Page 44 of Finding Lord Landry

In hopes of searching out a back door or someone who could release me, I followed the sounds of talking deeper into the house until I found a narrow hallway that led to a large, open kitchen where an older gentleman sat at a table reading an honest-to-god newspaper. A slightly younger woman looked up from where she was working on a laptop and smiled at me. “Oh hello, you must be Kenji.”

I nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry to intrude. But?—”

“Nonsense,” she said, standing and waving me forward. “Please make yourself right at home. I’m Nan, and this is Edward. Ed, this is Everett’s friend Kenji.”

No one had to explain that this man was Landry’s father. Not when he had eyes that were a slightly watered-down version of Landry’s aquamarine. It was strange to see Landry’s eyes in another man’s face but even stranger to realize that this man, Landry’s father, had been here all along. Right here in central London, all these years. I’d been in town countless times with Silas and Bash on business or with Zane and Landry for a concert or appearance, yet Landry had never once mentioned his family or brought us here.

I held out my hand to Ed. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” I said, the words nearly choking me. I wanted to apologize, somehow explain the rudeness of taking nearly a decade to finally make Landry’s father’s acquaintance. But of course, it was none of my business.

And I was leaving anyway.

He smiled at me. “Friend of Everett’s, you say? From university?”

“No, sir. I w-work for him. In New York.”

Landry hustled into the room behind me with an Apple Store bag on his arm and four large Starbucks cups on a takeout tray. He handed one of the coffees to me before setting the rest on the table, placing the Apple bag on the floor by my feet, and pulling off his jacket and knit cap. His blond hair came tumbling down into a runway-ready look. “He doesn’t just work for me, Dad. Kenji is my good friend. Remember I told you about the Brotherhood? Kenji is part of that group.”

“Not really,” I said quickly. “I work for them. That’s all.”

“That’snotall,really,” Landry said hotly.

Nan’s eyes flicked to Landry’s and back to me. Her smile was one of understanding, as if she knew some of the history between Landry and me. “Landry speaks very highly of you, Kenji,” she offered. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

I felt incredibly awkward. Was I supposed to let on that I knew next to nothing about them? That Landry had kept everything a secret for all these years? Or did they already know?

“Are you hungry?” Landry asked eagerly. He gestured toward a man in a chef’s coat washing dishes in a far sink, and the man seemed to pause as if waiting to hear my response to the question.

“No, thank you. I was just leaving.”

The man returned to his dishwashing.

Ed’s smile wavered as he looked between Landry and me. “Nonsense. We’d beshockinglyterrible hosts if we let you leave before you eat, and Reggie makes an excellent omelette… or he could even do the full English if you’re hungry.”

The man in the chef’s coat smiled at me. “We’ve got streaky rashers or sausages.”

I nodded at the Starbucks in my hand. “This’ll do me, but thank you. I have a flight to New York to catch.”

“Kenji…” Landry’s eyes held emotions—hurt, confusion, frustration—that I had no intention of acknowledging.

Stay strong, dammit.“I need to get back to work.”

“Then I’m coming with you. Give me a minute to pack my things,” Landry said before disappearing back toward the stairs.

I could feel Nan’s eyes on me. When she spoke, her voice was kind. “At least have toast or a muffin.” She stood and pulled out a chair, nodding at it like a friendly but firm schoolteacher.

I sat and reminded myself the man at the table with me, my host, was an earl. If ever I was going to remember my manners, maybe it should be here and now. “Toast, please. Thank you.”

Ed studied me, a crinkle of confusion between his gray eyebrows. “You a friend of Everett’s? From school?”

I opened my mouth but didn’t know what to say. “N-no, sir. We’re f-friends from New York.”

His eyes widened like it was the first time he’d heard this information. “You’re the friend in trouble? He was very upset, you know. I haven’t seen him that upset since his mother… well, anyway.” He cleared his throat and pulled the newspaper back up.

Nan plucked one of the cups out of the Starbucks tray and handed it to the man in the chef’s coat while he bustled around to make my toast.

“It’s true, you know,” Nan said quietly, returning to her seat. “Landry was devastated when he discovered you were in danger. He raced to Downing Street, met with Teddy. If he hadn’t worked something out with Jim Winthrop, he was prepared to contact the Palace. He was terrified for you.”

I stared at her. When she saidTeddy, did she mean…?

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