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“I think we should search your sister’s room again, Your Grace,” Lydia suggested.
“First of all,” he said, adjusting himself in the seat, “I think we are beyond the proprieties of Your Grace. Please, call me Edwin.”
“Edwin,” she repeated. Despite being focused on completely different matters, he could not help but love the way she pronounced his name. It sounded like a melody that he wanted to listen to over and over again as it floated down from her lips and into the air around him.
“Secondly, I believe that is a good idea,” he nodded. “I do have another one to add.”
“What is it?” Lydia wondered.
“We should take this necklace to every jeweler in town and ask if they have seen it before, and if they know whom it belonged to. Any sort of information might be invaluable in our search.”
“Yes,” Lydia agreed. “That is a very good idea. If we are fortunate, we might find out something about the person who gifted it to Rachel, or at least, if she purchased it herself.”
“I doubt she purchased it herself,” Edwin shook his head. “She did not like to purchase things on her own. She would usually send me or one of the servants for anything she needed. I cannot imagine her going out on her own and getting something like this.”
“You couldn’t imagine her keeping a secret from you either,” she reminded him, much to his chagrin, but he had to admit that she was right. His sister had a secret, one she refused to share with him. It hurt. However, he was grateful that he knew about it now because he could move forward with his search.
“There isn’t a moment to lose,” Lydia advised. “The three of us must go visit all the jewelers in town first thing tomorrow morning. In the meantime, your sister’s room must be searched again. There could be more clues, more things we have overseen which we must find.”
He liked how she saidwe have overseen.He relished the fact that she seemed to be eager to find his sister almost as much as he himself was. It made him hopeful that this time, he would actually find her or at least, find out what happened to her. He simply wanted the truth, nothing else. Even if that truth was painful, even if would break his heart. He had to know. That was all. Living in a state of not knowing was worse than anything else he had ever experienced, and he knew that his mother was going through the same thing.
“It is late now,” Edwin said, glancing at the window.
He had not even realized that night had fallen. Lydia had been here for several hours already, and he wondered how come she was not desperate to return home already. Would she not be missed? Would she not be asked regarding her whereabouts?
He wanted to invite them both to stay for a late supper, but he didn’t think that would be appropriate. They all needed a good night’s rest, for tomorrow would be a long day that would require much of their attention and effort.
“We should meet in Coronation Street,” he suggested, “and commence with the jewelers there. Hopefully, we’ll have some luck.”
“Hopefully,” Lydia nodded, turning to Susannah, and smiling at her. “We should head home. It is really getting late.”
“I shall walk you out,” he offered to which both ladies merely nodded.
They walked in silence outside, to their carriage. First, he helped Susannah up, then, when he offered Lydia his hand, he held hers in his for a moment, feeling the need to thank her.
“I know I have been a little… unpleasant from the first moment we met,” he admitted, “but I am truly grateful to have you by my side as an ally, Lydia.”
She smiled back. “You had every right to be unpleasant. I know I am not the easiest person to get along with. I am somewhat stubborn, you see.”
“I hadn’t noticed,” he said, to which they both chuckled.
Strangely, it felt good to laugh with this lady whom he knew only for a few short days, yet he felt as if their souls had known each other for much longer than that. When they laughed, it was that familiar sort of laughter, the one which allowed strange noises and a full opening of the mouth, instead of keeping one’s laughter constrained. Everything about her felt familiar. That was what assured him that allowing her to help him was a good decision. It was the right decision. It was the decision that would lead him to his sister. He was certain of that now.
“Well…” he started, feeling a little tongue-tied, something he also hadn’t felt in a long time. “Good night then.”
“Good night,” she returned, allowing him to help her in the carriage.
She threw one last glance at him then closed the door. A moment later, the carriage was leaving his property. He waited until he lost sight of it then returned to the house.
He could not sleep that night although he knew that he needed to rest. Tomorrow would be a long day. It would be a good day. It would be a day that would change everything.
CHAPTER10
“It is a fine piece, yes,” the jeweler by the name of Reginald Willoughby told them as he inspected the necklace with a gloved hand.
His eyeglasses were thick rimmed. They needed to be, so they could accommodate the even thicker glass that helped him see the object in question more clearly. Lydia had heard very good things about him from her friends who had already gotten married. Three of them had purchased their wedding jewelry there and were most satisfied with both the service as well as the jewelry. That was why Lydia wasn’t surprised that Edwin wanted to start with him first.
“However, there is nothing unique about it,” Mr. Willoughby finally concluded after a short assessment. It was obvious that it held nothing of interest for him.
