“Ah, Lord Henry! You are in early today, I think.”
“Late, as a matter of fact,” Henry murmured, deliberately not looking at the clock facing towards Mr. Fairfax’s desk. “Sir, I think you are unwell.”
Charles Fairfax paled a little. “Unwell? Me? Nonsense! I’m hale and hearty, I can assure you.”
“I can clearly see that you are not, sir,” Henry said firmly, striding over to the desk and taking Mr. Fairfax’s hand in his. His pulse was weak and erratic, his skin clammy to the touch. “Might I suggest summoning a doctor?”
“No, thank you,” Charles said firmly. “I have a doctor – my son-in-law, Doctor Jonathan Ashby.”
Henry bit his lip. Evenhe,with all of his frequent goings-away, knew about Doctor Ashby. He was renowned for his charitable works, for his new-fangled ways of doing things that proved annoyingly effective, and his all-round likeability. The man was popular with the poor and rich alike and had even been said to consort withalienistsand nerve-doctors.
In short, the manwasa good doctor.
“Well, at the very least, we should…”
“I’d be obliged if you didn’t mention this to Eleanor,” Charles said, a twinge of desperation creeping into his voice. “It will only worry her.”
Henry bit his lip. “Sir, I don’t believe that keeping this from your daughter will do any good. She might even be hurt.”
Charles shook his head firmly. “I know my daughter well, thank you, Lord Henry. This will only make her more anxious. I intend for my daughter to marry and settle down, and I don’t wish to distract her. I never wanted to raise selfless little idiots, and I don’t want my daughter to sacrifice her life to wait on me in my dotage. No parent should ever want that.”
“Mr. Fairfax, I…”
“I want my daughter to live,” Charles said, more loudly than before. “I want her to live and be happy, not spend her life worrying about me and my health, turning potential suitors down and waste her youth on me and this business. If that requires keeping things a secret from her, that is what I will do. No, sir. I have higher plans for my Eleanor than life as a nurse..”
Henry swallowed hard, clenching his jaw. “That’s admirable, but the fact remains that your daughter has a right to know about your health. What’s more, I don’t intend to keep a secret from her. I’m trying to cultivate trust here, not take sides.”
Charles reddened, and opened his mouth, no doubt to argue more. The prospective argument was postponed by Eleanor’s arrival.
The subject was rendered moot at once – she took one look at her father and gasped, hurrying over to his side.
“Oh,Papa! You look so ill. Shall we send for a doctor?”
“No, no, dear! Lord Henry and I have just been through this. I’m only a little tired, that’s all.”
Henry tactfully backed away, giving the father and daughter a little space. At least he didn’t have to worry about keeping a secret from Eleanor – which he’d had no intention of doing anyway – but something else was worrying him now.
What was it Charles Fairfax had said?
If that requires keeping things a secret from her, that is what I will do.
What secrets was the man keeping, then? And why was it so important they be kept from Eleanor?
Chapter Seventeen
William wondered idly whether Mr. Seeker had chosen his surname to match up with his business. The neat little business card sat between them on the desk, withSeekers and Finderswritten in smooth copperplate. He wondered whether there was a Finder connected to the business, too. Probably.
Mr. Seeker did notlookmuch like a private detective. William had imagined some bustling, self-important man, tall and carelessly elegant, making languid observations of mind-blowing incisiveness.
Instead, Mr. Seeker was a short, dapper little man, very slim, inclining towardsdandyishness. He wore a lavender cravat and a matching handkerchief in his breast pocket, and polished copper buttons on a pinstripe suit which did not match the cravat. He had a moustache, waxed and brushed to perfection, and a neat, fox-ish little pointed face.
He was also very quiet and had made no preternaturally specific comments about anything in the room or William’s life.
“It’s an honour to be here, your Grace,” Mr. Seeker said after a pause, voice high and whispery. “Let me assure you that I have worked for members of the aristocracy before, and my discretion is absolute.”
William shifted in his seat. “Well, thank you, but I’m not doing anything that particularlyneedsdiscretion, not when you get down to it. My point is, I’m not doing anything wrong.”
Mr. Seeker nodded intently. “Of course, of course.”
