He had discovered she was missing when she did not come down for breakfast. Eager to see her, to speak with her, to share his heart with her, he’d gone straight to her bedchamber. But when he knocked on the door, she wasn’t there. Instead, he’d found Hannah, her lady’s maid, in the midst of packing all of Evie’s beloved dresses into a traveling trunk. And he’d known, even before Hannah told him, that she was gone.
“When?” he’d asked tersely.
“Half an hour ago, my lord,” Hannah had replied.
“Did she say anything?”
“She asked me to have her things sent to a boarding house in London, and for me to look after Posy. She…she didn’t appear herself, my lord.” At that revelation, the maid had ducked her head and spoken to the ground as she mumbled, “I would have gone straight to you or Lady Brynne, but Miss Thorncroft asked for my discretion. I…I wasn’t sure what to do.” Anxiously, she’d lifted her head. “I hope I did not do anything wrong, my lord.”
“The only person who did something wrong was me,” he’d said darkly before he spun from the room and ordered the first footman he saw to ready his fastest horse.
After that, everything was a blur until he had arrived in London and gone straight to the boarding house. Evie wasn’t there, but a kind widow named Mrs. Benedict was, and she had directed him on where to go next.
“Mr. Kincaid’s residence isn’t too far,” she’d said. “Just a few blocks. You won’t even need a hackney if you don’t mind going by foot.”
He’d run the entire way. Not stopping to catch his breath…or to consider that Evie wasn’t the only Thorncroft who might be waiting behind the private detective’s door.
“Coffee or tea?” Joanna said pleasantly. She had taken him into her husband’s office and invited him to sit in a chair while she stood behind the desk, as clear a message as any he’d ever received of who was in charge.
“Neither, thank you,” he declined.
“Good. Then you can tell me why you broke my sister’s heart and how you intend to fix it.”
Right to the matter at hand, then.
“I–” He paused when he felt something brush against his pant leg. A glance down revealed it was a black cat with green eyes and bared fangs. As he met the feline’s gaze, it gave a hiss and swatted at his calf. “Bloody hell.”
“James is not overly fond of liars or thieves.” Joanna braced her arms on the desk and leaned towards him. “Given that you’ve already proven yourself a thief, I would strongly advise you against lying.”
“I hadn’t planned on it.”
“Excellent.”
“Where is Evelyn? I need to–”
“My sister is currently resting. I have never seen her this upset. If you’ve done her irreparable harm, Lord Hawkridge, I am afraid I’m going to have to kill you.” While Joanna tempered her threat with a smile, there was no doubt in Weston’s mind that she meant every word.
“I never wanted to hurt Evelyn. I came here to tell her that I…” When his throat tightened, he broke off and stared intently at a blank space on the wall. “The words I want to say are for her to hear. Your sister…your sister has changed me for the better. And I will not lose her.” Distraught, he met Joanna’s steady gaze. “Icannotlose her. Which is why I must speak to her.”
Joanna was quiet for nearly a minute.
Just as Weston was considering if he’d be able to make it to the door before James used his claws and teeth to carve into him like a roasted ham, she finally spoke.
“Evie is upstairs. The second door on the right.”
Relief washed over him. “Thank you.”
“Lord Hawkridge,” she said as he turned to leave the office. “When you are done groveling for whatever it is you’ve done, I should like us to make the time to get to know each other. Aside from you stealing my mother’s ring and breaking my sister’s heart, I’ve a feeling we might get on splendidly.”
“I…I should like that as well,” he said gruffly and, to his surprise, he really meant it. Where once he could not have cared less if he ever saw or heard from Joanna Thorncroft again, now he wanted to build a relationship with her.
Not because of Evie.
Well, notjustbecause of Evie.
But because family was what you made of it. His father had taught him that, if nothing else. And if Evie would have him…if Evie would have him, he wanted to make something wonderful.
Evie lifted herhead off the pillow when a quiet knock sounded at the door. “Come in if you’ve more chocolate,” she told Joanna. “Otherwise I am going to try to take a nap.”
