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“Then I hope you’re being careful,” he eventually murmured.
“Of course I am,” Henry sniffed, ignoring the sympathy in Rafe’s gaze. He wanted none of it. “She also has two protection officers watching over her.”
“That isn’t what I meant, and you know it. Henry—”
“Leaveit. Please,” he added, softening his tone.
Rafe watched him for a moment, then nodded. “If that’s what you want.”
There were a great many things Henry wanted, but he had learned to make do with far, far less over the years. And this would be no different.
“Thank you,” he murmured. “And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you beforehand, but I didn’t think you would be able to come here. I know how busy you are.”
The ever present gleam in Rafe’s eyes suddenly vanished, and he dragged a hand over his face. “Yes, well. I don’t have much to do at the moment.”
The hairs on the back of Henry’s neck prickled. He had never seen Rafe look so morose before, aside from the week he spent wallowing in self-pity before he confessed his feelings to Sylvia. “What do you mean? Is it the ambassador?”
But Rafe only glanced back to the suite and lowered his voice. “We’ll talk later. I can’t explain it all now. You understand.”
Henry nodded as a sense of unease rippled through him. There was something afoot in Germany. Something big enough to affect the unflappable Rafe Davies. And as curious as he was, Henry also dreaded the answer.
***
Later that afternoon Georgiana met Sylvia at the edge of the hotel’s back garden, where a winding path that ran along the scenic coastline began. They chatted happily about Sylvia’s new life in Berlin, her work chronicling the suffrage movement abroad, and her transition from a scandalous New Woman to the upstanding wife of an aristocrat.
“When we first arrived, some of the other embassy wives completely ignored me until the ambassador’s wife invited me to tea,” Sylvia explained. “She’s quite civic-minded herself, so we get along very well.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Georgiana said, though secretly she wished Sylvia wasn’t so far away.
“Perhaps you could come for a visit soon? Germany is lovely during Christmastime. And you did mention how you wanted to travel more, now that you could.”
That had been when the viscount first died. When Georgiana had been horrified to find herself feeling incredibly lost without her overbearing husband. Before she threw herself into her work reimagining Fox and Sons. Her smile tightened at the hopeful note in Sylvia’s voice. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to slip away then. If all goes according to plan, the new factory will have just opened.”
But with her siblings away in the countryside, that would mean spending the holiday in London, alone. Georgiana brushed away the regretful ache before it could grow roots. She would be fine on her own.
“Of course.” Sylvia glanced away, but not before disappointment flashed in her eyes. “I know you didn’t want to come on this trip at first, but it’s good to have a little break now, isn’t it?”
“Everyone seems to think so,” Georgiana grumbled before giving Sylvia an encouraging smile. “But being able to seeyoumakes it worth the hassle. And it is very beautiful here.”
“It certainly is,” she paused, then changed the subject. “I tried to induce Rafe to tell me about Captain Harris, but my usual methods weren’t very effective.” Sylvia then flashed her a saucy smile.
“Please spare me the details,” Georgiana groaned and pressed her hands to her ears in mock horror.
“Very well.” Sylvia laughed. “I won’t sayhowI extracted the information. But he would only admit that he was surprised to see Captain Harris with you. Then by that point I got rather distracted myself.”
Now it was Georgiana’s turn to laugh. “He used your own methods against you, didn’t he?”
“I don’t know why I was surprised,” Sylvia admitted with a happy shrug. “But I can certainly vouch for its effectiveness.”
They walked a little farther, basking in the warmth from the late afternoon sun. “Has it been awkward seeing the captain again?”
Georgiana hadn’t told Sylvia about her courtship with the captain until after the viscount died, and even then she only related the basic details. As far as her friend was concerned, Georgiana had willingly married the viscount to ensure her family’s future, though many young gentlemen had called on her, the captain included. Sylvia didn’t know about the night in the garden, or what Georgiana had overheard the next evening, nor what she had done with the information afterward. And Georgiana had no intention of telling the full, humiliating truth to anyone. Ever.
“It was at first,” Georgiana admitted. “But mostly I was angry that Reggie hadn’t consulted with me beforehand. I am quite capable of managing my own affairs without my younger brother’s help.”
“No one is suggesting you aren’t, but everyone could benefit from some assistance now and then. Even you.” Sylvia’s eyes softened. “He’s only worried about you.”
“I know,” Georgiana sighed. “And I’m here, aren’t I?”
