Both sisters turned toward him then. A weaker man who hadn’t grown up with these girls might have cowered in the face of their uncommonly direct gaze.
The Atkinson sisters were not known for being shy and retiring. Most gentlemen avoided Alex whenever possible and very few could match wits with Freddie, while Phoebe had simply taken herself out of the equation for reasons Will still didn’t understand.
“I dragged Phoebe here with me tonight because she needs your help, even if she is reluctant to admit it,” Freddie explained.
Will cast a glance at Phoebe, who did indeed look like she would rather be fed to wild dogs than stand there.
“How intriguing,” he said. “I’m all ears.”
“I want to know who owns the tenement building where my missing student lives,” she said in a rush. “Freddie seems to think you can find out.” Though Phoebe herself looked skeptical. And that didn’t sit right with him.
Will turned to Freddie, who simply shrugged her shoulders, before addressing Phoebe. “I should be able to, yes. But why do you want to know?”
“The more I think about what happened yesterday, the stranger it becomes.” Phoebe shook her head in thought. “Thatmaintenance man was so determined to stop me from finding out about Alice. But why? He must know something or is trying to protect someone.”
Will exchanged another look with Freddie. “Or you may be reading far too much into your brief interaction with him.”
“It might not mean anything,” she acknowledged, “but it’s the only lead I have on Alice. I need to see it through.”
“And then what? You’ll confront this person? You’ve already been arrested for trespassing on their property. You heard the inspector. They could still press charges.”
“I can be careful.”
“You shouldalwaysbe careful,” Will insisted, well aware that he sounded like a fretful nursemaid.
Phoebe appeared undaunted by his little outburst. “Something is amiss here. Something bigger than Alice’s disappearance. I’m sure of it.”
As she continued to stare at him with her solemn gaze, Will could actuallyfeelhis resolve weaken. Later, he would wonder if that was the precise moment he lost all good sense.
“All right,” he groused. “I’ll look into it. But I make no promises.”
Phoebe suddenly broke into a dazzling smile. “Oh, thank you. Truly. Anything you find would be helpful, I’m sure.”
A full peal of bells clattered in his head. Good lord. The things he was prepared to do to have her smile like that again wentfarbeyond a little fact-finding. Will needed to leave. Immediately. But before he could make his excuses they were approached by Lord Danvers, who was gazing at Freddie with the kind of anxious hopefulness normally reserved for small children asking for a second dish of pudding.
“Miss Atkinson? I believe our dance is coming up.”
“Oh! I nearly forgot,” she said airily, as if she had left behind her hat and not one of the most eligible bachelors in London. As Freddie took Lord Danvers’s arm she glanced back at Will. “Dance with her, will you?”
The alarm bells were now deafening, but it would be the height of rudeness to say no.
Phoebe shot her sister a murderous glare just as Will offered his hand. “My pleasure.”
Her eyes widened in surprise but she took it without comment. Will led her back into the ballroom and onto the dance floor. As the music started, he swept her into his arms. Though he had waltzed with dozens of women over the years, holding Phoebe felt decidedly different. They were attuned to each other in a way he hadn’t experienced. Though he must have whirled her around the Atkinson’s parlor a time or two growing up, Will struggled to recall any particular memory now. Still, dancing with her was easy. Familiar. After a few moments Will lost himself in the movements and had completed two full turns before he realized people were staring at them. Or, more precisely, ather.
Phoebe seemed to read his thoughts. “Did it not occur to you that we would draw attention?”
“I’m used to it.” Will had not enjoyed any kind of anonymity for many years. Not since he became the heir to a dukedom.
He felt the sigh that escaped her. “I don’t know how you stand it. I couldn’t.”
Will had the sudden urge to point out that he hadn’t much choice in the matter, actually, but he swallowed the bitter reply. No one liked a bellyacher, especially when he was a duke.
“The end justifies the means,” he grumbled instead.
She arched a brow. “Still doesn’t seem worth it to me. But then,I don’t expect to ever marry,” she added as she cast a dull gaze around the room.
“I’m sure there are any number of gentlemen who would be happy to have you as a wife,” he said gently.
