Page 7 of A Family Of His Own
Diana blinked, then heard Adrian press Toby to dine with them.
None of this is progressing as I’d thought it would.
And again, she had no real option but to meekly go along with the flow of events.
When Huber came in to announce dinner, Adrian started to push out of his chair. She quickly rose and went to give him her arm, which he took with a resigned smile. Finally upright, he patted her sleeve. “Thank you, my dear.” To Toby, he said, “Come, Toby, and you can tell me more news of England.”
As Diana guided Adrian toward the dining room, she was aware of Toby’s presence on Adrian’s other side. She’d seen the flash of understanding in Toby’s eyes; he’d seen Adrian’s weakness, but had the wit not to make anything of it.
Once they were seated about one end of the table, Toby complied with Adrian’s wish and, throughout the meal, kept up a running and wide-ranging commentary on life in England.
He’s refreshing Adrian’s memories.With a start of wonder, she realized Toby was deliberately doing just that. He sought to identify Adrian’s specific interests, then expanded on those, re-immersing Adrian in the joys of exploits in a country he would never see again.
Almost unwillingly, she felt grudging respect and gratitude well. Toby Cynster had read the signs and had elected to give Adrian a gift no one else could.
As usual at the end of the meal, they returned to the drawing room, where Huber would serve them coffee.
Also as usual, the children, now ready for bed, came in to say goodnight.
Unsurprisingly, all three were delighted to find Toby still there. Discovering that their father was inclined to be encouraging, they peppered Toby with questions, some about his own interests like horse riding and fishing and some about the exploits of his nephews and nieces.
From Adrian’s contributions, let alone Toby’s answers, Diana realized the nephews and nieces were entirely real. No doubt that explained Toby’s ease with the children and theirs with him, which was also genuine and entirely unfeigned.
Sitting back and observing the tableau, she saw that Adrian, too, was taking note of the interaction between Toby and the children. The look on Adrian’s face puzzled her and left her wondering what thoughts were passing through his mind.
Then Helga came in, and it was time for the children to find their beds.
Their farewells to Toby were heartfelt, and in the last glances cast over their shoulders as they went through the door lived a clear hope that they would see him again. She noted their yearning with a pang, one that contributed to an unspecific yet welling sense of unease. The three were slated to lose so much over the coming weeks.
She looked at Adrian and saw him staring assessingly at Toby, whose gaze, kind and fond in an avuncular way, was still on the closing door.
Something—some nebulous force in the room—had shifted. Again, she sensed matters were spiraling out of her control. Worse, she had no idea in which direction she was about to be pushed.
The door clicked shut, and in a suddenly desperate attempt to seize the reins, she calmly stated, “I believe, Mr. Cynster—Toby—that you now understand why I cannot leave Vienna at this time.”
He looked at Adrian and simply asked, “How long do you have?”
“A week, maybe two.” Adrian’s tone stated that death no longer worried him, but he surprised her by asking, “How long before you and Diana need to leave?”
Toby glanced at her, then returned his gaze to Adrian. “A day, maybe two.” He looked at Diana. “Not more.”
Instantly, she responded, “Clearly, that’s not possible?—”
“Why?”
It was Adrian who posed the question. Confused, she blinked at him.
Seeing it, he elaborated, directing the question at Toby. “Why do you need to leave so soon?”
She sensed that Toby didn’t know where the discussion was heading any more than she did, but of course, he was entirely willing to lay out his reasons.
She listened as he explained, this time in greater detail, about those also hunting for the dispatches.
“Generally speaking,” he said, “the pair most in our business refer to as ‘the Prussians’ tend to use brawn rather than brain and are slow to see and follow trails other agents perceive more rapidly. That said, eventually, the Prussians will realize that the doctor who tended the injured courier might have taken the packet of dispatches, and they will come looking.” He paused, his hazel gaze resting on her. “Apparently, the Prussians arrived in Vienna soon after the dispatches went missing, and they’ve been searching ever since. By now, they’ll have exhausted other possibilities or be close to that. Soon, they’ll start asking about the doctor who tended the courier. And soon after that, they’ll turn up at the door in Kleeblattgasse.”
Diana found herself trapped in Toby’s intense hazel gaze. With an effort, she wrenched free and glanced at Adrian, only to discover that he was also looking intently at her.
“My dear, you need to leave with Toby as soon as possible.”
