Page 17 of Code Name Duchess
He raised one eyebrow. “The Menagerie? She is fond of animals.”
“Yes, but she did not visit there at all between March and May. She only developed a passion for it this past month or two.”
Seth shrugged. “I told you my sister is very socially active. She is, as they say, a diamond of the first water. Adored wherever she goes.” There was a bitterness in his voice she couldn’t quite place. Suddenly she found herself overtaken by a yawn.
“Are you tired?” he, asked sharply.
She shook her head. “No, I think it’s just my eyes that are growing heavy from the reading.”
“Perhaps you should take a rest. If you continue pushing yourself, you will only miss things. And we cannot have that. In an investigation such as ours, nothing can be missed. If you must rest, do so, and I shall continue. Perhaps I should look through Rose’s book again anyhow. If you are tired, you may have already missed something.”
Is he determined to quarrel with me? For it certainly seems that way. I cannot understand him. He is so secretive, and his mood so changeable. And yet, I cannot help but be drawn to him.
She got up and handed him the book.
“Here it is. If you are fearful that I might’ve missed something, you really ought to look at it again. But I assure you, I have missed nothing. In fact, your day has been as long as mine, and you have been just as vexed. Perhaps I ought to re-inspect all the books you have already gone through to make sure you have not missed anything.”
She tilted her head to one side and blinked at him, knowing that the way she spoke to him was entirely uncouth. She was, after all, only the sister of a Baron—and he was Duke.
However, when it came to Seth, she always had trouble staying within the boundaries set for her by society. It was a somewhat blurry line, it couldn’t be denied. Seth was, after all, her brother’s friend, and she heard the way they spoke to one another. There was no difference between the two of them when they were together. They talked to one another as though they were simply too young men without a title, without the burden of being peers of the realm.
Thus, she often thought of Seth as her equal—not her better. But of course, he was her better, a Duke, and one of the highest-ranking peers in England. It was one of the many reasons why she had to remind herself of proper etiquette, even in this situation.
No matter how strongly her heart desired it, the two of them could never be anything more than acquaintances—connected only by way of her brother.
By Jove… What am I to do?
She shook her head and turned away from the man she loved but couldn’t have, to concentrate on the man whose life was in peril—her brother. Behind her, Seth lingered. She felt the way he stared at her even though she couldn’t see it. Inside her, a heat rose, but she shook it away. She had to get Seth out of her mind. For good.
Chapter 8
Iknew I should not have allowed her to join this investigation. I knew it. But I have been a fool. I have convinced myself that it would be helpful to have her by my side. But in reality, she is a distraction. Just as I feared. We have wasted at least half of an hour bantering back-and-forth. Half an hour that we could have spent searching for our siblings. Looking for clues. But no. Instead, I found myself inspired to show her a battered copy of my book and converse about the dreadful ballet.
Seth shook his head, upset with himself. In addition to being vexed over the general complication that Winnifred’s presence bestowed upon him, he was upset for the rudeness he displayed. He never meant to be so unkind to her nor to use such a tone, but he could not control himself around her.
The truth was, Seth had fallen for Winnifred almost the very moment they met. She captivated him right from the start, first with her beauty and then with her wit and kind heart. For the past few years, he’d been able to control these undesirable feelings by keeping his feelings in reserve.
Of course, this was not an easy feat, given that her brother wasn’t only his business partner but also his close friend. However, Seth commended himself on keeping from becoming overly involved with Winnifred these past few years. Tonight, however, he was utterly failing.
He turned away from her and flipped through Rose’s diary. He already knew that she hadn’t missed anything. Winnifred had a sharp mind, and she was rather eagle-eyed. He knew this about her. He said it to…
Why did I say it? To be contrary and push her away? She is not wrong. I am tired. And while she appears bright-eyed, my eyes burn from lack of sleep, reading too much, and from spending too much time in shacks belonging to gang members—people who have never heard of such a thing as cleaning or airing out the house.
He shuddered as he remembered the stench in the shack. Rotten wood, spilled ale, stale smoke mixed with the unmistakable reek of sewer that clung to all of St. Giles. It disgusted him to even think of it.
He walked over to the chaise lounge that Rose always liked to sit on as she indulged in her sweetmeats. He rested his head back against the cushion, the book in his hands.
Winnie had been right. His sister’s diary did not reveal anything of note. Besides her general obsession with society’s balls and events, her life was unremarkable in its simplicity. Certainly, nothing that would point to her present predicament.
Quite involuntarily, his head shifted so that he could take in the reflection of Winnifred in Rose’s mirror. She sat straight as an arrow, another diary, with a floral design on the front, in her hand. Her shoulders were pulled back, and her chest pushed forward. The delicate fabric of her gown draped her beautiful figure in such a way that he could not help but note the gentle rising and falling off her chest.
His lips turned up into a smile as he watched her. While she read, her right hand rose, and she pulled out one of her black curls from the band at the back of her head. She twirled it around her index finger while chewing on her bottom lip. The warmth spread from his stomach to every part of his body, and his mind wandered to places he knew it should not. For an instant, he wondered what it might feel like to brush his hand through Winnifred’s long black hair.
I am sure she looks even more beautiful with her hair cascading down her back, framing her pale face. ‘pon my honor, her eyes sparkle in the fading light of the day even more so than usual.
Seth jumped up. No. These were not thoughts he should be thinking about right now. These kinds of ideas were unacceptable in this situation. In any situation. She spun around and narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing. Good. He could not be drawn into another conversation.
Seth went to the adjacent dressing room, where his sister kept her vast collection of gowns, most of which she never bothered to wear. Their father left them a large inheritance, along with an estate worth almost one hundred thousand pounds per year. An absurd amount by any means. This was before taking into account the income from his joint venture with Leo.
