Fascinated, Devlin stared at her. After a moment, he asked, “As you see it, what is his problem?”
“Well”—she tipped her head—“not just his but Veronica’s, too. As yet, neither has come to terms with the fact that James is deeply in love with Veronica and she with him.” Her smile deepened. “Apparently, that was not what either was expecting when they wed, and I gather the ‘falling in love’ part rather snuck up on them, which is why, despite the years, they’ve seemed to be getting worse.”
Devlin was silent as he digested that, then thought back over the months of James’s carping. Eventually, he grunted and muttered, “Trust James to fall on his feet.”
After a moment, Therese glanced at him, her expression faintly puzzled.
Mentally scrambling, he offered, “I saw Lady Kilroy, Mrs. Marshland, and the old Dowager Duchess of Larwood at the exhibition.”
From the corner of his eye, he watched Therese debate whether to quiz him about his comment regarding James or follow the carrot he’d dangled…
Eventually, she faced forward and asked, “What was the dowager up to? She must be quite ancient.”
He promptly told her about the patented foot warmer the old lady had been examining. “As for the other two, they seemed merely to be swanning about, more to be seen than to see, so to speak.”
“I can’t imagine either being all that interested in any exhibits,” Therese returned. After a moment, she glanced at him. “How did your business with the exhibitor go? Were they foreign or local?”
“Swedish.” Devlin proceeded to share the details of his negotiations with her. Early in their marriage, he’d learned that Therese, being Therese, heard many things related to all sorts of topics from all sorts of sources, and sometimes, she was able to provide significant and even powerful information.
Therese found Devlin’s observations of the Swedes and how they had approached the negotiations illuminating, instructive, and also entertaining. When it came to studying people, his eye was as keen as hers, and his sense of the absurd aligned closely with hers.
She was smiling as they approached the Grosvenor Gate. Looking ahead, she saw a familiar gentleman come striding through the smaller pedestrian gate to the side of the carriageway. Still smiling, she sat up and raised a hand. “There’s Gregory.”
Her brother had paused, clearly scanning the carriages. He saw them and strode toward them.
Devlin ordered Munns to draw up by the verge, and Gregory came to the side of the carriage. He took off his hat, nodded to Devlin, then focused on Therese. “I’m glad I caught you. I was coming to find you to let you know that Martin’s arrived in town. His ship docked yesterday morning. I don’t know where he is at the moment, but I met him earlier, and we had lunch and caught up.”
Therese studied Gregory’s face; his expression told her little. “And?” she prompted. “What do you think?”
Gregory pressed his lips together, then shrugged. “His tale sounds genuine—I can certainly see him doing all he says he did. But to be perfectly candid, I’m reserving judgment, at least for the nonce.” Gregory glanced at Devlin. “You should hear his story directly from him and make your own assessment.” Gregory returned his gaze to her. “He said he intended to look you up, so expect to see him, possibly tomorrow.”
Therese nodded. “Thank you for the warning.”
Smiling wryly, Gregory stepped back and saluted them both. “What are older brothers for?”
Therese sniffed, but she and Gregory were both smiling as he resettled his hat, then with a last wave, walked away.
Devlin ordered Munns to drive on. As the carriage rocked into motion, he glanced at Therese and saw that she’d grown pensive. After a moment, he said, “All I know about your mysterious younger brother is what I heard at Christopher and Ellen’s wedding breakfast—that he’d vanished years ago and has only now turned up.” When she looked at him, he added, “Until then, I didn’t even know you had a younger brother.”
She grimaced lightly. “We all thought he must be dead.” She sighed and leaned back as the carriage slowed to ease through the gate. “Martin vanished in the summer of ’43. He was in his last year at Eton and was supposed to come home to Walkhurst Manor for the holidays. Only he never arrived. Of course, the family went looking, and we eventually learned that he’d been in the company of two close school friends, and all three had disappeared without trace.”
She paused, then went on, “Naturally, the family didn’t stop searching, but no one ever found any clue as to what had happened to the three. As far as we heard, none of them turned up again. As the years went by, we were forced to conclude that the worst had occurred and that Martin had somehow met his end.” She glanced at him. “That’s why you never heard him mentioned—we’d all assumed he’d died.”
“How old was he at the time?”
“Seventeen.”
The carriage rocked as it turned in to Park Lane. Therese continued, “You can imagine Mama and Papa’s shock when they attended a soirée in Chicago and discovered their lost lamb gracing the drawing room and being fêted as a highly successful and eligible gentleman!”
Devlin blinked. “That must have gone down well with your father. And your mother, come to that.”
“Indeed.” Therese shook her head. “You can imagine how it must have played out, but apparently, when Martin explained all to Mama and Papa, they understood and forgave him. And then the very next morning, they received word about Christopher’s wedding. After making Martin promise to follow as fast as he could, they had to rush to get home in time.”
Devlin frowned as Munns turned in to the Alverton House drive. “He—Martin—wasn’t at the wedding.”
Therese shook her head. “Papa said that Martin had interests to sell up and obligations to settle before he could leave, but he’d sworn to follow them as soon as possible.” She paused as the carriage rocked to a halt on the gravel before the steps leading up to their front door, then went on, “It appears he’s kept that promise, at least.” She glanced at Devlin as he reached past her to open the carriage door. “Given he couldn’t make it to the wedding, Mama and Papa decided not to announce his return until after the ceremony, but of course, they had to tell Christopher and Ellen before they—Mama and Papa—left. That was the first I—and you, too—heard about it.”
Devlin nodded. He descended from the carriage and turned to hand her down.
