Free The Unforgettable Hero by Valerie Bowman Page B

gave him a tentative smile before he brushed past her leaving the room, the butler following close behind. Peter’s presence was a comfort to her, she realized. That’s why she had wanted him to stay.
    As soon as the door closed behind him, Lucy pushed aside a large sheaf of papers she’d been sitting amid and patted a space next to her on the settee. Maggie drifted over and took a seat. She gestured to the papers. “What is all of this?”
    Lucy gathered the pages near her and set them on the table in front of her. “It’s not important now. Tell me, what do you remember?”
    Maggie took a deep breath. “The girl, from Bond Street. She was familiar to me. I’m sure of it. I’ve met her before.”
    The hopeful look on Lucy’s face faded. “I see. I—”
    Another knock on the door interrupted them as the butler reappeared. “Dr. Archibald and Mr. Hunt wish to see you in the next room, Your Grace, er, my lady.”
    Maggie shook her head. The butler had been getting people’s names confused since she’d come here. Maggie frowned and turned her attention back to Lucy. “Who is Mr. Hunt?”
    Lucy patted her coiffure. Her multicolored eyes darted back and forth. “Excuse me for a moment, won’t you, dear?” She, too, stood and hurried from the room.
    *   *   *
    Dr. Archibald was pacing in front of the windows in the next room when Lucy entered. Adam had explained everything they knew to him, and the older man seemed at a loss.
    “This is a pickle,” the doctor announced, rubbing a knuckle across one bony cheek.
    “What do you suggest, Doctor?” Lucy came to stand next to the two men.
    Hughes reappeared. “A Miss Mary Harcourt is here to see you, Your Grace.”
    Lucy nodded. “That’s Cecelia’s sister,” she told the doctor. “Show her in here, please,” she said to Hughes.
    “Yes,” Dr. Archibald replied. “I must speak with this young woman immediately.”
    Fifteen minutes later, Lucy had explained the entire situation to a wide-eyed Miss Mary Harcourt, who looked to be no more than twelve or thirteen and had a nasty cough. To make matters worse, the poor girl had brought no maid with her. Adam shook his head. The sisters’ circumstances were probably much more dire than he’d first believed, despite being the nieces of a viscount, a point that Adam quickly clarified with Mary.
    “Yes, Viscount Harewood is our father’s eldest brother,” she said, her pale face blank.
    It would have been beyond rude, of course, to ask after their financials, but Adam did ask one more thing. “And your parents? They died in a carriage accident?”
    “Yes,” the girl replied without shedding a tear. She was obviously a brave little thing. She continued to fight her cough. “Two years ago. I miss them terribly. So does Cece.”
    “Cece?” Adam replied.
    “That’s what I call Cecelia,” the girl answered with a tentative smile. “Please tell me she’s all right.”
    “How did you know she was here?” Adam asked.
    “A family friend told me, Miss Redding. She came to call this morning and said she thought she’d seen Cecelia at a ball last night. She said Cecelia didn’t seem to recognize her. She told me Cecelia had been with a man named Hunt. The duke’s brother.”
    “Yes, she was with me,” Adam admitted.
    “I came here as soon as I could find someone who knew the duke’s address. Your butler informed me that Her Grace had taken a young woman named Maggie to shop on Bond Street and that they might be going to Madame Bissette’s hat shop. I went there immediately and that’s when I found Cecelia with Her Grace.”
    “You may call me Lucy.” Lucy smiled at the girl.
    Adam studied the girl carefully. Despite the difference in their coloring, she definitely resembled Maggie—no, Cecelia. He was impressed with the girl’s tenacity. Perhaps she should be a spy. “Well done, Miss Harcourt,” he said. The girl beamed at him.
    Lucy turned to the doctor. “What should we do?”
    “Miss