Page 4 of The Elusive Phoebe (The Widows of Lavender Cottage #1)

Chapter Two

A rchie Lytton moved quickly through the crowded streets of London. Someone somewhere had to know where Phoebe was. How could the entirety of her family and the ton as a whole lose a woman?

But they had. And no one seemed overly concerned.

He was on his way to the steward in charge of her finances.

He’d at last ascertained that information with great difficulty and by way of a bow street runner.

He would find her. He must. She might not care much for him or even have feelings beyond those of friendly acquaintances, but he would ensure her well-being… especially if no one else would.

All these years of regret were enough to put fires under him. He’d never regret another thing about his actions with Phoebe. He’d make sure of it.

He adjusted his jacket and stood taller, pasting a bored expression on his face.

People were more believable if they seemed bored.

The entire ton looked bored. No one could be overly excited or seem to care overly much.

If they walked about as if they barely gave two guineas about any little thing, then people were likely to assist them, or so Archie assumed because it had worked so far.

His time in India had served him well as far as teaching some very important skills, earning him a wealthy living, and honing his regret with regards to Phoebe to a fine sharp sword.

As soon as he’d received word of Phoebe’s husband’s death, he’d boarded a ship with no other thought than to find her.

The steward’s offices were those of a fastidious man who cared deeply for his trade. The polish was recent on all the brass and the floors shone with recent care. He knocked. A voice told him to enter.

But as soon as he did, he knew he would get nowhere with this man.

His nose was long and sharp, his hair nearly gone, the sheen on the top of his crown reflecting some small amount of candle light in a darkened room.

And the man’s eyes squinted in suspicion eyeing Archie from his boots to his hat.

And it was the man’s eyes that caused Archie to almost give up before he began.

But he held his posture and cleared his throat, reminding himself he was as wealthy as the next man, if not titled, he belonged in a steward’s office just as much as anyone else.

“Excuse me. I am in great need of your assistance in locating a friend.”

He took off his glasses, scowling deeper into his brow. “And do I look like a runner to you? Some kind of detective?”

“No, of course not. But I learned this woman is a client of yours. She has disappeared and would, I think, be pleased to see me…” He closed his mouth, forcing silence before he said more bumbling words.

The man returned to his ledgers. Without looking up he said, “You must know I cannot reveal personal details of any nature about my clients.”

“But she’s missing! Even her family do not know her whereabouts.”

For a moment the man said nothing; then at last he looked up over the top of his spectacles. “If I know where she is, then she has wherewithal to live, and if you don’t know where she is, consider she wills it that way.”

“But she doesn’t know I’ve returned. She would have no way of reaching me.” His words sounded plaintive and pleading, weak. But he could not help himself. This man was the only person standing between him and Miss Phoebe and he would discover her whereabouts so help him.

The man sniffed for a moment and waited overly long before holding up a slip of paper. “If you leave your direction here, I will see that she gets it.”

His heart lifted. Here was something at least, a way to reach her perhaps. “How do you know about whom I’m speaking?”

“You are not the only one inquiring after her whereabouts. Lady Smalling is, it seems, most elusive.”

Ah, so people were concerned, aware, and searching for her? “Who? Perhaps I can talk with them?”

But the man closed his lips again, and it seemed he’d given as much as he ever would towards Archie’s efforts to find Miss Phoebe.

He wrote carefully in his best script. “Miss Phoebe. I came the moment I heard. Please allow me to pay a visit. I await your earliest indication I might be welcome.” He left his address in London then folded the paper in two.

He had no seal with him. He felt at the man’s mercy, but it was the best he could do.

“Will you at least let me know how soon she might receive this notice?”

“She will receive it with her first papers for her ledgers in a few days.”

“So she’s close, then?”

The man refused to look up, turning another page.

Archie resisted stepping closer, putting his hands down on the table, threatening the man. Instead, he simply said, “Thank you. Perhaps if you see her, you could put in a good word?”

Again, the man made no response.

And Archie decided to leave so as not to upset him and cause the opposite of a good word.

As he stepped into the crisp London air, he pulled his cloak closer about him.

What would he do now? Wait? Hope Phoebe might write him back?

No, he could not simply wait. He must keep trying.

The next stop would be the men’s clubs. Whites, Boodles and even Jacksons.

Someone, somewhere would be talking about Lord Smalling and His wife Lady Smalling or as Archie had always known her, Phoebe Atwater .

He was greatly disappointed with his time at Whites.

The betting books had nothing on them. No conversations mentioned even a hint of them.

Too much time had passed for the Ton to care overly much for an obscure Lord and his even more nonexistent wife.

As he twirled the liquid in his cup, a familiar face passed his periphery.

After a quick second look, he stood so quickly, his chair scraped noisily on the wooden floor. A few looked in his direction.

But his blood boiled too hot to pay them much attention. “Tanner.”

The man stopped, his hands stiffening, but after one breath, he rolled his shoulders with a forced look of relaxation and turned to Archie.

“I didn’t know you were in town.”

“I didn’t know you were alive.”

They stared at each other for a few more seconds, thoughts racing through Archie’s mind of all the things he’d like to say to the man who’d nearly cost him his very happiness and livelihood.

But nothing concrete or productive came to mind.

He bit his tongue before he called the man out, not really wanting to face a duel, though he’d not be too unhappy if the man stopped walking on the earth.

His mother’s gasp, were she to hear such thoughts, came to mind, but he pushed it aside. She’d feel the same if she only knew.

After another moment more, Tanner turned to walk away.

“You owe me, Tanner.”

“That much is debatable. I could say the same of you.”

“You and I both know that is malarkey. We know it is. I had a living coming to me, fair and square and you swept in and convinced my uncle you were more deserving.”

“Remember, cousin, he’s my uncle too.”

“But he’d been planning to give me the vicarage my whole life. I’d studied to take it over, he’d sent me to live with the current vicar in training. It was obvious, his choice.”

“If it was so obvious, then why did he gift it to me?”

That was the question Archie most wanted answered, but he would not give the miscreant any satisfaction in knowing something he himself wished to know. And so he pressed his lips together and frowned.

But Tanner dipped his head. “You’ve made a name for yourself and a fortune if what I hear is true. Perhaps simply be pleased he made you leave. You’re not tied to the town of your youth any longer.”

Archie could not give the man the satisfaction of thinking his betrayal turned out to be a blessing to Archie, though he’d thought the same thing many times.

But in truth, he loved the church. He’d wanted to help his own flock of families to find peace, to find happiness and to help one another.

He adjusted his well-cut jacket and realized it was newer and better cut than the one Tanner wore which seemed more threadbare.

He didn’t care much for those things. Didn’t really desire the wealthy life except where it would help him perhaps win over Phoebe.

He could care for her now. He could do much to better her situation, at least he assumed he would be able to offer her something better than what Lord Smalling had left.

But for the first time he wondered at his situation in light of Tanner’s and realized that he’d come out the better man for it.

He closed his eyes a moment in quiet gratitude.

Perhaps Providence had been looking out for him after all.

He’d been so devastated to think he was in some way unworthy for the job, that the Lord had stepped in and prevented his placement.

But now he wondered if perhaps there was a different plan for his life, that he had been gifted in losing the rectory.

He raised his chin. As much as he loathed Tanner and his mistreatment, he could perhaps set aside his loathing. Peace was valuable, after all.

But then Tanner sneered and walked away and Archie decided that no, he would continue his distaste toward such an awful human a little longer.

He left soon after, his boots scuffing along against the cobblestone with little desire to make his way over to Boodles. What more would he learn there? Why was no one speaking of Lady Smalling? It was as if they’d left no mark at all, disappeared with the smallest poof of dust and were gone.

With those eerie thoughts for company, he turned down St. James wondering where his feet would take him.

A man slipped out of a building to his front, near Westminster. He checked his pocket watch, looked up and down the street, his gaze passing over Archie as though he were inconsequential, and then hurrying down the narrow street as though in a great hurry.

Interesting. Archie had never seen a member of the noble class act in such a purposeful and hurried way, nor with such apparent desire for secrecy.

He shrugged it off but then the same door opened again with another similarly dressed man doing almost the same actions, the same checking of the time and the same hurried pace, heading in the same direction.

He headed to the door, reached his hand out to open it when it opened again, pushing against him.

A red headed woman full of curls pushed into him, obviously in her cups.

She stumbled and clutched his shirt sleeves.

“Oh, are you my next appointment then?” She giggled.

“I didn’t know I had another. Well, come on in then.

” She pushed back against the door to hold it open.

Archie was immediately repulsed. “Appointment? No. I’m not here to see you.” He brushed her from his jacket and stepped back to put some space between them. “I was simply curious.”

Her face immediately closed off, and she crossed her arms. “Well, there’s nothing to see here then, is there?” She waited and when he didn’t move, she pointed her arm toward the other end of the street. “Off with you now.”

As he turned to leave, movement behind her caught his eye.

What looked to be the shadow of yet another man, similar to the first two.

She’d seemed like she was surprised to see another visitor, like she didn’t have anyone else inside.

But perhaps it was a whole brothel in there, he didn’t know.

He wished to be as far from the place as possible at this point.

He picked up his pace, hurrying in the same direction as the other men, hoping to put as much distance between her and him as possible.

He shivered off the feeling of her hands on his chest and moved in the direction of Boodles. At least strange women would not accost him in the street in the men’s club.