Page 14 of Code Name Duchess
Seth leaned back and looked out of the window once more. They passed St. James’ Park and were about to turn onto Park Place. When the carriage stopped, he hastened out and extended his hand to Winnie. The feeling of her hand in his always gave him a jolt. Secretly, he enjoyed riding in a carriage with her and Leo because it always gave him an excuse to touch her in an innocent way that wouldn’t give away his true feelings for her.
As she exited, he noted once more how small she was. She did not reach up to his shoulder, in fact, he could see the details of her turban easily just by glancing at her. It was this, her vulnerable appearance, that drew him to her the very first time he saw her at Leo’s home. Her personality matched her countenance, amendable, kind, and warm-hearted. These were all qualities that spoke to Seth and made it ever so challenging to keep from pursuing her as he wished he could.
He would never allow himself to, of course. Getting too close to anyone meant opening up to the possibility of pain, of suffering, and he’d had enough of that in his life. So had Rose. Poor Rose.
Sometimes I wish I were a better brother, a better companion. I do not even know what kind of trouble she might have been in. If only there were a way to—
“Zooks! I know. Winnie, did Leo keep a journal of his appointments?”
She nodded at once. “Leo wrote notes all the time about everything; you know this.”
They ascended the stone staircase toward the heavy oak door. “Of course, but a journal. A detailed one. I am asking because I know Rose kept one. A diary of sorts. It wasn’t a journal to jot down her thoughts as some ladies do. I do not think she would have been able to keep one as her mind tends to wander. That is why she always kept a diary into which she wrote her appointments. She purchased a new leather-bound notebook just a few weeks ago when we went into the city together. She was always an eager scribe. There are other diaries in her room, I am sure.”
“He did keep a journal with important dates, yes. The letter I found was not included in it. It was in another book, the notebook he keeps at his bedside.”
“Ah, one of his books of grand ideas,” Seth nodded with a smile. He liked to tease Leo about the many notebooks he kept. In this case, he hoped his friend did have one place where he wrote down all of his dates, as it would make the search much more effortless than to have to look through his many notebooks.
As they approached the door, it opened as if by magic, and Mr. Rogers, his long-time butler, appeared.
“Your Grace,” he bowed and took Seth’s top hat as well as Winnie’s pelisse. In the sunrays that streamed through the large French windows of the drawing room, a red tinge against her pale skin gave her the appearance of timeless beauty, the kind one saw in paintings. He recalled seeing a portrait of Eleanor of Provence, the dark-haired, bright-eyed Queen Consort of Henry III. It was an artist’s impression of what the Queen looked like, and he was mesmerized by it at the time. Winnie always reminded him of this remarkable beauty.
“Miss Keating will remain here with us for a while. She will assist me in looking for my sister. Please ensure the cook knows to plan accordingly.”
Rogers nodded and departed, leaving Seth to direct Winnie upstairs to the chamber occupied by his sister.
“I would much rather not look through her personal belongings, but it must be done. I suppose, given Leo’s erratic system, we shall have to look through his datebook as well as his notes. Rose only kept one diary. For someone as ill-organized as her, it always amazed me that she could keep to having just one diary and keeping it updated. At least, I hope it is.”
Winnie followed him down the hall on the second floor. The dark green carpet with its rich golden border and intricate gold design running down the middle swallowed the sound of their footsteps as they approached Rose’s chamber.
Seth opened the door to the chamber and realized he’d never once ventured into the room without his sister present. Never. And he ordinarily never would have, but these circumstances called for it.
He motioned for Winnie to enter, and as she passed him, the sweet scent of lavender drifted into his nose. He smiled as she passed and then followed. However, the moment he stepped into his sister’s chamber, he froze in place.
He’d forgotten about the painting hanging above her fireplace. He could never force himself to look at the painting, even though he knew exactly what was depicted in it.
And as he raised his eyes, he realized Winnifred had seen it, too. Her eyes were glued to the spot above the fireplace, and when he came to a stop beside her, she turned her head, very slowly.
She’d seen it. As her lips parted, he could hear her questions already, before she even uttered them. The answers, Seth was not prepared to give.
Chapter 7
There were two of them. Two Seths. Winnie could hardly believe her eyes as she looked from the painting above the fireplace to Seth and back again. Yes, it was him; it was unmistakable.
The painting was large, large enough to show three figures. In the middle was a younger version of Lady Rose. She could be no more than two-and-ten in it, but it was her. She had the same heart-shaped mouth and deep, penetrating eyes. Beside her stood a young Seth, no more than five-and-ten. He was dressed in a pair of beige trousers and a tailcoat; his brown hair hung loosely around his shoulders. And there, standing on Rose’s other side, was an almost identical version of Seth, beaming down at her.
In the background was the outline of a house located near a lake, and trees suggested the surrounding landscape.
She blinked, so mesmerized was she at this. Was this some artistic depiction of Rose and Seth, or was there another sibling she didn’t know about? Seth’s family moved to London some twelve years ago, when the late Duke was still alive. Their mother had passed away by then. Even though Leo and Seth didn’t go into business together until four years ago, they had been friends from the time Seth moved to London with his family. She knew there was an estate somewhere in Derbyshire, but neither Seth nor Rose ever spoke much of their life before London.
Was this why?
“This…This is…” Her words trailed off, too shocked by the discovery.
“My twin brother, David. He passed away.” She noticed the great effort he took not to look at the painting himself and felt instantly terrible for drawing his attention to it. “The same year this painting was created. A month later.”
“I am so sorry, Seth. I didn’t know.”
He looked at her, a sad smile on his lips. “Of course not. Nobody does. We do not speak of him. Leo knows I had a brother, but that is all. Other than that, we do not share this information. That is one of the few things Rose and I always agreed on. We might be different in character, but when it comes to David, we agreed. We do not speak about him. So, please… If you would not ask me anything else….”
