If there was any woman he could ever open up to, it was her. He didn’t know why but he had been drawn to Winnifred from the very start. And yet even with her, no, especially with her, he had to be on his guard. For if she came too close to him, he would risk being hurt again.
She had to be kept away. Yes, once Leo and Rose were safely back at home, he would have to draw away from Winnifred again, even though every fiber of his being wanted to do the exact opposite.
In the distance, the church bells from Saint James’s church tolled loudly. Soon, Winnie would leave and travel alone to Clerkenwell. The idea of Winnifred visiting her uncle on her own concerned him. He didn’t know Ezekiel Keating personally, but he heard enough stories from Leopold to know that his uncle was a fool and manipulator.
Ezekiel received a healthy inheritance upon the death of his brother, the late Baron, but gambled most of it away. His wife was not much better, spending all her inheritance on assorted bonnets, caps, shoes, and gowns. The two were always cleaned out, and Leo was perpetually nettled over their need for additional funds.
That said, aside from being silly and money-oriented, Keating did not sound like anyone who might be connected to the disappearance of his nephew. The opposite was true. Despite his unfortunate gambling habits, he was very fond of his nieces and nephew. Seth could tell that from Leo’s stories as well.
Yet, they had no other leads. What if he was somehow involved? What if he had fallen in with the wrong crowd? Of course, that would not explain Rose’s disappearance.
Seth drummed his fingers on the windowsill, exhaled, and dropped his shoulders.
He sat down in his armchair and crossed his legs, his foot bouncing up and down as he pondered his next moves.
I cannot possibly sit here until ten o’clock when I am to call on her. I will go out of my mind with worry. And what if something happens to her? I cannot allow someone else to be hurt. I know she will be upset, but perhaps that is just something I have to risk.
Determined, he jumped up out of his chair and darted out of his chamber into the hallway. Yes, he would accompany her, and if she got upset, then so be it. He would not risk anyone else getting hurt.
* * *
Winnifred exited her carriage outside her uncle’s cottage in Clerkenwell. She always liked her uncle’s little cottage, tucked away in between two clockmaker’s shops.
“Shall I accompany you?” Mary asked. Winnie shook her head.
“No, Mary, I shall be quite well on my own. Take the carriage and wait at the end of the street. I will come for you soon.”
“If you are sure…” Mary bit her bottom lip. “I am awfully worried. What between your brother and Lady Rose missing, and that strange note… Promise me you’re not going to go off into St. Giles again. I was ever so worried. And then you did not come home until very late. I thought something awful happened to you.”
“Mary, I am perfectly safe, I assure you. Besides, as you know, I wasn’t in St. Giles by myself. His Grace will be at my side now should I have to go there again.”
Mary sucked in a long gulp of air at the mention of her going to St. Giles.
“‘Pon, my honor, I don’t know what to do if something happens to you.”
Winnifred placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “Nothing will happen to me. Now be sure to pick up some marzipan. You know what my favorite is.”
She dismissed Mary, and the carriage drove off. Winnifred walked toward the front steps of her uncle’s home. She craned her neck to look at the upper windows and noticed movement behind one of the silk curtains. This was her aunt’s study, but Winnie had not expected her to be home. It was Thursday, and Thursday mornings, she always went on a promenade walk with Victoria.
She walked three steps towards the front door and was about to wrap her hands around the lion-head door knocker when the sound of footsteps came to her attention. She sighed deeply.
“Mary, I told you I would be… Seth?”
Seth stood before her, a sheepish smile on his face and his hands crossed behind his back. “What are you doing here? We were to meet at ten at my home.”
The irritation was rife in her voice, she realized too late, and her tone struck him as the smile dropped off his face.
“I know it. I apologize. I find myself exceedingly anxious about this venture of yours. I promise you, I will not interfere with what your plans are regarding your conversation with your uncle, but I could not sit idly at my home knowing that you are taking steps in our investigation that may place you in harm’s way.”
Winnifred shook her head, entirely exasperated.
“I appreciate your concern, but I would remind you that I ventured into St. Giles entirely on my own yesterday after you declined to join investigations. If I could do that on my own, don’t you think I am capable of interrogating my uncle in the comfort of his townhouse in the suburbs of London?”
To her surprise, he smiled at her. “You, Winnifred, have a fire in you. Very well. Let me make this confession. In light of what I told you yesterday, I suppose there is no reason to keep it from you. I am concerned for your safety, for too many people I am close to have been hurt, and I would not want anything to happen to somebody else I care about.”
This struck her entirely speechless. Did he care about her? If the situation had been any different, this statement would have sent her to her chamber to ponder it for the entire afternoon, looking at it from every angle in an attempt to decipher just what he meant. He cared about her… However, as it stood, there was no time to waste on such matters. She would have to return to the statement once she found Leo.
“Faith, Seth, I thank you for worrying about me, but I assure you, if you were with me when I speak to my uncle, it would not do us any favors.”
