“You presume too—” She stopped herself. “How do you know my brother Matthew? You act like there was a friendship . . .”
“Yes.” He cut her off. “I do know your brother, or rather . . .” He paused. “Let us keep it at I know your brother. He could still be alive. Let us hope for that. Matt was a friend of mine at Eton—part of a group of friends, a foursome, that made school bearable.” Evan could not resist the smile that swept over his face at the memory.
She tilted her head up and smiled, disarming him.
She is beautiful. How had he forgotten Matthew had a sister? He used to speak of her frequently.
“Yes, my brother would write me and tell me of some of the antics he and a group of boys played together. I believe he was fifteen at the time, maybe older. I am not sure if he mentioned you, but now I find myself curious enough that I must revisit his letters.”
Her words tugged at his heart. “I am truly sorry for your family’s losses and my driver’s contribution to your angst. Has anyone gone to America to look for him?”
“My father talked about it, but I have heard nothing further. And now with father gone . . . My mother and I have met with his solicitor, and according to him, Father left no word as to whom he had engaged.” A tear escaped the corner of her eye, and she quickly wiped it away. “Father . . . my mother and I, we must be mindful of our expenses. However, if there was any way possible that I could find my brother, I would.”
“Tsk. If you will allow me to look into this for you and your mother, I would consider it a small way—a very small way—to make up for yesterday. Of course, had you or your brother been injured, nothing I could do would make up for such an accident.” Truly, he still could not recall a thing about it. He would question his driver. He judged her to be telling the truth, and no matter what, he owed this. He had a hard time imagining his driver almost hitting a boy, but not remembering the episode was entirely plausible based on his conduct of late. He squinted. “My lady, if you will pardon my manners, I would consider it a favor if you could allow me to engage an investigator. I know just the man, and he has done this for at least one other family who had a son go missing. He is familiar with the hostilities in America and has availed himself of the . . . er . . . customs. I trust his work. I do warn that it could take some time to accomplish this.” Sinclair was actually his friend Banbury’s acquaintance, but she need not know that.
“You know of such a man? I have no words. My mother will be overjoyed to have some sliver of hope that Matthew could be found alive. She has not been herself since Father’s illness took him. Jason needs Mama.”
How could he not help? The woman had mesmerized him, first chastising him fiercely, then proving to be the sister of his old friend. He would contact some of the others from their group and see who they knew of influence in the British Army.
“Then we shall provide her hope. Matt was a friend of mine. He would want his friends to help his family. I am afraid he lost touch with us not too long after school.” He spoke but could not take his eyes off her. Her red hair was unlike most—a shade of burnished red with threads of honeyed blonde running through it. She was a remarkable beauty. Within a quarter of an hour, her face had moved from a look of total disgust to the most expansive and engaging smile he could remember. Evan wanted to know more about her, but first he needed to find her brother.
“Please do not take this the wrong way, but do you feel your brother is gone?” He watched Lady Charlotte Grisham closely as he asked. He believed that people possessed a certain level of sensitivity when it came to people they loved. What a strange twist this conversation had taken. He was actually relieved.
“My lord, you confuse me.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “Actually,” she said after a moment passed, “I do not believe my brother is dead. I think he is lost. I cannot shake the feeling that something has happened and he cannot find his way to us. But it is a curious question you ask. I believe my father felt the same way. He did not accept the loss. It was only after he died that my brother’s title was conveyed. My uncle insisted.”
“Your uncle?”
“Yes, Baron Langdale. He is my mother’s brother. He petitioned to become my brother’s guardian. Of course, my mother controls his daily activities, but her brother is now handling the financial affairs for the family.” She glanced to the floor before looking back at him.
Evan discerned discomfort when she spoke of her uncle. Something felt amiss about this business, yet he was limited in his ability to do anything about it. “I know of the man.” He held her gaze. “With your permission, I will find out what I can about your brother. Of course, if your brother is alive, I will do my best to return him, and you and your mother will no longer need the services of your uncle.”
“Lord Clarendon, thank you. I do not know how this came to pass. I fear you have turned the tables on me. I stormed in here this morning to give you a piece of my mind, casting good sense to the wind. Yet I find myself encouraged with my anger stripped bare. And I feel we have both gained from our meeting.”
“May I see you home? I did not notice
