“You have. You were here. You didn’t push me, but instead, just let me be.”
Winnifred rose and walked to the door to indicate to Rogers that they, too needed light.
“I’ve come to understand that sometimes people just need silence.”
Seth nodded but could make no reply as Rogers entered and lit the chandelier, pulling the room out of the darkness.
He couldn’t remember the last time he told anyone what happened to David, or what his death did to Seth. Leo knew, yes. But he only knew there was once a twin brother, one born two minutes before Seth. A twin brother who, by an accident of birth, would have been Duke while Seth—well. Seth’s destiny was unwritten, at least until that terrible day on September 25th.
“It is late, we both require rest. If you like, Rogers can have the maids prepare a guest chamber for you.”
To his surprise, Winnifred shook her head. “I cannot. For I’ve discovered something in Rose’s diary.”
His mouth dropped open at this.
“You have?”
She nodded and rushed back for the notebook. Suddenly, it was as if he’d never made his grand revelation. As if they hadn’t sat side by side, holding hands. Suddenly, there was once again only one goal—the recovery of their siblings. And yet, Seth felt it in his bones. Everything between them had changed—and nothing would ever be as it once was.
However, even that intense realization was overshadowed when he read the words written in his sister’s diary. He stared at Winnie open-mouthed. Yes, while he’d fretted over the past, she’d found it. The clue that might just lead to the rescue of Leo and Rose.
Chapter 9
Winnifred pointed at an entry in Rose’s journal that had caught her attention, and Seth took it from her hands. He studied it eagerly, his eyes examining the page as she watched him.
She was so surprised by what she saw she’d meant to tell him right away, but then sleep overtook her. Spending hours upon hours poring over the books and trying to make sense of all of Rose’s activities made her tired, in addition to the earlier outing to St. Giles.
She studied his face as he continued to read. His confession had startled her, indeed, it had shaken her to her very core. She wanted to say something, anything that might provide some comfort to him, but in the end, she found that simply holding his hand gave him much more relief than any words might have.
I never knew how much he suffered. My parents’ deaths were sudden and devastating, but at least I was not there to see it. It was terrible enough to be told how they died, in so horrific a carriage accident, but to have been there? The horrors he must have experienced. The nightmares he must have had all of these years since.
Her heart swelled, and once again, she wanted nothing more than to walk up to Seth and wrap her arms around him, but she knew that now was not the time. She was grateful enough that he had confided in her as he did. If nothing else, she now understood better than ever how important it was to him to find his sister unharmed.
She was, after all, his only family. And without Leo, she too would be left without a family because she knew that she and Victoria would never be close. If anything, once Victoria found a man to set her cap on, she would be married and leave. Likely the sisters would never see each other again.
Seth lowered the journal and looked at her. “Why is Rose writing about your brother? And what is SS?” He raised the journal once more and read. “Saw Leo at O. Leo highly upset about uncle’s involvement in SS.”
Winnifred shrugged. “I thought it curious as well. SS is reference to the business—Sweet and Spice. I saw her use it in other instances, for example, when you hosted your new clients from Bristol. She recorded it asSS dinner with Bristol clients. But why she would be talking to Leo about it, I do not understand. And the reference to my uncle….”
Seth wetted his lips. “I know that Leo was a little upset with your uncle because he continued to ask for money. I wonder if this is connected. Did he tell you anything about it?”
Winnie shook her head. “Not in any detail. This note is from several weeks ago, but my uncle is always in the suds and in need of funds. He quite frequently calls on us and requests assistance. I never knew it to vex Leo so much as to discuss it with anybody. Certainly not outside of the family.”
She narrowed her eyes. It seemed strange that Leo would talk to Rose at all. They did not know one another well. Rose was no closer to Leo then Winnifred to Seth. Unless… She glanced up at Seth as a suspicion formed in her mind.
What if Leo and Rose…. No, it was silly. Indeed, if there was anything between the two of them, she would have known. Leo told her everything. And if he were interested in Rose, he would’ve brought the subject up with Seth.
Besides, didn’t Leo speak of considering a courtship with Lady Lorraine? Yes, she was sure of it. He spoke about it the last time Victoria, Winnie, and Leo had dinner together, because Lady Lorraine was a friend of Vicki’s. She decided to keep this theory to herself. Seth had enough on his mind without having to worry about an illicit relationship between his sister and her brother.
“Clearly whatever your uncle asked him vexed Leo enough to confide in Rose.” He flicked through the book again. “Ha! I see. It says here that Rose was at the opera that day. Leo also attended the opera the same evening.”
“He did? How can you be so sure?”
“Because it was an exceptional performance by a visiting opera singer from Italy. She only performed one night, and he could not stop talking about it. I remember it so well because he and I had to travel to Brompton the morning after to meet with a supplier. He would not stop talking about how wonderful the singer was and the excellent high notes she hit. It was rather irritating as he insisted on demonstrating.”
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Winnifred couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, Leo does get rather passionate when he is interested in a subject.”
Seth rolled his eyes. “I was ready to relieve the coachman of his duties and take the box seat for myself. I am not interested in the opera in the first place, and even less so when I am subjected to a reenactment by someone who is, I am sorry to say—”
