The man narrowed his eyes at her. “He referred to you as Lady Adele. Are you nobility?”
“My father is the Earl of Canbury.”
The man shook his head. “The name does not ring a bell, although that hardly signifies given my present mental state.”
“You may not know him under better circumstances. Papa is not often in London these days. Says the air disagrees with him. He prefers the country.”
“Then how is it his unmarried daughter is a caretaker for a wilting rose of a countess?”
Adele couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “I told you not to mention I said that.”
“You said I should not tell the countess you said that, but I have not yet met this elusive woman.”
“Yes, I’m afraid she is in poor health, hence the doctor’s presence.”
“Nothing too difficult, I hope.”
“A fever. The doctor thinks she will be back to her old self in a day or two. She is also quite stubborn and would likely tell the devil he’ll have to wait if she is not ready to go yet.”
The man laughed. “She sounds like an interesting woman.”
“We manage to find ways to entertain each other.” Adele sighed. “You knew enough to know by the way the doctor addressed me that I must be nobility. Between that, your accent, and the quality of your clothing, I believe we can infer that you are a lord of some sort.”
“Are you sure?”
“No. I was just hoping to narrow things down. Do you remember anything?”
“Nothing. My head feels as though it is stuffed with cotton instead of memories.”
“Then how do we narrow it down? Because while I do not think you live in this neighborhood, my only evidence is that I have not seen you before. My father might be able to help, because he knows everyone, but since Parliament is not in session, he is not in town. I suppose we could check with Bow Street and see if anyone has reported that a man meeting your description has gone missing.”
The man tilted his head. “Bow Street?”
“Law enforcement. A detective may be out looking for you as we speak.”
“No, that does not seem right. My memories may return in short order.”
“I do hope so. But perhaps if they don’t, we can go out on the town tomorrow. Walk you through some fashionable spots, see if anything jogs your memory.”
“That seems reasonable.”
“In the meantime, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like. I already spoke with the countess, and she says it’s all right. This house is not the fanciest, but we have a nice library and the little garden in back of the house is a nice place to sit. We have plenty of food if you’re hungry. Regent’s Park is not far if you want some fresh air, and—”
“Fresh air,” he murmured.
“Would you like to go outside?”
“No, I have a recollection… I believe one of the last things I did before everything vanished from my mind was go for a walk for some fresh air.” He rubbed his forehead and then dropped his hand and shrugged. “I can’t recall more than that.”
“Rest today. We’ll walk in the park tomorrow, perhaps. Please ring the bell if you need anything.”
“Will that summon a servant?” He asked.
“Yes. We have a small staff, but this is not a large house, so one of the maids or footmen will come quickly if you need them.”
“How do I summon you?”
It occurred to Adele at first to take that as a jest, but he seemed sincere. “Pull the bell. A servant can fetch me. As I said, it is not a large house. I am always close by.”
