‘The Honourable Charles Sinclair,’ Pottle announced and stood back as Chase entered. As at the opera, Olivia felt the momentary surprise at the similarity to Lucas; they looked more like twins than brothers, even with the slight difference in colouring. There was something harder about Chase’s face or perhaps that was simply that she was already familiar with Lucas’s expressions and could see beyond the stony façade to the complex clockworks beneath.
‘Thank you for coming, Mr Sinclair.’
‘I couldn’t resist the summons. I am impressed you succeeded in having Jem hunt me down; the Tubbs clan does not usually lend themselves to infringing on Sinclair privacy.’
‘I can be persuasive when I must. Where is Lucas? Jem tells me he has left London.’
‘My brother is his own master, Miss Silverdale. Why do you believe I know where he is?’
‘I would be exceedingly surprised if you didn’t, Mr Sinclair.’
‘Even if I did, why do you believe I will tell you?’
‘Because however much Lucas may hate me at the moment, he must still consider himself betrothed to me and he would not appreciate if I were to do something foolish behind his back. If he knew you were aware that I was contemplating such a course of action and did nothing to prevent it, he might be angry with you as well.’
‘Do you know, it is usually advisable to spend a little longer making a polite appeal before you go on the offensive. What precisely are you contemplating?’
‘I don’t know yet, but I assure you it will rank as foolish. Take your pick.’
‘Ah, I see. We are negotiating.’
‘Precisely.’
‘And your terms?’
‘You tell me where Lucas is.’
‘You clearly do not have a clear concept of the notion of negotiations. They are based on give and take. I am already aware of your objective, but you must offer me something for that information aside from your vague threat.’
‘If you tell me where Lucas is, you may ask me for anything you wish.’
He sighed and bent to stroke Inky in a gesture that was all too familiar for Olivia’s bruised heart.
‘You are taking all the pleasure out of the process, Miss Silverdale. Very well. Give and take. Tell me why you wish to find my brother and I shall consider my response.’
‘Because I love him and I hurt him and I must speak to him.’ The words came out of her a little too loudly and in the silence that followed she could hear the blood thumping in her ears. She felt cold and hot and when he took her hand and led her towards the sofa she realised she was shaking.
‘Lucas told me you keep a decent brandy. It is freezing out there.’
‘I do at Spinner Street, but Pottle keeps some for guests in that cupboard there. Kindly pour me a measure as well.’
‘Here.’ He returned, handing her a glass with a finger’s width of brandy, and she took it in both hands. ‘Drink. It will either clear your head or muddle it. Either option is an improvement on making decisions while driven by emotion.’
‘Lucas does that, too.’ She sniffed and sipped the brandy.
‘What, talk sense?’
‘No, try to calm me with brandy. I am thinking very clearly!’
‘He is in the region of Dover right now.’
She met his eyes. ‘Dover! Is he leaving England? Where is he travelling to? To Russia? You must tell me!’
‘Why? You could hardly go after him...’ He trailed off, his mouth curving in a surprisingly warm smile. ‘I’m curious. How would you go after him?’
‘I would take poor Lady Phelps and commandeer my brother Ralph. He has travelled extensively and he would know how to make the arrangements.’
‘I see. And he would lend himself to such an exploit?’
‘If I told him it was important to me. The Silverdales never ask anything of each other unless it is important. We pride ourselves on our self-sufficiency.’
‘Well, not being a Silverdale, I am afraid you shall have to elaborate. What precisely did you do to send my brother off in such a fury? It is very out of character. He rarely allows his temper to rule his actions. He’s certainly had enough practice keeping it under his thumb.’
She flushed in memory of that evening. ‘He saw something I wrote about him. I write lists, you see.’
‘Lists.’
‘It is a foolish habit, but it helps me keep my world in order. I was packing away the papers relating to our enquiries and the lists I had written about Lucas were on the desk. I don’t know how much he saw, but I think he saw the worst of it. He certainly cannot have seen all of it, because... Well, it hardly matters. He was furious, as you said.’
‘What was the worst of it?’
She rolled her shoulders. Lord Chase Sinclair was demanding his pound of flesh.
‘I wrote that I thought him arrogant, opinionated, uncompromising and vain. And a few other things. We had just met and I was rather annoyed with him at the time.’
‘Understandable. Well, at the very least this is quite promising.’
‘Promising?’
‘I believe it is best you have a fair understanding of my brother’s faults before you wed. That way you will more likely be able to identify his finer points. He does have a few, you know.’
‘I do. The other pages were mostly an itemisation of those. It is rather embarrassing, but I wish he had read them through before his conscience intervened. Though then he might have run away for very different reasons. He told me once the last thing he cares for is a clinging, overly emotional female.’
‘Are you a clinging, overly emotional female?’
‘I never thought I was in the past. I certainly don’t think I cling. Perhaps sometimes I would like to, though. Sometimes I definitely am overly emotional; sometimes not at all. I do not know any more. Just tell me what I must do so that you will disclose his direction.’
‘I already did. Dover.’
‘Yes, but where is he continuing from there?’
‘I am almost tempted to send you after him to Dover, but since he will be engaged on some rather sensitive business and since he will soon be returning, that would be rather redundant and possibly damaging. To the best of my knowledge he is due back in London in a few days, so I suggest you allow him to conclude his business and wait patiently for his return.’
She was already seated, which was lucky, because her stomach rose and fell, her nape turning cold and clammy. She wouldn’t cry, but she wanted to. She wanted Lucas there, with her. She shook off the queasiness and straightened.
‘I could always travel to Dover and make enquiries.’
His smile flashed wide and warm. ‘I would wish you good luck, my dear, if I wanted to see you run into some serious trouble. First, I did not say he is in Dover, but in the region of Dover, and second, should you by some miracle uncover his direction, he is meeting with some rather unsavoury individuals who would not in the least appreciate being interrupted by a proper young woman and might vent their frustrations on my brother. Since I cannot allow that to happen, that would require me...ah, putting my foot down. I would rather not have to take such steps with my future sister-in-law.’
She tried to unfist her hands and failed. ‘I need to see him.’
‘And so you shall. Whatever my brother’s failings, he takes his responsibilities very seriously. He might be angry, but he will not run so you need not be concerned he will try to weasel out of the betrothal. I prescribe patience. I will inform you the moment he is back in London, I promise. Then you can and should descend on him in all your fury.’
She breathed in. It would be all right. What mattered was that Lucas had not fled to the Russian Steppes. He was returning to London. He might not know it, but he needed her. She certainly needed him. He thought her relentless—well, she would prove just how relentless she could be. She put down her brandy.
‘Thank you, Mr Sinclair.’
‘Chase.’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘My family and friends call me Chase.’
She smiled. ‘Thank you, Chase.’
‘You are welcome, Miss Silverdale. Now I will exact my recompense.’
‘Anything.’
‘You really shouldn’t say that to an accredited rake, my dear.’
Olivia smiled. ‘Please don’t trot out that Sinful Sinclair nonsense. Just tell me what it is you want from me.’
‘I want you to do your utmost to make a friend of our sister Samantha. She has had a difficult time and might not be open to overtures, but you strike me as a determined young woman. Well, you would have to be to have so thoroughly routed Lucas, so I am asking you to apply some of that determination to winning her over. Will you make that effort?’
‘I will do whatever is necessary to make Lucas happy.’
He nodded and headed to the door. ‘That will do, then. He is very protective of her. Well, I shall be on my way for now, but I shall certainly be seeing you again before the bridals.’
‘If there are any,’ she murmured.
He stopped at the door and glanced back over his shoulder. ‘I, for one, shall be very disappointed if they fall through, Olivia Silverdale.’