Page 33 of Code Name Duchess
She didn’t need Mary’s information anymore; she would get her own. Victoria stomped down the stairs, a burning rage in her eyes when suddenly, she spotted movement outside the door. The stained glass windows on either side allowed for a hint of an outline of whomever came to call.
Victoria stopped in her tracks and watched and for one glorious moment, she was sure who the person outside of the door was—
Leo.
She dashed forward and gripped the door handle, ripping the door open but when she came face to face with the person standing there, her smile faded.
It was not Leo. Of course not. Victoria’s heart shattered at the disappointment and once again she chastised herself for having made such a cake of herself.
Hope, she’d come to learn, was futile.
Chapter 16
Winnifred stopped outside her home, one hand on the wrought iron railing. She took a deep breath as her hand traveled to her head, and her fingers rested on the spot where Seth kissed her.
The warm feeling of comfort ran through her again as she thought of it.
When his lips rested on her skin, it chased away the worries and the anxiety of the last few days—at least for an instant. It was almost as if, when he was near her, they were enveloped in a veil of peace, shutting out all of the darkness around them. Seth had become her sanctuary.
When they parted, and he turned away from her, she considered the possibility that he’d regretted the kiss, innocent as it was. However, when she turned on the stairs and saw him standing above, smiling down at her, she knew he didn’t. Something between them shifted, and nothing would be as it once was. She took a breath and climbed the steps. There was no time to consider her and Seth’s connection. She had to change into a different gown and call on his cousin.
Alas, the second the heavy door opened, she was set upon by her sister.
“Winnifred! There you are. At last, you show your face.”
Her sister thundered with so loud a voice a woman stopped on the pavement and observed the interaction. Winnie’s face grew hot with embarrassment at this, and she pushed past her sister into the coolness of the house.
“Victoria. Mind your voice. Must you draw all this attention?”
Her nerves were so frazzled it didn’t take much provocation to set up her bristles, and her sister’s tone alone was enough.
“This is your concern? My drawing attention? How dare you? How dare you keep me in the dark like this?”
Winnifred blinked at her sister, who stood before her a picture of rage. In her hand, she waved a piece of paper. At first glance, she didn’t recognize it but then—
“Oh, Vicky…”
“Do not even attempt to soothe me by using my pet name. I know that tone. I asked why you did not tell me?”
The sound of Pugsley’s incessant barking prevented Winnifred from replying. Her sister picked up the pug, who was growing more and more rotund by the day, and rocked him in her arms as though he were a baby.
“I did not want to worry you,” Winnie said when at last, her sister quieted the dog.
“Horsefeathers! You did not want to involve me. I know that you do not care for me, but Leo is my brother, too. Have I no right to know what happened to him? Do my worry and fear mean less than yours? What does this note mean? Who is blackmailing Leo? Did this person, the author of this note, cause his disappearance?”
Winnifred exhaled slowly through her nose and gathered her thoughts. Her sister already knew Leo was being blackmailed. She already alerted their aunt and uncle to the disappearance. Could she be trusted with more information? Winnie would have to decide what to do next.
If I tell her everything I found out, she might grow even more enraged. But if I keep it from her and she finds out some other way, just like she found the note, our relationship will shatter forever.
Winnie thought of the promise she made Seth. They were not to tell anybody else about their investigation. She did not want to betray him, but at the same time, even though she and Victoria were not close, she was right. Leo was her brother, too.
With a deep sigh, Winnifred stepped toward her sister and indicated the drawing room.
“Calm yourself, I will tell you what I know. But I do not want anyone to hear, and you must swear you will not tell a soul nor do anything rash.”
Victoria squinted at her and shook her head. “I will make no such promises until I know what is going on here.” She stepped into the drawing room and set the dog down on the chaise lounge where at once he laid down on one of the expensive velvet cushions, lifted up his legs, and licked his pronounced belly.
From the corner of her eye, she spotted her black and white cat, Bell, shooting out from underneath the chaise, making an effort to escape the dog.
