided contact with anyone from her previous life. Avoided the hurt and humiliation of what had happened.
“You vanished, Ellen. You and your family. We spent six months searching for you, but there was no word,” Somerset said.
Her dear friends were pretty, vivacious, and the only people to ever really see the woman she was behind the facade Ellen had always upheld. The dutiful daughter with the expectations of her family on her shoulders.
You are so beautiful, daughter. Royalty or a duke for you, my girl. Oh no, Ellen, you must not associate with someone like her. She is beneath you. That dress, dear. It shows your body to perfection. You will trap your husband in that.
Her parents had constantly spoken this way to her. Groomed her to be the shallow, self-centered woman society saw.
