Free Secret Letters by Leah Scheier

sensitive time,’ he said, ‘but my father has assured us that you have pledged to locate my sister quietly and without causing any scandal.’
    “Lady Hartfield smiled and nodded approvingly. ‘My son expresses our concerns exactly. I would be devastated if any harm were to come to my daughter, but I recognize that she has brought this on herself. As a mother, I must also consider her brother’s future and recognize how his sister’s shame will affect his happiness.’
    “The son murmured his agreement. They were an interesting contrast, sitting there next to each other, nodding almost in unison. She was fair and small; he had a swarthy complexion, a thick mane of black curls, and deep-set dark eyes.
    “‘I assume you wish to question me about the meeting I observed between my sister and the gentleman in the garden,’ remarked Lord Victor after a short silence.
    “‘I would like to hear your account, of course,’ Mr. Porter replied.
    “‘I wish I could give you a more detailed description of the man, but I only saw them from my bedroom window, and that is some distance from the garden. I realize now that I should have paid more attention, but at the time I thought she was simply speaking to some visitor of my mother’s, and I did not think to question it. The interview was a long one, though, for when I looked out again nearly half an hour later, they were still there.’
    “‘You did not mention the incident to anyone?’
    “‘Not until she went missing, no. I hadn’t attached any significance to the meeting. My sister was such a quiet sort that it never occurred to me that she might have a lover.’
    “‘I assume that you have not received any message from her since she left?’
    “Lady Hartfield shook her head with a wounded air. ‘I wonder that she has not written to us, to at least ease our minds. We have had our differences, it is true, but I would not have imagined that she would have been so unkind.’
    “‘Has an inquiry been made with your daughter’s friends?’ “‘I myself have paid social calls to the families of the young women she was close to. In each home I learned that no one has heard from her in several weeks. I also discreetly questioned her servants, to learn if they had observed any unusual activity around her disappearance. Her lady’s maid was quite surprised that a sudden trip took place without her knowledge and attendance, but, thankfully, she is not over bright and did not question the situation too closely. She did not mention anything out of the ordinary.’
    “‘May we examine your daughter’s room?’
    “‘Of course. I will be happy to show you upstairs.’
    “Lady Rose’s bedroom was situated to the left of the winding staircase on the second story of the great house,” Cartwright continued. “Behind me, I caught a glimpse of a lavishly furnished dining room, about which several housemaids and footmen were milling, setting the long table with crystal glasses and gleaming silver.
    “As we were ascending, one of the servants called his master’s name, and Lord Victor left us with a promise to return if he was needed.”
    Cartwright stretched himself and reached out for a glass of water on the table. “Well, that is enough free information for the moment. You shan’t get off that easy—not today, Miss Joyce. I’d like to hear what you would have looked for in Lady Rose’s bedroom. Where would you have started?”
    “The bed, certainly.”
    He winked slyly at me. “Ah, but the bed was turned by the parlor maid before we got there.”
    “I would still look underneath it, sir. And pat the mattress down. Girls frequently hide things inside their mattresses, you know.”
    “Very true. Well, there was a feather underneath the bed. Now, what?”
    A single feather? I thought. Had the mattress been cut open?
    “You examined the seams, I hope? Were there any holes?”
    He smiled and nodded his approval. “I looked for holes in the covers, of course,