Page 89 of A Winter Scandal

She went to the door and opened it, casting a quick glance out in the hallway. Turning back, she said, “Daniel is in Lower Leckbury today. There is a smaller parish there that he visits once a week.”

“Smaller than Chesley?”

“Yes, though you may not believe it. They have a church; it used to be a bit larger. But they have no pastor. So he will not be home until rather late. I was planning on having supper at the table in the kitchen, but perhaps you would like to stay and dine with me? It is quite informal, I’m afraid.”

He smiled, amused by her attempt at polite small talk after what had just occurred between them. “I should enjoy that very much, Miss Bainbridge.”

Thea grinned and sat down in the chair across from him. “How was your journey? Did you find any information?”

“No.” He sighed. “There was one man who was having supper in the tavern in … I cannot recall exactly, a village on the road to Oxford, in any case. He thought that he had seen a woman with a baby in the inn a week or two ago. Apparently he frequently eats there. He cannot be sure of the date, though he is fairly certain it was before Christmas. He does not remember two women, however, and he was unsure whether she had brown hair or blond, so I cannot put a great deal of faith in his account.”

“I am sorry.”

“Thank you. I suppose it was not entirely a waste. I don’t believe that Jocelyn and Hannah are currently at an inn in any of the nearby villages. Which leads back, of course, to their being somewhere in Chesley or the countryside around it. I would have thought we had checked everywhere close by, but obviously they must have gone aground somewhere.”

“Something will turn up,” Thea said consolingly.

“How have things been here? How is young Matthew?”

“I will go fetch him.” Thea popped up and left the room, returning a few minutes later with the baby.

Matthew greeted Gabriel with a squeal of delight, and Gabriel spent the next few minutes swinging him up above his head while Matthew erupted with laughter. Afterward, he set the baby down on the rug, and Thea handed Matthew a wooden rattle. He seemed uninterested in it, however, and was soon on all fours, rocking back and forth. Then, surprising them all, including himself, Matthew stuck out one hand, then another, followed by his legs.

“Look! He’s crawling!” Thea cried.

Gabriel laughed as the baby stopped, looking shocked, then moved forward again. “Good boy!”

Gabriel stood and pulled Thea into his arms, inexplicably filled with pride. Thea laughed and hugged him back. “That is the first time he’s done more than rock there as if he’s going to launch himself forward.”

“You will doubtless never have a moment’s peace from here on.” Gabriel watched the baby traveling on, already almost to the edge of the rug.

At that moment a knock sounded on the front door, and Thea and Gabriel glanced at each other in surprise. Thea started toward the front door, and Gabriel followed her, pausing to swoop Matthew up and take him along. As Gabriel stepped into the hall, he heard the front door open and Lord Rawdon’s voice saying, “Good evening. I hope I am not disturbing you. I had thought to see young Ma—”

Rawdon’s gaze went past Thea to Gabriel, standing in the hallway with the baby. “Oh.”

“Rawdon.”

The other man inclined his head briefly toward Gabriel. “Morecombe.” He turned back to Thea. “Please forgive me, Miss Bainbridge. Perhaps I should come back another time.”

“No. Wait.” Gabriel went forward quickly. “Stay. I would like to speak to you.” He glanced at Thea. “I mean, if that is all right with you, Miss Bainbridge.”

“Of course.” Thea looked from one man to another. “Please allow me to take your coat, Lord Rawdon. Why don’t you gentlemen talk in the sitting room?” Thea hung Rawdon’s coat on the rack and went to take the baby from Gabriel. “I’ll just, um, see about some tea.”

With those words, she whisked the baby down the corridor and through the door into the kitchen. Gabriel regarded Rawdon for a moment, then led him to the sitting room. Rawdon went to the fireplace to warm his hands.

Gabriel stood for a moment, then said stiffly, “I must apologize to you.”

Rawdon looked up at him, surprise registering on his face.

“I tried to tell you the other day, after I read Jocelyn’s letter. But you had already left Chesley. I was wrong to assume that Jocelyn left because of you. Or that you were the father of her child. I greatly compounded that error by concluding that you must have forced her. I sincerely beg your pardon.”

Gabriel waited, watching Rawdon. It had never been easy to read Rawdon’s face, but the man was utterly inscrutable now.

“In your place, I probably would have thought the same thing.” Rawdon gave a careless shrug. “The world knows that the Staffords are a bad lot.”

“I did not judge you on your family.”

“No?” Rawdon turned his attention to picking a bit of lint off the sleeve of his jacket. “It must have been on the basis of the wrongs I had committed on you then.” He raised his head and focused on his gaze on Gabriel, the firelight glinting in his light eyes.