Page 16 of One Waltz with the Viscount

‘What did she ask you?’

‘She wanted to know about her father. She said she was trying to find him and she had come across my name in an old letter. I think she was a bit disappointed when she saw me, she kept saying I was too young, that she must have got the wrong Agnes Pepper.’

‘Were you able to tell her anything?’

‘No, Miss. I said I was very sorry, but I didn’t know anything about her father. She asked me where I had worked before I came here to work for Lord and Lady Shrewsbury and I told her that I’d only had one previous position, as a maid in Mr and Mrs Warner’s household.’

‘Did she say anything else? Or ask you anything else?’

‘She asked me if I was named after anyone, but I told her I was the first Agnes in my family. She thanked me for talking to her and then she left.’

‘She didn’t say where she was going next?’

‘No. I’m sorry Miss. She seemed like a nice girl.’

‘She is a nice girl,’ Miss Shepherd murmured. ‘Thank you, Agnes. Perhaps I could write my address down, and if you remember anything else, anything at all, you will know where to contact me.’

Agnes looked quickly at Lady Shrewsbury, who nodded, and directed Miss Shepherd to the small writing desk in the corner of the room. Once the piece of paper was handed over, Agnes bobbed a curtsey and left.

‘I am sorry this visit was not of more use,’ Lady Shrewsbury said. ‘I wish you the best of luck in finding your sister.’

‘Thank you.’ Miss Shepherd looked as though she was about to burst into tears. She gave hurried thanks and bid Lord and Lady Shrewsbury good day. As she rushed outside, Henry had to take the steps two at a time to keep up.

Chapter Six

Sarah walked briskly down the road, the tears stinging her eyes as she tried to gain control of her emotions.

‘Miss Shepherd,’ Lord Routledge called after her. She walked faster, not wanting him to see her like this.

His stride was much longer than hers and, despite her best efforts, he caught her just as she rounded the corner.

‘Wait, Miss Shepherd,’ he said, his voice laced with concern.

‘Thank you for your assistance,’ she said. Her voice was muffled by emotion, and the tears were starting to flow in earnest down her cheeks. ‘I doubt I would have been able to persuade Lord and Lady Shrewsbury to let me speak to their maid without your help.’ She spun and walked away.

After a minute she was aware Lord Routledge was following her. He kept pace easily, walking alongside her quietly, his head bent as if they were two old friends going for a companionable stroll.

‘You’ve done what you promised.’ The words came out sharper than she had intended, but she didn’t apologise. She was too upset at losing the trail of her sister to consider if she was being unforgivably rude.

‘I am not going to abandon you in the middle of London when you are so visibly distressed.’

She spun to face him, halting abruptly. ‘Why are you insisting on helping me? You do not know me. You do not know my sister. Don’t you have your own problems to solve? Or do you just like being surrounded by the misery of others so you don’t have to think about your own?’

Never before had she been so rude, but Sarah wanted to lash out, to hurt someone as she was hurting, and Lord Routledge was conveniently there. Immediately she felt ashamed of her outburst, but Lord Routledge looked unshaken.

‘Might I suggest we make a detour through the park? Some people swear by being surrounded by nature if they become overwhelmed.’

Seeing she wasn’t going to evade him that easily, Sarah shrugged and allowed Lord Routledge to lead her through a set of gates into Hyde Park. It was a warm day, the sun shining, and dozens of couples strolled arm in arm along the paths. Lord Routledge chose their route and, after ten minutes of walking, they reached a relatively secluded spot that overlooked a pretty fountain. There was an unoccupied bench and Sarah nodded in agreement when he suggested they sit.

For a long time neither of them spoke. The trickling sound of the water in the fountain was hypnotic. Sarah felt some of the overwhelming tension begin to ebb and then flow away.

‘I have a sister,’ Lord Routledge said quietly. ‘You asked me why I wanted to help you.’ He shrugged. ‘There are many complex reasons, but I think the most understandable is that I have a sister, and I hope that if she was ever in trouble someone would help her.’

Sarah cleared her throat, suddenly feeling ashamed of her outburst. Lord Routledge had been nothing but kind since she had met him, and she had been unforgivably rude.

‘I doubt your sister would get into this sort of mess,’ she said, her eyes fixed on the fountain.

‘I wouldn’t know.’